Fire season starts drier and earlier across much of Montana than a lot of us plan for. A little work in June…
Predator losses on summer grass are hard to prove and harder to prevent, but carcass management, riding the country, and documenting a…
Summer thunderstorms roll across Montana fast in June and July, and a single strike on the wrong tree or fence line can…
Cattle carry heat differently than people do, and the load builds through the day and doesn't shed until the night cools off.…
The most poisonous plant on Montana rangeland grows along ditches, creeks, and wet meadows, and it kills fast in early summer when…
A breeding soundness exam gets a bull to the pasture gate, but it doesn't tell you what he does once he's out…
First-calf heifers carry a heavier load than any cow in the herd during summer breeding, and the ones you don't manage separately…
Cheatgrass cures early and grass fires move fast on a Montana afternoon. A little work in June — clearing fuel, prepping equipment,…
Predator losses climb once cattle scatter onto big country and forest allotments. Finding the kill is half the job; documenting it before…
Summer processing puts vaccine through heat, sunlight, and dirty needles before it ever reaches the calf. Handle it wrong and you paid…
June and July thunderstorms drop cattle in bunches, often under the one shade tree in the pasture or along a wire fence.…
The first real hot spell of summer hits cattle before they've slicked off, and a black-hided cow packing extra flesh feels it…
A blood parasite spread by ticks and biting flies hits your older cows hardest, and by the time one lags behind the…
You checked the bulls before turnout, but the breeding season is where they get hurt, worn down, or beat off the cows.…
Turning cattle out to summer range in bear and wolf country means more than dropping the gate. A little riding, some record-keeping,…
A two-year-old is still growing while she raises her first calf, and she can't win a shoving match at the feed ground.…
Body condition at breeding decides more of next year's calf crop than the bull does. Here's how thin cows and late calvers…
Summer thunderstorms kill cattle in bunches, usually against a wire fence or under the only tree in the pasture. Here's how it…
Prairie rattlers come off the dens and spread across summer range by mid-June. A bite on the muzzle rarely poisons a cow…
Vaccine you paid good money for quits working long before the label date if it rides on the dash or sits mixed…
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…
Horn flies cluster on the backs and bellies of grazing cattle, feeding on blood dozens of times a day. Get control going…
When the wind lays down and the water warms up, cyanobacteria can scum over a reliable dugout and kill cattle within hours.…
Legume-heavy pasture and fast-growing irrigated grass can set cattle up for frothy bloat in June. Here's how it kills so quickly and…
As ponds and reservoirs shrink through July, dissolved sulfates and salts concentrate in the water your cows have to drink. It's an…