Join the Progressive Cattle crew and guests as they discuss the current cattle market, the best pickups on the market, third-party verification programs and antimicrobial resistance in beef cattle.

With U.S. cow herd size at a 75-year low and with no reprieve in sight, it’s never been more important to protect your cattle and operation. Farmers and ranchers should consider how to protect their animals and operation before it is too late. Here are a few of the topics shared at Cattlemen’s College during NCBA’s CattleCon 2026 in in Nashville, Tennessee.

Composite breeds of cattle are built on the concept of breed complementarity – combining the desirable characteristics of two or more breeds of cattle in a way that simultaneously masks or lessens each breed’s weaknesses.

In reviewing large commercial datasets, experts are seeing certain patterns beginning to emerge – particularly as it relates to a cow’s ability to stay in the herd. These trends are important to be aware of to identify challenges as well as opportunities.

As it always is, the 2025 edition of the Beef Improvement Federation (BIF) Symposium – hosted June 9-12 in Amarillo, Texas, by West Texas A&M University – delivered boatloads of cutting-edge research results and practical applications of genetic tools.

Artificial insemination as a regular practice may seem out of reach on your operation, but this floor- and ceiling-raising technology is more affordable and easier to access than ever before.

Recent research suggests that beef-on-dairy steers fed a low-starch total mixed ration at a younger age will continue to increase in feed intake and growth longer than those receiving different diets. 

The use of birdshot is animal abuse and jeopardizes the beef industry’s public image.

How are these inedible, black spots getting into the beef supply? That’s everyone’s first question after learning about birdshot as the leading contributor to foreign objects in packing plants and further processing facilities.

It’s no secret: Feed has always accounted for, by far, the biggest production expense of beef cattle production.