Cattle Grazing

Ranchers navigate tough grazing decisions amid drought

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:47 -0400

Across the Great Plains, farmers and ranchers are entering another summer under dry conditions, balancing feed costs, stocking rates and long-term pasture health while hoping for rain that may or may not come in time. For many, drought planning is no longer an occasional challenge, but rather a part of the business model.

Water is becoming the hard limit on U.S. ranches

andrew@farmbot.com.au — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Across much of the U.S., ranchers are dealing with a shift that’s been building for years: The patterns they’ve relied on are changing.

Room to roam: What the Grazing Action Plan actually means

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:55:38 -0400

Back in November, the USDA and the Department of the Interior announced a partnership promising something many Western cattle producers haven’t heard in years: more opportunity for grazing on public lands, not less.

Southeast: Pounds weaned per acre – rethinking metrics

kmason21@utk.edu — Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Bigger calves are beneficial, but weaning weight alone doesn’t tell the full story.

Burning up: Practical tools for wildfire season

Thu, 14 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Most of us grew up learning about the dangers of wildfire from a cartoon bear in a ranger hat, saying, “Only YOU can prevent wildfires.”

South Central: Forage species and grazing management impact animal performance

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Understanding and managing forage quality is important for cow-calf and stocker operations that rely on forage as the main component of the diet.

Southeast: Designing a drought plan before you need it

kmason21@utk.edu — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

It is most effective to have a drought plan in place before lack of rainfall becomes a problem.

Better bahiagrass is possible with effective establishment

drivera@uada.edu — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Besides spray recommendations, pasture plantings contribute to the volume of calls that extension agents and specialists get in the spring. What should I plant? Where can I find the seed? How should I get seed in the ground?

West: Preparing a cattle operation for a drought year

cwillmore@uidaho.edu — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

With low snowpack levels across much of the western U.S., cattle producers should begin preparing now for the possibility of drought conditions in 2026.

Midwest/North: Growing summer annual forages

wmeteer@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

With poor profitability projections on most row-crop budgets, planting summer annual forages and using forage mixes for grazing should be considered on marginal acres.

South Central: Improving animal performance with better forage

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

This article will focus on the factors that affect forage quality to help producers improve animal performance and produce better-quality hay, which can reduce or eliminate winter supplementation needs.

Cattle, bees and balance: How pollinators shape sustainable agriculture

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Cattle production is often at the mercy of major influences, such as market volatility, government regulations and feed supplies and shortages. These prominent factors undeniably shape the industry and impact producer success on a broad scale.

Considerations for adapting virtual fence for managing livestock grazing

kevin.sedivec@ndsu.edu — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Fencing is a critical tool for enhancing grazing management through managing livestock access and distribution. However, constructing physical fences, both permanent and temporary, can be labor-intensive and costly. The introduction of virtual fencing into North America has many ranchers wondering how it works and whether it fits their operations.

Considerations for managing the cow herd, before and after the fire

jasonwarner@ksu.edu — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

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.

Midwest/North: Don't overdo it on spring greenup

wmeteer@gmail.com — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Turning cows out on immature forages can have long-reaching consequences, including permanent damage to grass stands, high risk of grass tetany and a need for supplementation to fill nutritional gaps.

Southeast: Manage spring grazing for success all season long

kmason21@utk.edu — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Although it is nice to have abundant forage during springtime, rapid growth often outpaces animal demand and may quickly push plants beyond the vegetative stage, which reduces nutritive value and pasture longevity.

South Central: Grass tetany symptoms and treatment

jason.banta@ag.tamu.edu — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Grass tetany is a condition in cows caused by low magnesium levels in the blood and can lead to death.

5 reasons to add summer annuals to your grazing plan

dschwab@iastate.edu — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

While cool-season grasses grow well in the Upper Midwest, producing forage in the spring and again when temperatures cool off in the fall, they suffer from “summer slump” when conditions get too hot or dry, and their growth slows.

Southeast: Stretching winter feed with stockpiled forages

kmason21@utk.edu — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

With proper planning, stockpiled forage can extend the grazing season, save money and keep cows in good condition.

Forage monitoring primer: Pasture or range, the principles are the same

dcallister@uidaho.edu — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Cowboys and farmers tend to emphasize the differences between pasture and range, but when we bring it back to the plant level, there are more similarities than differences.

A little research can pay big dividends

dferguson@countrynaturalbeef.com — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Knowing what’s in every bite: Understanding CRP forage quality

jasonwarner@ksu.edu — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.”

Midwest/North: Is it time to bale graze?

wmeteer@gmail.com — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 00:00:03 -0400

Adding nutrients, organic matter and ground cover to poorly productive lands have some raving about bale grazing.

West: Nitrate toxicity in hay – a hidden risk after a dry summer

sfonnesbeck@uidaho.edu — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 13:00:42 -0400

As dry conditions persist across much of the West, beef producers should be cautious about a silent threat in their hay: nitrate toxicity.

Prussic acid management in sorghum forages

sgruss@iastate.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

In recent years, producers across the Midwest have increasingly turned to sorghum as a flexible forage option. However, careful management is required to avoid maladies such as prussic acid poisoning.

Midwest/North: More grazing days = more profit

wmeteer@gmail.com — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Allowing cattle to graze into late fall and early winter is crucial to maximizing profits. Stockpiling cool-season forages and growing cover crops for forage present opportunities to extend the grazing season.

Build a functional grazing plan

dferguson@countrynaturalbeef.com — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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

Adopting technology to increase efficiency in grazing systems

sam.wyffels@montana.edu — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

For generations, managing beef cattle across the vast and rugged landscapes of the American West has relied on traditional stockmanship and an intimate knowledge of the land. Now, new technologies are available to augment these established practices, offering producers a more detailed, real-time view of their herds.

West: Analyzing your pasture or range

sfonnesbeck@uidaho.edu — Wed, 21 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

While the quantity of grass is looked at often enough, have you taken some time to test the quality of those grasses?

Before you open the gate: A pregrazing checklist

cwillmore@uidaho.edu — Thu, 08 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As grazing season has begun for many, it is time to make sure fences and pastures are still in good condition and ready for turnout.