Besides spray recommendations, pasture plantings contribute to the volume of calls that extension agents and specialists get in the spring. What should I plant? Where can I find the seed? How should I get seed in the ground?

With spring around the corner, now is the time to plan on making sure grass tetany never shows up on your ranch.

The bull purchase is unlike any other decision that gets made by a cow-calf operation. It carries enormous importance to the success of a herd. The average bull will have a far larger genetic footprint than even the most productive cows, siring well over 100 calves over the course of his time in a herd.

Most farms and ranches have some woodlands. For centuries, cattle have been turned out in the woods to forage or to access shelter from extreme weather. With proper management, the benefits of grazing woodlands can be maximized.

Efficient. Sustainable. Profitable. Productive. Economical. They feel like buzzwords, yet they’ve maintained their lofty position in the cattle industry zeitgeist for long enough now that it’s impossible to shy away from the inevitability – and even merit – of defining and reaching for such ideals.

In high school biology, we were introduced to the fact that a phenotype is a function of genetics and environment. As cattle producers, we are constantly trying to optimize these two pieces.

In the past, the process of acquiring a new herd bull likely included the scouring of a local newspaper, visiting a neighbor or attending a nearby auction sale. The bill of sale’s fine print may or may not have detailed the requirements and results of a semen test.