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…
Water & Irrigation
Get the Water on the Meadow Before the Creek Drops, Because August Won’t Give It Back
Early-summer runoff is the water you actually get to use. Move it onto the hay ground and pasture now, because the ditch…
Cattle
The Mineral Tub Runs Dry in June, and the Cows Pay for It at Breeding
Summer grass looks like it has everything a cow needs, but Montana range runs short on the minerals that drive conception and…
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…
Cattle
Your First-Calf Heifers Come Up Open First, and June Is When You Save Them or Lose Them
Two-year-olds nursing their first calf carry the heaviest load in the herd, and they're the cows most likely to be open at…
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…
Water & Irrigation
Check the Pumps and Floats in June, Because a Dead Tank on a 95-Degree Day Costs You by Noon
Stock water systems fail in the heat when cattle need them most. Walk the pipelines, pumps, and float valves now, while a…
Cattle
Blackleg Drops Your Best Calves in the Fresh Green Grass, and It Almost Always Hits Between Checks
Clostridial diseases like blackleg live in the soil and take the fastest-growing calves on summer pasture with no warning. A cheap two-shot…
Cattle Markets
Sort Your Cull Cows in June, Not at Preg-Check, and Don’t Feed Them All Summer for Nothing
The cows you already know are leaving—bad udders, bad feet, wrecked mouths—don't need to eat your grass until October. Sorting culls in…
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.…
Land & Grazing
Build Your Fire Plan Before the First Dry Lightning, Not While the Smoke’s Already Up the Draw
Rangeland fire season builds through late June in Montana. A little work now—firebreaks, ready equipment, and a plan to move cattle—buys you…
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…
Land & Grazing
Scout Grasshoppers Now, Because by the Time They Strip the Range It’s Too Late to Spray
Grasshoppers do their worst damage as small nymphs in June, but most ranchers don't notice until the adults are flying and the…
Cattle
Heat Stress Hits Cattle Before the Thermometer Scares You, and the Damage Happens Overnight
Montana cattle handle dry heat well until a humid stretch and warm nights stack up. Here's how heat load builds, what it…
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
Trail the Pairs Slow to Summer Range, or You’ll Spend a Week Sorting Mismothered Calves
Moving cow-calf pairs to summer pasture in June is where calves get separated, stressed, and sick. A little patience on the trail…
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…
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…
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…