Cattle
Foot Rot Shows Up Lame in the Wet Spots, and a Cow Down on Three Legs Won’t Fix Herself
Foot rot moves fast on soft June ground, and the cow that was sound at turnout can be three-legged lame by the…
Water & Irrigation
Get the Water on the Meadow Before the Creek Drops, Because August Won’t Give It Back
Early-summer runoff is the water you actually get to use. Move it onto the hay ground and pasture now, because the ditch…
Montana Ranching
A Modified-Live Vaccine Cooks in the Sun Between Branding Runs, and You’ll Never Know Until Fall
Vaccine you paid good money for quits working long before the label date if it rides on the dash or sits mixed…
Cattle
The Mineral Tub Runs Dry in June, and the Cows Pay for It at Breeding
Summer grass looks like it has everything a cow needs, but Montana range runs short on the minerals that drive conception and…
Land & Grazing
Larkspur Kills the Best Cows on Summer Range, and the Danger Peaks Right When the Purple Comes On
Tall larkspur takes healthy cows on foothill and mountain pasture every summer, usually with no warning. Knowing when the plant is most…
Cattle
Your First-Calf Heifers Come Up Open First, and June Is When You Save Them or Lose Them
Two-year-olds nursing their first calf carry the heaviest load in the herd, and they're the cows most likely to be open at…
Montana Ranching
A Hurt Bull Quits in June, and the First Sign Is a Bunch of Cows Cycling Back
Turning bulls out isn't the end of breeding season—it's the start of the part where a lame or wrecked bull can cost…
Montana Ranching
Horn Flies Bleed Weight Off Your Cows All Summer, and You Stop Noticing Them by July
Horn flies cluster on the backs and bellies of grazing cattle, feeding on blood dozens of times a day. Get control going…
Horses
Keep the Saddle String Sound Through Summer, Because a Lame Horse in July Grounds the Whole Crew
Summer work is hard on ranch horses, and the wrecks that sideline them—sore backs, cracked feet, tying-up, dehydration—build up quietly. A little…
Cattle
Pinkeye Blinds a Calf on Summer Grass, and Face Flies and Tall Seedheads Do Most of the Work
Pinkeye shows up on Montana grass by midsummer, driven by face flies, dust, and cheatgrass awns. Here's how to knock down the…
Water & Irrigation
Check the Pumps and Floats in June, Because a Dead Tank on a 95-Degree Day Costs You by Noon
Stock water systems fail in the heat when cattle need them most. Walk the pipelines, pumps, and float valves now, while a…
Calves, Cattle, Farming, Livestock Fencing
Ride the Fence and Rebuild the Water Gaps Before Your Pairs Find the Hole for You
Spring runoff pulls out water gaps and drops wire while your cattle are already on grass. Mid-June is the window to walk…
Land & Grazing
Rotate Off Your Best Grass in Early Summer, or You’ll Be Feeding Hay Before the Snow Flies
Cool-season grass on Montana range does most of its growing in a short window, and cattle left to graze it flat in…
Land & Grazing
Spray Spotted Knapweed and Leafy Spurge Now, Before They Trade Your Grass for Ground Nothing Eats
Mid-June is the window to hit spotted knapweed and leafy spurge while they're actively growing. Wait until they've set seed and you're…
Cattle
Blackleg Drops Your Best Calves in the Fresh Green Grass, and It Almost Always Hits Between Checks
Clostridial diseases like blackleg live in the soil and take the fastest-growing calves on summer pasture with no warning. A cheap two-shot…
Hay & Feed
The Alfalfa Weevil Frosts the Tips of Your First Cutting While You’re Waiting on the Swather
Alfalfa weevil larvae skeletonize the top leaves of a stand right before first cutting, and the damage looks like frost from the…
Farm Equipment
A Worn Bearing and a Dry Windrow Are All It Takes to Lose the Swather and Half the Field
Most haying-season fires don't start with lightning. They start with a hot bearing, a chaff-packed engine, or a rock and a sickle…
Land & Grazing
Cattle Graze the Bottoms Bare While the Ridges Go Untouched—Move the Salt and Fix It
On big summer country, cattle overuse the creek bottoms and swales while good grass on the ridges and back corners never gets…
Cattle Markets
Sort Your Cull Cows in June, Not at Preg-Check, and Don’t Feed Them All Summer for Nothing
The cows you already know are leaving—bad udders, bad feet, wrecked mouths—don't need to eat your grass until October. Sorting culls in…
Montana Livestock
Worms Drag on Your Yearlings All Summer, and You Won’t See It Until the Scale in Fall
Internal parasites quietly siphon gain off cattle grazing summer grass, and young stock pay the steepest price. A little planning in June…
Hay & Feed
Bale That First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Will Heat Until It Smokes
Hay put up a few points too green keeps working after it leaves the field. Learn to read moisture, stack for airflow,…
Montana Ranching
Blue-Green Algae Blooms Turn a Good Stock Pond Deadly Overnight in July Heat
When the wind lays down and the water warms up, cyanobacteria can scum over a reliable dugout and kill cattle within hours.…
Land & Grazing
Build Your Fire Plan Before the First Dry Lightning, Not While the Smoke’s Already Up the Draw
Rangeland fire season builds through late June in Montana. A little work now—firebreaks, ready equipment, and a plan to move cattle—buys you…
Cattle
Summer Pneumonia Slips Into Nursing Calves on Grass, and You Won’t Hear a Cough Until One’s Down
Respiratory disease isn't just a feedlot problem. Nursing calves on summer range get pneumonia too, and the ones that survive it come…
Cattle
Mark the Bull Pull Date on the Calendar the Day You Turn Them Out
A breeding season with no end date scatters your calves across four months and quietly costs you money at every marketing. Setting…