The way in which beef producers manage the tasks of "housing" and watering and feeding their cattle during the winter will have a significant impact on the productivity and profitability of the herd.

To remain competitive in today’s beef industry, commercial producers must identify and implement technologies that have favorable impacts on their beef cattle enterprises, and crossbreeding is one such technology.

With drought conditions persisting and impacting large areas of the western and central U.S., beef producers must routinely monitor the nutrition their cattle are receiving. Most beef producers would agree that determining whether cows on pasture are receiving adequate nutrition is somewhat difficult. However, cow body condition can be used as an indicator.