Cattle
A Bull That Doesn’t Test Is a Guess You Can’t Afford
A breeding soundness exam catches the shooter bull, the foot problem, and the low-fertility two-year-old before he spends a whole season not…
Cattle
Implant the Steer Calves at Turnout: Cheap Pounds You Leave on the Table
Growth implants are one of the lowest-cost tools in the calf business, but plenty of Montana producers skip them or place them…
Cattle
Worm Your Cows Before the Grass Does the Damage: Strategic Deworming on Summer Range
Internal parasites quietly cost you pounds and open cows all summer. Here's how to time a deworming that actually works, and why…
Water & Irrigation
Test the Stock Water, Not Just the Grass, When It Turns Dry
In a dry June, the water in your reservoirs and shallow wells concentrates fast. High sulfates and salts can pull cattle off…
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…
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…
Cattle
Heat Stress Sneaks Up in the First Hot Spell: Reading Your Cattle Before They Pile Up
The first 90-degree stretch in June catches cattle that haven't shed off or found the water yet. Here's how to spot heat…
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
Summer Pneumonia Hits the Calves You Thought Were Past the Risk
Bronchopneumonia in two- to four-month-old nursing calves shows up in the dog days, often after a cold rain or a long dusty…
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…
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
Pinkeye in June: Stop the Spread Before Half the Calves Are Squinting
Face flies, dust, and tall seedheads make early summer prime time for pinkeye in Montana cattle. Here's how to catch it early…
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…
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…
Montana Ranching
Worms on Summer Grass: Why Your Yearlings Quit Gaining in July
Internal parasites cost more in lost gain than most Montana producers realize. Here's how to think about deworming timing on calves and…
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…
Cattle
Foot Rot in Summer Pastures: Catch the Limp Early or Pay for It Later
Foot rot shows up every summer in Montana, usually in wet corners and around water. Here's how to spot it early, treat…
Cattle
Anaplasmosis: The Summer Cattle Disease Montana Ranchers Forget About Until a Cow Dies
As flies and ticks ramp up across Montana, anaplasmosis quietly works through mature cattle. Here's how the disease moves, what to watch…