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
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…
Hay & Feed
Nitrate Builds Up in Drought-Stressed Annual Forage, and a Hungry Cow Can Load a Lethal Dose in One Meal
When cereal hay and green chop grow under drought stress, nitrate concentrates in the lower stems and can kill cattle fast. Here's…
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…
Calves, Cattle, Farming, Livestock Fencing
Summer Pneumonia Slips Into Nursing Calves on Grass, and You Won’t See It Until One Stands Off Alone
Pneumonia isn't just a fall weaning problem. It hits unweaned calves on summer pasture, and the ones you notice are usually the…
Water & Irrigation
Blue-Green Algae Blooms the Stock Pond in a Hot, Still June, and a Cow Can Drink It and Be Dead by Dark
Cyanobacteria in warm, calm stock ponds can kill cattle within hours of drinking. Here's how to spot the risk, when the danger…
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…
Hay & Feed
Foxtail Barley Takes the Wet Spots in June, and the Awns It Buries in Your Hay Fester in a Cow’s Mouth All Winter
Those silvery seedheads coming on in the low ground and the field edges aren't harmless. Foxtail barley awns work into gums, cheeks…
Water & Irrigation
Salty Water and High Sulfates in a Dry Summer Can Poison Cattle Before You Ever See Them Drink It
When ponds shrink and shallow wells go bad in a dry summer, dissolved salts and sulfates concentrate fast — enough to knock…
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
Anaplasmosis Turns Your Best Cows Pale and Mean, and the Bug That Carried It Left Weeks Ago
Anaplasmosis rides in on ticks, biting flies, and dirty needles, then hides for weeks before it drops your mature cows. June is…
Land & Grazing
Water Hemlock Grows Right Where Your Cattle Drink, and One Root Will Kill a Cow in an Hour
Water hemlock hides in the wet bottoms and ditch banks where cattle water in early summer, and the roots carry enough toxin…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Cattle
Anaplasmosis Rides In on Ticks and Flies in Summer, and It Takes the Old Cows First
Anaplasmosis quietly builds in a Montana herd through the vector season, and the first sign is often a good, aged cow off…
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…
Cattle
Foot Rot Sets Up in the Muddy Corners of Summer Range, and a Lame Cow Won’t Travel to Feed
Wet ground around gates, water and salt sets cattle up for foot rot in early summer. Catch the limp early, because a…
Land & Grazing
Larkspur Greens Up on the Foothill Range Right When You Turn Out, and It Kills the Good Cows Standing Up
Tall larkspur is one of the deadliest plants on Montana mountain range, and early summer is when it's most dangerous. Here's how…