The payoff of value-added calf programs varies across regions, depending upon local market dynamics, distance from key feeding regions, etc. But would you be willing to give up some marketing independence to receive the rewards of participating in such a program?...More

To be a better manager of your herd bulls, use this publication, "Management of Beef Bulls," by Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University....More

Many of you have heard my story about how I took a herd of profitable little cows – about 1,050-lb. average – and turned them into a herd of unprofitable big cows. The problem most breeders suffer is not with selection and breeding; it is simple to make animals bigger or smaller, or heavier-milking....More

A body of cow efficiency work from three universities will be presented from noon to noon on Sept. 12-13 at UNL’s Johnny Carson Center. It’s the first in an annual series of research symposia underwritten by a $2-million endowment by the Dr. Kenneth and Caroline McDonald Eng Foundation. Other universities participating include Texas A&M University and Oklahoma State University. The public is invited to attend....More

Even when producers finally have the grass and water to work, cowherd expansion is likely to be relatively flat....More

Keith Kisling normally has 1,500 head of cattle on his land near the Oklahoma-Kansas border. Last year’s U.S. drought changed all that. For the first time in four decades as a farmer and rancher, he has none....More

Not all bulls get the job done during breeding season. With DNA technology and a lot of number crunching, research in California found some answers to help ranchers sort the workers from the welfare recipients in their bull battery....More

Like a general mapping out his strategy before going into battle, a rancher must be prepared to respond effectively to drought, one of the biggest threats to Great Plains ranchers. With the input of ranchers and advisers, a drought-planning methodology has been created to encourage more ranchers to develop advance plans....More