Weather

A tractor operator who was killed in a wildfire that scorched 70 square miles in little more than 24 hours in the Pacific Northwest appears to have died trying to restrain it, police said.

Warmer than normal temperatures dominated the Midwest last week, and despite some thunderstorm in the High Plains, drought conditions have intensified. Cattlemen are culling herds and dipping into hay supplies.

Ranchers in Oklahoma are getting more relief following wildfires that killed an estimated 1,500 cattle.

Drought-stressed corn silage will contain lower levels of grain than normal corn silage.

Cattle are one potential option to salvage some value if the corn crop does not look like it will yield. 

In dry weather with short pastures, Missouri cow-herd owners face tough culling decisions. One way to match cows' needs to available grass is to sell cows.

Shortage of cattle forage forces some Ozark herd owners to chop trees to feed leaves. That method was used in big droughts of the 1930s and 1950s.

Producers that are engaged in AI as a method of breeding cows and heifers need to be aware of the impact that handling cattle in summertime temperatures and humidity can have on reproductive success.