Latest News From rancher

The Bureau of Land Management will soon implement a new rule to identify areas of public lands that need restoration and develop a strategy accordingly. What could go wrong?

APHIS issued its final rule on animal ID that has been in place since 2013, switching from solely visual tags to tags that are both electronically and visually readable for certain classes of cattle moving interstate.

What’s your context? One of the 6 soil health principles we discuss in this week’s episode is knowing your context. What’s yours? What is your goal? What’s the reason you run cattle?

The value of good management has never been higher. Well managed cow-calf operations can concentrate inputs into short time frames focused on critical control points of production.

Historically low current US cowherd inventories and limited evidence of heifer retention indicates the robust markets we currently enjoy should be sustained for at least the next couple of years.

A third column grappling with some of the baffling claims regarding international trade. The focus here is specifically on the noise surrounding the imports of live cattle.

Recently we were reminded of the devasting impacts of Mother Nature during the wildfires that destroyed parts of Oklahoma and Texas. There is a lot to learn from such events so we can be better prepared in the future.

A lone juror stood between rancher George Kelly and innocent. “It is what it is, and it will be what it will be. Let me go home, okay?”

Industry trade associations have "downplayed the impact imported cattle and beef have on the U.S. cattle industry," claims R-CALF CEO Bill Bullard, in a response to a column by Drovers' contributing editor Nevil Speer.

New six-part video series explores the cattle-grazing carbon cycle and the role of cattle in mitigating climate change.

American Wagyu Association names Jerry Cassady as new Executive Director effective May 1.

While the heifer percentage in feedlots remains above the average of the past ten years, the decline from January to April is an encouraging sign that heifer feeding is perhaps slowing.

High prices are a welcome change for cattle producers, but it’s important to remember that higher prices mean mistakes cost more than when prices are low, says a University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist.

One of the industry’s leading collaborations between Purina Animal Nutrition and Zinpro helps optimize cattle performance.

The award honors farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who go above and beyond in their management of soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat on working land.

Kevin Lynch shares the pros and cons of multispecies grazing as well as what beginners need to consider in Season 7, Episode 16 of the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast.

Donation intake closing as distribution continues for AgriLife Extension-operated Animal Supply Points.

Do America's trade policies push ranchers out of business? That's a protectionist's view, but there's no evidence suggesting ranchers “displaced” by beef imports – nor being unduly damaged in the marketplace.     

One of the most important decisions cattlemen and cattlewomen face today is how to engineer their selection and mating program to add value to their next calf crop.

Steve Swaffar encourages producers to be prepared to plant cover crops in a wet year if they are looking to increase ground cover and extend days spent grazing.

Thanks to a reader's observation, another county has been added to our list of those with more than 50,000 beef cows.

Horn flies are a small black fly that feeds on the back, sides and belly of cattle and are the most common fly in beef cattle. Economic losses begin when fly populations reach 150-200 per animal.

Carcass weights have trended heavier for over 60 years with steer carcass weights increasing by an average of 4.0 pounds per year, up over 240 pounds from 660 pounds in the 1960s to over 900 pounds in recent years.

Declining cattle futures provided leverage for packers to collect inventory with softer bids.

Negotiated cash cattle prices moved lower again under pressure from sinking futures markets. The red-hot hamburger market kept pushing most utility cows higher.

Manipulating the reproductive process of your cow herd can result in shorter breeding and calving seasons with more calves born earlier in the season resulting in an older, heavier, more uniform calf crop when you wean.

Research indicates multiple animal performance benefits linked to earlier castration (birth to 3 months), including shorter initial weight loss periods, lower disease susceptibility, and higher post-weaning ADGs.

Cherry County Neb. remains the U.S. County with the most beef cows, according to the 2022 Census of Agriculture. South Dakota has seven counties ranked in the Top 33 while Texas has five.

USDA reports are not an exact science of data collection and should not be treated as such. We have to take the information from all reports, reported and/or surveyed, and use it accordingly in our analysis.

Caitlin Word shares the difference between principles and practices in this week’s podcast episode as it relates to regenerative agriculture.

The margin spread between packer losses and feedyard profits expands as wholesale beef prices continue their retreat. Pork producer profits continue increasing.

Five-hundred-sixty-three bidders registered for the annual sale with 264 buyers from 31 states and Mexico competed for 670 lots.

There's a lot of rhetoric surrounding beef trade that we shouldn't accept at face value. A closer look at the data shows America’s ranchers are the direct beneficiaries of international trade.

King Ranch has acquired a 50% stake in Cobalt Cattle, the nation’s fourth-largest cattle feeding operation with six feedyards in Colorado, Kansas and Texas.

Government officials claim power over entrance, searches, and surveillance on private land with no restrictions.

NCBA and the PLC oppose three finalized Endangered Species Act rulemakings that significantly expand federal overreach and roll back reforms that previously provided some relief to farmers and ranchers.

Beef exports continue to face headwinds as beef production decreases and beef prices increase in the U.S. market. Beef imports are dominated by imports of lean processing beef to supplement supplies of nonfed beef.

Finished cattle, feeders, calves and the futures markets were all in retreat as the HPAI event becomes the latest beef industry black swan.

Pesky horn flies can become prolific during the grazing season. However, there are control tactics that can help keep horn fly populations under wraps.

Producers who are looking to minimize time spent checking water may consider investing in one of many modern water monitoring solutions.

Mexico will increase surveillance and reinforce inspections of U.S. livestock imports after bird flu was found in dairy cattle.

Colorado officials have confirmed the first wolf depredation of a calf since gray wolves were reintroduced in the state in December 2023.

Keeping replacement females from first calf heifers can work if producers plan and select sires that are adequate for calving ease and also offer maternal traits that are beneficial.

The latest data on steer weights shows 23 pounds heavier than a year ago at 922-pounds, record-high for the first two weeks in March. That's a sharply higher trend line in a time when weights historically trend lighter.

The inaugural course date for Noble Business Essentials is set for June 13-14, 2024, on Noble’s campus in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Ranchers and landowners from disaster-declared counties impacted by recent wildfires are eligible to apply to the TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund.

Crabgrass is an annual, warm-season grass that is fast growing, easy to establish, and capable of natural and prolific reseeding, all of which allows it to excel as a “weed.”

A recent Arkansas study showed deworming calves about two months before weaning improved weight gain and added value for producers.

Market cow prices have increased significantly as demand has grown for product in the nonfed beef market, and the supply is tightening faster than that of fed beef.

Successful ranchers understand the importance of matching their cow herd to the resources available on their ranch and in their environment.