Although the importance of a well-developed mineral supplementation program is now well understood, the greatest challenge remains in ensuring that cattle consume it consistently, rather than in formulating the supplement itself.

The University of Idaho Extension hosted the annual BIF Symposium in June, bringing hundreds of the beef industry’s brightest minds and strongest leaders to the Treasure Valley.

Graeme Finn could have been happy raising cattle anywhere in the world, so long as there was grass to graze and land to improve. He and his family ended up raising cattle, grazing grass and improving land in the foothill country of western Alberta near the town of Madden.

Over the past several decades, beef cows have quietly gotten bigger. In 1975, the average beef cow weighed just over 1,000 pounds; by 2009, that number had jumped to 1,350 pounds, and today, many herds include cows tipping the scales at 1,400 pounds or more.

For Avery Oswald of Rigby, Idaho, winning the Idaho Cattle Association (ICA) 2025 Heifer of the Year (HOY) program was a key milestone in her dream of running her own cattle operation someday.

One of the largest cattle operations in North America, Douglas Lake Cattle Company in British Columbia, has a long history. Founded in 1884, Douglas Lake has been operating continuously for 141 years.

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.

Young Rayburn Smith only had one goal for his life: to live the American dream. To him, that dream was to raise cattle along the Red River, “ranching Louisiana style.”

Like many Idaho beef ranching operations, Shaw Cattle Co. stands as a testament to the power of tradition, innovation and family values. A fourth-generation seedstock operation located in Caldwell, the ranch specializes in registered purebred Angus and Hereford cattle. Tucker Shaw and his family work together to uphold its legacy while embracing modern practices to shape the future of the beef industry.

Over the years, research has shown that to be productive, each cow needs to be maintained at a certain body condition or within a certain range.