Here they come! Those four little words that Oklahoma cattle producers despise in the summertime: “high pressure heat dome.” Understanding and avoiding heat stress in cattle can be a valuable management tool for summertime in Oklahoma.

The current COVID-19 situation has temporarily changed a great deal about our daily lives. For many farm and ranch families, it means the son or daughter that had been going to high school or college is now at home and helping with the chores. Why not take advantage of the technology skills these young people could bring to the operation?

It is generally accepted that adequate supervision at calving has a significant impact on reducing calf mortality. Adequate supervision has been of increasing importance with the higher price of live calves at sale time.

Spring rain in Oklahoma has allowed cool-season forages to grow in abundance. Harvesting and baling cool-season crops such as fescue and wheat hay is a challenge during a wet spring. The timing of the rains can make it difficult for cattlemen who are trying hard to put quality hay in the bale for next winter’s feed supply.

For some Oklahoma cow-calf operations, the bulls go into the breeding pasture with replacement heifers in mid-April. As the bulls are being removed from the replacement heifers in two months, this would be an ideal time to call and make arrangements with your local veterinarian to have those heifers evaluated for pregnancy after another 60 days.

Does the severity (coldness or mildness) of the winter have an impact on spring-born calf birthweights? Ranchers have asked that question during many springs, and veterinarians have speculated for years. The debate rages on.

The fall breeding season is less than two months away. If you have not assessed your bull battery recently, time is running out. Contact your local veterinarian and make arrangements to see that your bulls of all ages pass a breeding soundness exam.

Fall-calving season is here. In fact, the start of the fall calving season often begins before some producers expect it. The target date for the beginning of fall calving very often is Sept. 1.

Bred replacement heifers that will calve in January and February need to continue to grow and maintain body condition. Ideally, 2-year-old heifers should be in a body condition score of “6” at the time that their first calf is born.

Pinkeye has long been a costly nuisance to cattle producers. Eye infections sometimes lead to partial or complete blindness in one or both eyes.