Located an hour north of the U.S. border near Coaldale, Alberta, U2 Quality Seedstock is a second-generation operation raising Angus and Red Angus cattle with a focus on traits that keep commercial cattlemen in business.

Doug Lathem and Chad Schoonover weren’t trying to prove any kind of point when they made the decision to convert their farming and beef cattle operation near Dalhart, in the Texas Panhandle, to organic production. But when they sat down and took a good, long look at their resources, operating costs and market, it became clear: If they wanted to give the next generation a shot at coming back and making a living on the place, the conventional route wasn’t going to cut it.

Wowk Ranch near Beauvallon, Alberta, specializes in breeding, training and selling high-quality horses of various breeds and runs 200 commercial cattle that they feed with a team in the winter.

Fink Beef Genetics owns about 200 head of mother cows. Each of those, presumably, raises about one calf per year. Yet, somehow, in 2023, the Finks managed to sell more than 600 bulls carrying their herd’s genetics to customers across the country.

Raising the best kids, cattle and corn – in that order – is the goal of Jesse and Michelle Weber of Weber Land and Cattle in Lake Benton, Minnesota.

As a cattleman and the father of four daughters, Mark Templeton remembers many remarks over the years about whether he and his wife would “try again for a boy” so they’d have help on the ranch.

The October podcast goes to Denver, Colorado, for the Red Angus annual conference where David Cooper interviews Rick Funston and Jordan Shockley. Funston, a reproductive physiologist with University of Nebraska – Lincoln, explains numerous factors toward efficiency in repro rates, heifer selection and reproductive success. 

Over the past two to three years, the heart of cattle country experienced extreme drought conditions. Many producers have faced difficult decisions concerning their cow herd health and maintenance on top of the financial pressure of managing through a difficult weather event.

Almost all breeds in the U.S. today are of British and European descent, but many ranchers in Southern areas prefer cattle with some Zebu influence. In recent years, African types with less Zebu genetic influence and more Bos taurus have been introduced.

Ranching is always a challenge, but the Sitz family strives to make it work, working and adapting together.