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…
Cattle
The Two-Year-Old Is the Cow Most Likely to Come Up Open
First-calf heifers have to grow, milk, and rebreed all at once, and they lose that fight quietly. Here's how to keep your…
Land & Grazing
Cattle Camp the Creek: Getting Them to Graze the Whole Pasture
Cows will hammer the bottoms and coulees while the ridges and back corners go untouched. A little planning with salt, water, and…
Land & Grazing
Leave Grass Behind on Purpose: Stubble Height Sets Next Year’s Feed
Grazing a pasture into the dirt in June costs you regrowth this fall and vigor next spring. Here's how much to leave…
Cattle
Rattlesnake Bites Hit the Nose First: Handling Snakebit Stock on Summer Range
Prairie rattlesnakes get active as the ground warms, and a grazing cow or a curious colt usually takes the strike on the…
Cattle
Grass Tetany Drops the Best Cows First on Lush Green Grass
Hypomagnesemia kills fast on fast-growing cool-season pasture, and it usually takes your heaviest-milking cows. Here's how to spot the risk and keep…
Hay & Feed
Cut the First Crop at Bud Stage: Hay That Tests, Not Just Fills the Stack
First cutting is where you make or lose your protein for the year. A few days' delay and the right baling moisture…
Cattle
Frothy Bloat on Lush June Pasture: The Death You Find Before Breakfast
Legume-heavy spring pasture can blow a cow up tight by morning. Here's how frothy bloat builds, what raises the odds, and the…
Cattle
Foot Rot Shows Up in the Wet Spots: Catching the Limp Before It Costs You Pounds
Foot rot turns up every summer where cattle stand in mud and standing water. Catch the limp early, treat it clean, and…
Cattle
Mineral on Summer Grass: The Cheap Insurance Cows Quit Eating in July
Loose mineral keeps cows breeding and calves gaining all summer, but only if they actually eat it. Here's how to get consumption…
Cattle
Green Scum on the Stock Pond Can Kill a Cow by Morning
Blue-green algae blooms turn warm summer stock ponds toxic fast, and cattle that drink the wrong water can be dead before you…
Land & Grazing
Larkspur on the Foothill Pastures: The Plant That Kills Cattle in June
Tall larkspur greens up early on Montana foothill range and is most dangerous right through bud and bloom. Here's how to spot…
Cattle
Watch Your Bulls Like Hay: Keeping Bull Power on the Cows All Summer
Turning bulls out in June is the easy part. Keeping enough sound, working bulls on your cows through July is what decides…
Montana Ranching
Horn Flies Are Bleeding Your Cows: Building a Fly Program That Actually Holds Up
Horn flies cost weight gain and spread disease all summer. Here's how to knock them down and keep them down without burning…
Cattle Markets
Sell the Calves in June for October Delivery: What Video and Forward Contracts Actually Cost You
Summer is when a lot of Montana calves change hands long before they're weaned. Here's how forward contracting and video sales work,…
Land & Grazing
When Grizzlies and Wolves Share Your Summer Range
Predator pressure on Montana summer pasture is real and growing in many areas. Here's how to ride the country smarter, cut your…
Land & Grazing
Spray the Spurge Now: Timing Your Knapweed and Leafy Spurge Hits Before They Set Seed
Spotted knapweed and leafy spurge are at the stage where a well-timed herbicide pass pays for itself. Here's how to read the…
Cattle
Move Cattle Like You’ve Got All Day: Low-Stress Handling on Summer Range
Hauling pairs to summer country and pushing them through gates is where a lot of shrink and wrecks start. Slowing down and…
Cattle
The Two-Year-Old That Won’t Breed Back: Keeping Your First-Calf Heifers in the Herd
The young cow that calved last spring is the one most likely to come up open this fall. Here's why she struggles…
Land & Grazing
Set Your Trigger Date Now: Deciding When to Destock Before the Grass Is Gone
Waiting until the pasture is chewed to the dirt to cut cow numbers costs you twice. Here's how to set a drought…
Water & Irrigation
Get the Water On Before the Call Comes: June Irrigation on Montana Hay Ground
Mid-June is when snowmelt runoff peaks and the river goes on call. Here's how to make your water right earn its keep…
Calves, Cattle, Farming, Livestock Fencing
Walk the Fence Before the Cattle Test It: Summer Fence Repair in Montana
Spring runoff, frost heave, and winter snowload leave gaps in your fence by June. Find them before your cows do and you…
Cattle
Blackleg Strikes Your Biggest Calves: Why the Cheapest Shot You Give Still Earns Its Keep
Clostridial diseases like blackleg kill thriving calves on summer grass with almost no warning. Here's why a low-cost vaccine still belongs on…
Land & Grazing
Grasshoppers Are Hatching: Catch Them Young or Watch Your Range Disappear
In a dry Montana summer, grasshoppers can eat as much grass as your cows. The window to do something about it is…
Cattle
Heat Stress in Montana Cattle: Reading the Warning Signs Before You Lose Gain
Montana summers can turn hot fast, and cattle feel it before you do. Here's how to spot heat stress early and ease…