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Articles by Heather Smith Thomas

Winter nutrition for bulls

September 24, 2019

Heather Smith Thomas

Bulls supply half the genetics for your calf crop, so you want to make sure they are fertile, healthy and sound and in good body condition through winter.

Fall calving – worth the off-season plunge?

August 22, 2019

Heather Smith Thomas

There are advantages and disadvantages to every calving season; producers need to figure out what works best for their own climate and management system.

Eyeing a stronger treatment for foothill abortion

July 25, 2019

Heather Smith Thomas

The mysterious foothill abortion disease in cattle was first seen in the foothill regions of coastal and central California – and recognized in the 1940s as different from brucellosis. It also occurs in southern Oregon and Nevada.

Fire and ice: Branding materials and techniques

June 24, 2019

Heather Smith Thomas

Proof of livestock ownership in the western half of the U.S. is a hot iron brand, and in some herds freeze branding is used for individual animal ID. Creating a good-looking brand depends on proper technique and materials.

Rodent problems are never an easy task

March 25, 2019

Heather Smith Thomas

Rats and mice can raise havoc with buildings and their contents, and burrowing rodents such as prairie dogs, ground squirrels and pocket gophers can damage fields, pastures and crops.

Farrier supplies and tools for the part-time ‘shoer’

February 22, 2019

Heather Smith Thomas

Some horse owners and ranchers shoe their own horses. For this task, they need to assemble an appropriate set of tools.

Choosing modified-live or killed vaccines for calves

January 24, 2019

Heather Smith Thomas

There are many commercial vaccines available to protect cattle against infectious agents. Some are modified-live vaccines, and others are killed products. It’s not always easy to decide which ones are best when vaccinating calves.

Dealing with frostbite in calving season

December 21, 2018

Heather Smith Thomas

Calves born in cold weather may suffer frostbite, especially if they are unable to get up quickly and nurse before they chill.

To those who feed the herd at Christmas

November 24, 2018

Heather Smith Thomas

Christmas is a special time because this is when we pause in our daily busyness to remember God’s greatest gift to us – in the birth of his Son, who showed us that we are all children of God and that we are loved by our Father.

Ways to install fences in cold weather

October 24, 2018

Heather Smith Thomas

Cold temperatures and frozen ground create challenges for fencing. Cold weather is hard on machinery (hard to start the tractor, skid steer or excavator the post pounder is mounted on), and frozen ground makes it difficult to set posts.

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