Adding value to cattle may seem like a no-brainer. However, when conversations begin about entering value-added or verification programs, the process can seem daunting, especially to producers who may be less familiar with these programs or under the impression they will need to completely revise their management protocols.

Spring-calving cows are expected to get pregnant during some of the hottest times of the year. Heat stress can decrease the fertility of both the cow and the bull.

For beef producers, any number of uncontrollable factors can make financial sustainability an elusive goal. Some ranchers are capturing more dollars by marketing beef directly to the consumer.

As the summer months progress, the forage quality for grazing cattle begins to change rapidly for much of the western U.S. Cattle performance is dependent on the consumption of digestible nutrients; thus, forage quality and availability are essential for grazing-based systems.

The House Ag Committee finished its markup of the new farm bill on May 24. The legislation now awaits its turn on the House floor.

For almost 100 years, cattle producers in the West experienced an awful phenomenon: large numbers of strange, late-term abortions in otherwise healthy cattle. What caused these abortions, and what can producers do to avoid this loss?

In anticipation of the cattle industry’s inevitable rebuilding of the national cow herd, AngusLink, the American Angus Association’s USDA process-verified program, has introduced a new tool for objectively describing the genetic potential of replacement females. 

Drought conditions around the country can be a mixed bag any given year. This year, portions of the Central Plains, West, Southwest and Midwest have dealt with various drought conditions.

All animals face constant changes and challenges to their health. The maintenance of a healthy homeostatic state within the gut is important, not only to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, but it also can affect such diverse systems such as the respiratory and reproductive system. We also know that it can affect the brain and the skin health as well. The GI tract and remote organs in the body share bidirectional communication via immune, neural, endocrine or metabolic links called the “gut-organ axis.”