Most cattle producers first think about feed, forage and mineral supplementation when evaluating herd performance or troubleshooting challenges. Water quality often doesn’t even make the list. But high levels of iron and other mineral antagonists in water sources can interfere with trace mineral absorption, limiting health and performance long before obvious signs of deficiency appear.

In hay season, equipment downtime isn’t just inconvenient – it’s the fastest way to lose forage quality and profit.

What are the hidden effects of heat stress on animals, what threats does it pose to the sustainability of the U.S. meat industry and what can be done to mitigate these effects?

Starting feedlot cattle correctly is one of the most important parts of the entire feeding program. A feedlot animal is being asked to make a major transition: from pasture, backgrounding or a previous management system into a high-energy, tightly managed environment where rapid weight gain is the goal.

Idaho dairyman Greg Andersen elevates herd efficiency with better production, fertility and fitness. For him, the most successful way to do this is through genetic selection, backed by quality data.

We all know the drill. Inbound calves arrive and we might treat a random animal that arrived ill. Then things are pretty calm … until about day 21. Then it all breaks loose. Animals that had escaped scrutiny suddenly appear quite ill, or worse, at death’s door.

The largest operating cost on all farms is feed, and one of the most influential variables going into feed cost and management is shrink. Whether it is shrink from spoilage, overfeeding, mixing errors or simply poor environmental conditions, it represents feed that is purchased but never consumed by the cow.

Forage crops in the Upper Colorado River Basin face mounting stress from aridification and shifting runoff. Evapotranspiration modeling and in‑field sensor measurements are helping producers adapt forage systems to limited water supplies.