It was 80ºF in the days before Oct. 4, 2013. Leaves still graced the trees.

The words “soil health” have been buzzing all around the country for the last two to three years. Just about every grain-farming magazine has an article about cover crops or no-till in it every month.

“Times are a-changing.” I’ve been associated with the cattle industry all my life; that’s 59 years this summer. I’ve also been closely associated with the science and application of technologies and management practices for the beef industry throughout my higher-education and professional career, about 30 years now.

Most of the wildlife habitat in the U.S. is on private lands.

The U.S. has been plagued with intermittent drought throughout its history.

About a year ago I wrote an article entitled “Cattle markets move past summer lows.” The title of this article reflects how far we have come and serves as a reminder that the current cattle and beef market situation is the result of a market run that began over a year ago.

Precision agriculture can be many different things. Using precision agriculture management practices frequently results in minimizing inputs and saving dollars. While there are few new technologies available to allow beef producers to more precisely feed the cow herd, established methodologies have existed to do just that.

Common to many cattle producers around the world is the fear of wasting grass. “No blade left behind” could be a resounding chorus.

Photo monitoring may be key to improving and managing rangelands. But without taking a proper photograph, monitoring could be a waste of time.