Cattle
The Vaccine You Left on the Tailgate in the Sun Didn’t Protect a Single Calf
Modified-live vaccines quit working long before you'd guess, and heat, sunlight, and dirty needles undo the whole day's work at the chute.…
Hay & Feed
Bale the First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Can Catch Fire Three Weeks Later
Hay put up above safe moisture keeps heating in the stack long after you've left the field, and by July it can…
Montana Ranching
The Calf You Don’t Find on Summer Range: Cutting Predator Losses Without Chasing Ghosts
Coyotes, wolves, and grizzlies all take calves on Montana summer range. A few management calls made in June do more to hold…
Montana Livestock
Blue-Green Algae Blooms on the Stock Pond Can Kill a Cow the Same Afternoon She Drinks
Late June heat and still water set up cyanobacteria blooms that turn a good stock pond into a death trap. Here's how…
Cattle
Summer Pneumonia Sneaks Into the Calves on Grass, and You Won’t See It Until One’s Down
Respiratory disease in nursing calves shows up on green pasture in June and July, long before weaning, and the ones you catch…
Land & Grazing
Graze the Cheatgrass While It’s Still Green, Because the Awns Turn Ugly by July
Cheatgrass is decent feed for a few weeks in June, then it heads out and the seed awns start working their way…
Hay & Feed
Cutting Hay a Week Late Costs You More Feed Value Than the Extra Tonnage Is Worth
Waiting for the swather to fill the windrow buys you bulk, but the protein and energy are already walking out of the…
Land & Grazing
The First Week on Summer Range Decides Where Your Cattle Graze All Summer
Turn pairs out on a big allotment and they'll pile into the creek bottoms and shade unless you set them up to…
Land & Grazing
Scout the Grasshoppers While They’re Small, Because You Can’t Spray Your Way Out in August
Grasshopper outbreaks build in the dry corners of Montana rangeland every summer, and the window to do something about it closes fast.…
Cattle
The First Real Heat Wave Hits Before the Cattle Are Used to It, and That’s When You Lose One
Early-summer heat stacks up faster than cattle can shed it, especially on black hides and in still air. A few changes to…
Cattle
A String of Open Cows in the Fall Can Trace Back to a Trich Bull You Never Tested
Trichomoniasis quietly stretches out the calving season and leaves you with open cows nobody can explain. Breeding turnout is the time to…
Cattle
Legume Pasture Bloat Fills a Cow Up Fast on Lush June Alfalfa and Clover
Turning cattle onto wet, fast-growing alfalfa or clover in June can froth up a rumen and kill a good cow in an…
Cattle
Foot Rot Shows Up Lame in the Wet Corners, and June Mud Is Where It Starts
A cow that comes in three-legged lame with a swollen foot after a wet June has foot rot until proven otherwise. Catch…
Cattle
Water Hemlock Comes Up in the Wet Meadow, and a Bite of the Root Will Kill a Cow
Water hemlock is the deadliest plant on most Montana outfits, and it grows right where cattle graze in June — along creeks,…
Montana Livestock
Anaplasmosis Hits the Old Cows First, and the Bugs That Carry It Are Out Now
Anaplasmosis kills mature cattle by the middle of summer, and the ticks and biting flies that move it are already working. Here's…
Cattle
Keep Loose Mineral in Front of the Cows All Summer, and Keep Them Coming Back to It
A summer mineral program only works if the cows actually eat it and you put it where they'll find it. Here's how…
Land & Grazing
Larkspur Drops Cattle on the Foothill Range Just as the Grass Gets Good
Tall larkspur is most dangerous in June and early July, right when cattle move into the foothill country. Knowing when it's toxic…
Hay & Feed
Alfalfa Weevil Chews the Top Off Your First Cutting Before You Ever Drop the Sickle
Weevil larvae skeletonize the leaves off your best alfalfa in June, right when the stand should be filling out. Here's how to…
Cattle
Check the Bull Halfway Through Breeding, Not Just Before You Turn Him Out
A breeding soundness exam in May tells you a bull was good the day the vet looked at him. What happens in…
Cattle
The First-Calf Heifer Is the First One to Come Up Open, and June Is When You Lose Her
The two-year-old nursing her first calf is pulled harder than any cow in the herd. If she doesn't rebreed this summer, you…
Cattle
Horn Flies Bleed the Gain Off Your Calves All Summer, One Bite at a Time
Horn flies don't kill cattle outright, but a heavy load steals weight gain and milk all summer. Here's how to knock them…
Cattle
Pinkeye Blows Up in the Calf Herd Fast, and Tall Grass and Face Flies Start It
Infectious pinkeye can move through a summer calf herd in a matter of weeks. Here's how to knock down the causes before…
Water & Irrigation
Get the Water on the Meadow While the Creek Is Still Running High
Mid-June runoff fills the ditches for a few short weeks. Spread that water across your hay meadows now, because the creek won't…
Horses
The Ranch Horse That Ties Up Halfway Through a Long June Gather
Tying-up cripples the horse that was soft all spring and then got asked for a full day in the heat. Here's how…
Calves, Cattle, Farming, Livestock Fencing
Ride the Fence Before the Cattle Find the Hole in It
Spring runoff, snow load, and elk pull down more fence than most people expect. Walk it now, because a cow that gets…