Montana Ranching
A Bull That Quits Halfway Through Breeding Leaves a Hole You Won’t See Until Spring
You checked the bulls before turnout, but the breeding season is where they get hurt, worn down, or beat off the cows.…
Montana Ranching
Ride the Herd on the Forest Allotment, Because the Wolf-Killed Calf You Never Find Still Counts Against You
Turning cattle out to summer range in bear and wolf country means more than dropping the gate. A little riding, some record-keeping,…
Montana Ranching
Run Your First-Calf Heifers With the Old Cows and They’re the Ones That Come Up Open
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.…
Montana Ranching
A Thin Cow Comes Up Open, and the Late Calver Is the First to Fall Behind
Body condition at breeding decides more of next year's calf crop than the bull does. Here's how thin cows and late calvers…
Montana Ranching
Lightning Drops a Bunch of Cows Under the Lone Tree in a June Storm, and You Find Them the Next Morning
Summer thunderstorms kill cattle in bunches, usually against a wire fence or under the only tree in the pasture. Here's how it…
Montana Ranching
A Rattlesnake Bites a Cow on the Nose in June, and the Swelling Is What Kills Her
Prairie rattlers come off the dens and spread across summer range by mid-June. A bite on the muzzle rarely poisons a cow…
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…
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…
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.…
Montana Ranching
Frothy Bloat Blows Up Fast on Lush June Pasture, and the Cow You Find Dead Was Fine at Breakfast
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…
Montana Ranching
High-Sulfate Stock Water Sneaks Up in a Dry Summer, and It Can Put Cattle Down Blind and Staggering
As ponds and reservoirs shrink through July, dissolved sulfates and salts concentrate in the water your cows have to drink. It's an…
Montana Ranching
An Empty Mineral Feeder in June Costs You Breed-Back You Won’t Notice Until Preg-Check
Summer grass looks like all a cow needs, but it runs short on the minerals that drive conception and immune function. Keeping…
Montana Ranching
Breed the Heifers a Little Early, and Keep Them Gaining Right Through It
Replacement heifers set the tone for your whole calving season. Get them to breeding weight, turn the bull in ahead of the…
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 Ranching
Lightning Kills Cattle in Bunches, and June Is When the Storms Start
Summer thunderstorms put cattle at real risk on open range. Here's how lightning kills, why it takes several head at once, and…
Montana Ranching
Move the Deadstock Before It Draws a Grizzly to the Summer Country
Bears and other predators follow easy food. A dead cow left in the corner of a pasture teaches them where the cattle…
Montana Ranching
The Green Scum on the Stock Pond Can Kill a Cow Before You Find Her
Blue-green algae blooms turn a good summer water source into a killer in a day or two. Here's what to watch for…
Montana Ranching
Foot Rot Shows Up Lame and Swollen After the First Wet Stretch on Summer Grass
Foot rot turns up every June once cattle are walking wet ground and rocky trails. Catch the lame cow early and it's…
Montana Ranching
Sort the Cull Cows Now, Not in October
The cows that won't pay their way through winter show it in June—bad bags, cancer eye, broken mouths, feet gone wrong. Mark…
Montana Ranching
Put the Mineral Where You Want the Cattle Grazing, Not Where It’s Easy to Fill
A summer salt and mineral program does two jobs at once: it covers what the grass is short on, and it pulls…
Montana Ranching
Larkspur Kills the Cows That Look the Best on the Foothill Turnout
Tall larkspur greens up early on Montana's foothill range and drops big, healthy cattle without warning. Here's how to read the risk…
Montana Ranching
Turning the Bull Out Isn’t the End of the Job: Watch Him Work
A bull that passed his breeding test in May can still come up lame, sore-footed, or plain lazy by July. Riding through…
Montana Ranching
Your Stock Dog Overheats Before You Do: Keeping the Help Working Through a Montana Summer
A good cow dog will run itself into the ground trying to please you. In June and July heat, that loyalty can…
Montana Ranching
Keep a Shovel and a Full Tank Behind You: Fire Season Starts in the Hayfield
Most ranch fires in Montana don't start with lightning — they start with hot equipment in dry grass. A little prep in…