Calves, Cattle, Farming, Livestock Fencing
Walk the Fence Before You Trust It to Hold a Summer’s Worth of Cattle
Turning pairs out on summer grass only works if the fence holds. A slow walk of the wire in June saves you…
Land & Grazing
Graze Your Native Range Too Hard in June and the Grass Won’t Be There in August
Early summer is when cool-season grasses put on most of their growth. Push cattle across it too hard now and you're borrowing…
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…
Land & Grazing
Rotate Off Your Best Grass in Early Summer, or You’ll Be Feeding Hay Before the Snow Flies
Cool-season grass on Montana range does most of its growing in a short window, and cattle left to graze it flat in…
Cattle
Horn Flies Are Bleeding Weight Off Your Cows Right Now, and You Won’t See It on the Scale Until Fall
By mid-June the horn fly numbers climb fast on summer pasture. Here's how to knock them back before they cost you pounds…
Land & Grazing
Spray Leafy Spurge and Knapweed at the Right Growth Stage, or You’re Just Burning Diesel
Noxious weeds hit their most vulnerable window in June and early July. Hit spurge and knapweed at flowering with the right chemical…
Cattle
Legume Pasture Bloat Fills a Cow Up Fast on Lush June Alfalfa and Clover
Turning cattle onto wet, fast-growing alfalfa or clover in June can froth up a rumen and kill a good cow in an…
Land & Grazing
Spray the Knapweed and Spurge at Bloom, Not After It Goes to Seed
Mid-June is prime time to hit Montana's worst pasture weeds while the chemical still moves into the roots. Wait until seed set…
Land & Grazing
Scout Grasshoppers in June, Before They Eat Your Fall Pasture
Grasshoppers do the most damage as small nymphs in early summer. Counting them now and hitting the hatch beds early is cheaper…
Land & Grazing
Make June Grass Work for You: Pasture Rotation When Growth Peaks
Cool-season grass on Montana range hits its hardest growth in June, and how you move cattle through it now sets up the…