Cattle
Legume Pasture Blows a Cow Up Fast in Early Summer, and the One You Find Dead on Her Side Went Down Overnight
Frothy bloat on lush clover and alfalfa regrowth can kill a healthy cow in an hour. Here's how it happens and what…
Cattle
Green Grass Fools You Into Cutting the Mineral, and the Copper a Cow Runs Short On Comes Back as an Open Cow
Summer pasture looks like it has everything a cow needs, but Montana grass runs short on the trace minerals that drive breed-back.…
Cattle
A Lame Cow in June Is Usually Foot Rot, and the Muddy Ground by the Tank Is Where She Picked It Up
Foot rot shows up fast on summer grass, almost always in one foot, and it spreads from the wet, churned-up ground cattle…
Cattle
A Cow Too Thin at Turnout Cycles Late, and the Late Cycle Is the One That Comes Up Open
Body condition at breeding decides which cows cycle and which ones don't. In mid-June you still have a little time to sort…
Cattle
Trich Empties Out a Bull’s Book Without a Single Sick Cow, and the Neighbor’s Stray Is Often How It Gets In
Trichomoniasis doesn't make a cow look sick — it just quietly kills the pregnancy and hands you a wreck of open cows…
Cattle
Horn Flies Bleed Weight Off a Cow All Summer, and the Fly Tag You Left in Since Last Year Is Feeding Them
Horn flies cluster on a cow's back and belly by the thousands, and every bite pulls a little weight and milk off…
Cattle
Pinkeye Runs Through the Herd on Summer Grass, and the Face Fly Carrying It Never Leaves the Pasture
Infectious pinkeye spreads fast on tall grass and dusty pastures once face flies get going. Here's how to slow it down and…
Cattle
A Prairie Rattler Strikes a Grazing Cow on the Nose, and the Swelling That Follows Is More Dangerous Than the Venom
Prairie rattlesnakes come out of the rocks in June, and a cow or horse grazing head-down is an easy target. Here's what…
Cattle
Blackleg Kills the Best Calf in the Bunch on Summer Grass, and the Cheap Shot You Skipped Is the One You’ll Wish You’d Given
Blackleg drops thrifty, fast-growing calves on lush summer pasture, usually with no warning. A clostridial vaccine at spring works is the only…
Cattle
Summer Pneumonia Hits Nursing Calves on Grass, and the Ones Spread Out on the Big Country Are the Last You Notice
Respiratory disease doesn't wait for weaning. Nursing calves two to four months old go down with pneumonia on summer pasture, and on…
Cattle
Write Down the Bull Turnout Date, Because a Calving Season You Can’t Predict Is One You Can’t Manage
Setting a defined breeding season and pulling the bull on a schedule tightens your calving window and tells you months ahead which…
Cattle
A Black Cow Can’t Shed a Hot, Still Afternoon Until Night Cools Off, and a Bad Stretch Can Cost You Breed-Back
Heat stress builds through the afternoon and only lets go overnight. When a run of hot days doesn't cool down after dark,…
Cattle
Anaplasmosis Comes On Slow in Summer, and the First Sign Is Often a Dead Older Cow
Spread by ticks, biting flies, and dirty needles, anaplasmosis can smolder through a herd all summer before you notice the anemia. Here's…
Cattle
Bloat Kills the Best Cow in the Bunch When You Turn Her Onto Wet Legume Pasture Too Fast
Lush alfalfa and clover regrowth can blow a cow up in an hour. Here's how frothy bloat sets up on June pasture…
Cattle
Green Grass Hides a Mineral Gap, and a Cow Short on Copper Comes Up Open No Matter How Good the Feed Looks
Summer grass looks like it has everything a cow needs, but the minerals that drive breeding and calf health run short right…
Cattle
Brand Late in June Heat and the Fly-Struck Wound Sets a Calf Back Longer Than the Knife
Castrating and dehorning older calves in hot, fly-heavy weather invites infection and fly strike. A few changes to timing and technique keep…
Cattle
Foot Rot Flares in the Wet June Ground, and a Limping Cow Falls Behind Before You Catch Her
Standing water around tanks and gates sets cattle up for foot rot in early summer. Here's how to spot it early, treat…
Cattle
Larkspur Greens Up First on the High Country, and It Kills the Cow That Fills Up on It
Tall larkspur is one of the deadliest plants on Montana mountain range, and the danger climbs right when cattle move to summer…
Cattle
A Bull Can Pass His Test in April and Quit on You by the Fourth of July
A breeding soundness exam gets your bulls to the pasture gate, but it doesn't keep them working. Riding through the bulls during…
Cattle
Horn Flies Bleed a Cow All Summer, and the Weight Comes Off the Calf You Can’t See Losing It
Horn flies live on the animal and feed on blood dozens of times a day. Left alone through a Montana summer, they…
Cattle
Pinkeye Blinds a Calf on Summer Grass, and Face Flies Carry It Down the Whole Bunch
Mid-June is when pinkeye starts showing up in Montana calves — a weepy eye, a squint, then a white spot in the…
Cattle
Grass Tetany Drops a Heavy-Milking Cow on Lush Green Grass, and She’s Down Before You Read the Signs
Low blood magnesium hits older cows nursing calves hardest, right when the grass looks its best. Here's how to spot it early…
Cattle
Trich Rides In on an Untested Bull and Empties Half Your Calf Crop Before You Know It
Bovine trichomoniasis spreads at breeding and shows up as open cows and a strung-out calf crop next spring. A little planning before…
Cattle
Work Your Cattle at Daybreak in July, Because Heat Builds in the Herd Hours Before It Peaks on the Thermometer
Cattle carry heat load for hours after the sun climbs, and the worst time to gather is the middle of a still,…
Cattle
Bloat Kills a Cow on Lush Green Pasture Faster Than You Can Get the Truck Started
Frothy bloat hits cattle hard when they hit legume-heavy pasture in early summer, and a cow can go from grazing to dead…