What are you producing at your operation? The answer is: beef, of course. Anyone who owns cattle is a food producer. This has been the most critical point for all generations of producers.

Have you ever heard someone suggest they got robbed … at the sale barn? Everyone has encountered this at some point. The sellers felt their cattle didn’t bring market value. Could they be right, or were the sellers missing something? Most often it’s the disease known as barn blindness.

Imagine a scenario where people would go into a fast-food or fast-casual restaurant and, after gazing at the menu, they decide to order the No. 2 Cull-Cow Burger combo with fries and a milkshake. Then, after sitting down, the person eating says, “This cull cow is really good.”

Cattle don’t like processing days because it’s out of their comfort zone. It’s a lot like men going clothes shopping with their wives. Processing days are stressful events. More people are around.

Hopefully, all is going well at your operation. Every region has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, in the Southeast, we have to fight against the negatives of humidity and moisture in cattle production but, in turn, we have the potential for 10-month grazing.

In 2014, live calves with four legs brought top dollar. Those days are over, and things have definitely changed. Still, everyone wants premium prices for their calf crops.

If there was ever a slow time of year in the Southeast, it’s definitely not September. Whether fall or spring calving, it’s a busy month for herd and pasture management.

Hope the summer has been kind to your operation thus far. The summer of 2016 was a struggle for most; the drought was a hard pill to swallow. This year has shaken out to be much better for many, and the long-term precipitation forecast is more optimistic.

The summer of 2017, in the Southeast, could be shaping up to be a repeat of 2016 for some. The National Weather Service forecasted Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina to have below-average rainfall through July.

Hay cutting is upon us, and some have been wrapping ryegrass and other cool-season forages since the end of January. How much hay will each mature cow need? The quick answer is: at least 1.5 tons per head.