Currently, beef bulls are worth a lot of money – at least based on the relatively high prices paid by bull buyers for virgin seedstock bulls this past fall. As a result, strategic management of bulls, particularly during the winter months, is becoming even more important to a producer’s profitability.

With nearly 800 mother cows, Gelbvieh and Angus breeder Vaughn Thorstenson recognizes that reducing feed inputs would be a huge savings on the ranch he and his family operate in north-central South Dakota.

Understanding the horse’s body language is extremely important to safely work around a horse. Observing body language allows a rider or handler to be better prepared for reactions from the horse or may prevent actions that will result in danger to the horse and handler. Features to watch include head carriage, ear position, look in its eyes, flare of the nostrils and mouth, as they will provide you with indicators of what a horse is doing. Pawing, continuous body movement, head tossing, a wild or frightened look, ears laid back against the head, or attempts to bite are all signals of danger to the handler.

Some time after he arrived as general manager of Riverbend Ranch, David Brown got a quick tutorial on how harsh the seasons can be in Idaho.

Cattle are typically worked one to two times a year on the ranch. Vaccination, palpation, treatment, testing, dehorning, castration and identification are many of the management practices that require restraint of cattle. The safety of yourself, your help, and the animal being processed should be top priority

Al ganado de carne típicamente se trabaja una o dos veces al año en el rancho. La vacunación, palpación, tratamiento, reexaminaciones medicas, el descornado, la castración y la identificación son algunas de las practicas de manejo que requieren de “sujetar o manejar” el ganado. La seguridad de usted, sus ayudantes y del animal deberán ser la prioridad principal.

For over a century, the word “temperament” has been used to define the fear-related behavioral responses of cattle when exposed to human handling. As cattle temperament worsens, their response to human contact or any other handling procedures becomes more pronounced. Within the beef cattle industry, producers select cattle for temperament, primarily for safety reasons. However, recent studies demonstrate cattle temperament may also have productive and economic implications to beef operations.

Right now thousands of seedstock operations are in their final preparations for their annual spring production sales. The big event always includes a laundry list of major tasks: reconfirming sale day help and the auctioneer, booking final promotional advertisements and mail catalogs, and prepping animals for the sale ring.

Calving barns are as individual as the ranchers who build them. You want a barn that’s adequate, yet practical and affordable. The ideal barn is different for every ranch.

Cattle producers are painfully aware they operate in uncertain and volatile times. Uncertainty over prices, input markets, extreme weather and other factors can make profitability tough.