Land & Grazing
Graze the First Pasture Into the Dirt in June and You Borrow Grass You Won’t Pay Back in August
Early-summer grass grows fast and tempts you to sit in one pasture. Push it too hard now and the regrowth stalls, leaving…
Cattle
A Prairie Rattler Strikes a Grazing Cow on the Nose, and the Swelling That Follows Is More Dangerous Than the Venom
Prairie rattlesnakes come out of the rocks in June, and a cow or horse grazing head-down is an easy target. Here's what…
Cattle
Blackleg Kills the Best Calf in the Bunch on Summer Grass, and the Cheap Shot You Skipped Is the One You’ll Wish You’d Given
Blackleg drops thrifty, fast-growing calves on lush summer pasture, usually with no warning. A clostridial vaccine at spring works is the only…
Water & Irrigation
Blue-Green Algae Blooms in a Warm, Low Stock Pond Can Kill a Cow Before She Leaves the Water’s Edge
When ponds warm up and drop in the June and July heat, cyanobacteria can bloom into a toxic scum that kills cattle…
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,…
Water & Irrigation
When the Ponds Drop and the Water Turns Salty, High Sulfates Quit a Cow’s Appetite Long Before They Kill Her
In a dry summer the stock water gets more concentrated as it evaporates, and rising sulfates and total dissolved solids pull down…
Cattle
A Black Cow Can’t Shed a Hot, Still Afternoon Until Night Cools Off, and a Bad Stretch Can Cost You Breed-Back
Heat stress builds through the afternoon and only lets go overnight. When a run of hot days doesn't cool down after dark,…
Land & Grazing
Count the Grasshopper Nymphs on the Fence Line in June, Because the Time to Act Is Before They Can Fly
Grasshoppers hatch along field edges and dry ridges in June, and once they grow wings they spread faster than you can respond.…
Cattle
Anaplasmosis Comes On Slow in Summer, and the First Sign Is Often a Dead Older Cow
Spread by ticks, biting flies, and dirty needles, anaplasmosis can smolder through a herd all summer before you notice the anemia. Here's…
Cattle
Bloat Kills the Best Cow in the Bunch When You Turn Her Onto Wet Legume Pasture Too Fast
Lush alfalfa and clover regrowth can blow a cow up in an hour. Here's how frothy bloat sets up on June pasture…
Cattle
Green Grass Hides a Mineral Gap, and a Cow Short on Copper Comes Up Open No Matter How Good the Feed Looks
Summer grass looks like it has everything a cow needs, but the minerals that drive breeding and calf health run short right…
Cattle
Foot Rot Flares in the Wet June Ground, and a Limping Cow Falls Behind Before You Catch Her
Standing water around tanks and gates sets cattle up for foot rot in early summer. Here's how to spot it early, treat…
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…
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…
Cattle
Horn Flies Bleed a Cow All Summer, and the Weight Comes Off the Calf You Can’t See Losing It
Horn flies live on the animal and feed on blood dozens of times a day. Left alone through a Montana summer, they…
Water & Irrigation
Check the Windmill, Float, and Pipeline Before You Turn Out to the Far Country
Before the herd hits the summer pastures, the stock water setup deserves a hard look. A stuck float or dry well in…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Land & Grazing
Grasshoppers Hatch on the South Slopes in June, and You Kill Them Cheap Now or Feed Them Your Grass All Summer
Grasshoppers are easiest and cheapest to stop while they're still wingless nymphs clustered on warm ground. Wait until they get wings and…
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
Bloat Kills a Cow on Lush Green Pasture Faster Than You Can Get the Truck Started
Frothy bloat hits cattle hard when they hit legume-heavy pasture in early summer, and a cow can go from grazing to dead…