A retired concrete mixer with a stretched snout and diamond‑plate fenders became one of Idaho’s most unconventional hay trucks.

Ranchers rely on equal parts faith and science to have adequate grass to maintain their cow herd and ensure quality calves for beef. Faith comes through praying for the right growing conditions, while science implements good land and resource management to enhance the soil, grass types, moisture levels and more to get the most grass from each acre for as long as possible.

Leave the land better than you found it. That’s the charge given to the ranchers who are members of Country Natural Beef.

Taking care of the land doesn’t just happen. It takes patience, planning and a willingness to adapt to change as it happens.

Wildfires have become more frequent and severe across the U.S. and globally. Since the 1980s, the area burned by wildfires has increased, peaking in spring and summer. The primary driver is climate change, which extends fire seasons, raises temperatures and intensifies droughts. These conditions, along with wind, humidity and temperature shifts, contribute to unpredictable and fast-spreading fires.

In the last 75 to 100 years, we have seen cow size go from belt-buckle cattle to hat-brim cattle. Between 1975 and 2005, the average cow weight in the U.S. at slaughter increased from 1,050 to 1,350 pounds. Since 2005, cow size in the U.S. has probably pushed into the 1,400- to 1,500-pound range. 

This fall, my cowboy and I went to the Oregon Coast for the first time. Since his family is from Georgia and Tennessee, we’d driven to see the Atlantic Coast once or twice. Yet we’d never experienced the ruggedness of the Oregon Coast.

Developing replacement heifers is one of the most expensive and complex management decisions for a cow-calf producer and also has long-term implications for profitability.