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…
Cattle
Pinkeye Runs Through a Summer Herd Fast, and the Calf That Goes Blind Never Catches Up
Pinkeye costs Montana producers weaning weight and doctoring time every summer. Here's how to catch it early, slow the spread, and keep…
Water & Irrigation
Walk Your Summer Water Lines Now, Before a Stuck Float Empties the Tank on a 95-Degree Day
Stock water fails on the worst possible afternoon. A June check of tanks, floats, pipelines and solar pumps is cheaper than hauling…
Montana Livestock
Blue-Green Algae Blooms on the Stock Pond Can Kill a Cow the Same Afternoon She Drinks
Late June heat and still water set up cyanobacteria blooms that turn a good stock pond into a death trap. Here's how…
Cattle
Summer Pneumonia Sneaks Into the Calves on Grass, and You Won’t See It Until One’s Down
Respiratory disease in nursing calves shows up on green pasture in June and July, long before weaning, and the ones you catch…
Land & Grazing
Scout the Grasshoppers While They’re Small, Because You Can’t Spray Your Way Out in August
Grasshopper outbreaks build in the dry corners of Montana rangeland every summer, and the window to do something about it closes fast.…
Cattle
The First Real Heat Wave Hits Before the Cattle Are Used to It, and That’s When You Lose One
Early-summer heat stacks up faster than cattle can shed it, especially on black hides and in still air. A few changes to…
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…
Cattle
Foot Rot Shows Up Lame in the Wet Corners, and June Mud Is Where It Starts
A cow that comes in three-legged lame with a swollen foot after a wet June has foot rot until proven otherwise. Catch…
Cattle
Water Hemlock Comes Up in the Wet Meadow, and a Bite of the Root Will Kill a Cow
Water hemlock is the deadliest plant on most Montana outfits, and it grows right where cattle graze in June — along creeks,…
Cattle
Keep Loose Mineral in Front of the Cows All Summer, and Keep Them Coming Back to It
A summer mineral program only works if the cows actually eat it and you put it where they'll find it. Here's how…
Land & Grazing
Larkspur Drops Cattle on the Foothill Range Just as the Grass Gets Good
Tall larkspur is most dangerous in June and early July, right when cattle move into the foothill country. Knowing when it's toxic…
Cattle
Horn Flies Bleed the Gain Off Your Calves All Summer, One Bite at a Time
Horn flies don't kill cattle outright, but a heavy load steals weight gain and milk all summer. Here's how to knock them…
Cattle
Pinkeye Blows Up in the Calf Herd Fast, and Tall Grass and Face Flies Start It
Infectious pinkeye can move through a summer calf herd in a matter of weeks. Here's how to knock down the causes before…
Calves, Cattle, Farming, Livestock Fencing
Ride the Fence Before the Cattle Find the Hole in It
Spring runoff, snow load, and elk pull down more fence than most people expect. Walk it now, because a cow that gets…
Horses
The Green Grass That Founders Your Best Ranch Horse Comes on in June
Lush spring pasture and a little extra grain put more good using horses out of work with laminitis than any wreck. Here's…
Water & Irrigation
High-Sulfate Stock Water Can Blind and Down Cattle by Late Summer
As dugouts and shallow wells drop and concentrate through the summer, sulfate levels climb — and sulfur-induced polio can put good cattle…
Water & Irrigation
Run the Water Line Before the First Heat Wave, Not During It
Stock water fails on the hottest day of the year, not the coolest. Walk your springs, pipelines, and tanks in mid-June while…
Livestock
A Rattlesnake Bite to the Nose Is a Breathing Problem Before It’s a Venom Problem
Prairie rattlers come out with the warm weather, and a cow or horse bitten on the muzzle can be in trouble from…
Montana Ranching
Lightning Kills Cattle in Bunches, and June Is When the Storms Start
Summer thunderstorms put cattle at real risk on open range. Here's how lightning kills, why it takes several head at once, and…
Cattle
Summer Pneumonia Sneaks Up on Nursing Calves While Everything Looks Fine
Calves on green grass with mothers still milking hard can still come down with pneumonia in June and July. Here's what sets…
Cattle
Blackleg Drops the Best Calf in the Bunch, and It Does It in Summer
Clostridial diseases like blackleg kill fast-growing calves on lush summer grass, usually before you ever see a sick one. Here's why the…
Land & Grazing
Scout the Grasshoppers Now, While They’re Still Nymphs You Can Kill
Grasshoppers hatch on Montana rangeland in June, and the window to do anything about them closes fast. Here's how to scout, count,…
Cattle
Handle Cattle in the Cool of the Morning: Beating Summer Heat Stress Before It Costs You
Heat builds in cattle all day and doesn't shed until night. Knowing the signs and timing your work around them keeps weight…
Montana Ranching
The Green Scum on the Stock Pond Can Kill a Cow Before You Find Her
Blue-green algae blooms turn a good summer water source into a killer in a day or two. Here's what to watch for…