Advances in technology are slowly changing how cattle are managed. For example, companies are offering innovative solutions enabling producers to access real-time weight data directly from pairs on summer pastures. By harnessing tools like these, ranchers can make more informed decisions to support herd health and optimize production outcomes.

On Feb. 26, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) finalized removal of protections for the lesser prairie chicken under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), putting into effect a ruling made in a U.S. district court in Texas in August 2025.

Wildfires undoubtedly are one of the most challenging natural disasters, and when they occur, they create immense hardship for our farming and ranching families and greater rural communities.

Michael Thompson walks the same Kansas fields his great-great-grandfather broke in 1888, but his vision reaches far beyond tradition.

If I asked 10 different producers, “How good of quality do you think your CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) forage is for grazing?” I would expect that nine would respond with something to the extent of “Not much better than trees.”

Through many McCarty generations of hard work, they have built and expanded onto their dairy to become more sustainable. Three McCarty generations share their roles on the dairy today and what they have accomplished.

If there’s a phrase that rings true in the ears of any business owner or manager, it’s that “a business is only as good as its people.” And in a world where automation is rapidly transforming many industries, the cattle business remains one of the few that still relies heavily on people.

Technology continues to push the envelope when it comes to reproductive efficiency. Automated monitoring systems and sort gates have proven to be productive investments for dairy farms across the country.