As ruminants, cattle eat a lot of forage in a short time then chew the cud and process the feed more thoroughly. They have preferences in forage plants and certain behavioral patterns when grazing.

The horse has a simple stomach, similar to that of a human. The reason he can digest grass and hay, which humans cannot, is because he has a different type of large intestine.

The Stielow family raises registered Angus and Charolais cattle on their Bar S Ranch near Paradise, Kansas, homesteaded in 1900 by Ken Stielow’s grandfather. Ken went to Kansas State University and worked for the extension service for six years after getting degrees in ag econ, then came back to the ranch in 1975.

Mastitis (inflammation in one or more quarters) occurs most commonly in dairy cows, but also in beef cows. Mastitis develops if bacteria enter the teat canal – as when cows calve in dirty areas or lie in mud and manure after calving.

The most common illness in young calves is scours. According to George Barrington of Washington State University, diarrhea results in the greatest economic loss from disease in this age group.

When traditional feeds are in short supply or expensive, there are some non-traditional feeds that can be used, according to David Bohnert, a beef extension specialist and ruminant nutritionist at Oregon State University (Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center at Burns, Oregon).

There are many ways to save on feed costs and have cows graze longer into winter.

Most cattle buyers have preferences regarding health management of calves when they take delivery from a farm or ranch or purchase them through a marketing program.

There are many ways to wean calves, depending on facilities, feed resources, calving season and climate.

Extending the grazing season can help reduce production costs for cattle.