Staffers spent time out in the field capturing photos of cattle during National Beef Month in May. Below are some of the pictures they snapped.
- By Craig Moss, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association
Droughts, border closures, New World Screwworm, Argentina beef imports, wildfires, packing plant slowdowns and a 75-year low in the U.S. cattle inventory. Those aren’t just headlines. They are the realities cattle producers are working through every day.
Editor’s note: The following was written by Warren Rusche, assistant professor and South Dakota State University Extension feedlot management specialist, for the university’s website April 21.
- Benjamin Herrold
When it comes to spring calving or fall calving, cattle producers have a variety of factors to consider.
- Tim Kenyon
OAKLAND, Iowa — The farm keeps the family strong, and the family strengthens the farm.
- Benjamin Herrold
Spring is a time for optimism for cattle producers, with grass greening up and growing, and spring calves arriving.
- Crystal Reed
For Illinois Beef Association President Shannon Welsh, a sixth-generation beef producer based in McDonough County, Illinois, the beauty of the business is the variety.
TUSCUMBIA, Mo. — Hay quality has a direct impact on livestock performance and feeding costs, yet many producers lose value long before hay reaches the feeder, said University of Missouri Extension Field Agronomist Rudra Baral.
- Katelyn Winberg
As a convoy of semi-trucks loaded with donated hay rolled out of Kingsbury County, South Dakota, April 1, it carried more than feed. It carried a message of support for Nebraska ranchers facing devastating wildfire losses.
AMES, Iowa — Questions about effective management of nitrogen fertilizer continue to plague agriculture, even after decades of practical use.
- Katelyn Winberg
SDSU Extension shares research at Cattlemen’s Education Day
Editor’s note: The following was written by Jason Franken, associate professor of agricultural economics and management at the University of Missouri, for the farmdoc daily website March 30.
AMES, Iowa — Questions about effective management of nitrogen fertilizer continue to plague agriculture, even after decades of practical use.
- Benjamin Herrold
The pork industry has seen a long climb in the average number of pigs saved per litter, and recent months have seen the growth rate increase.
- Benjamin Herrold
University researchers continue to study virtual fence in different grazing systems, and some farmers and ranchers are beginning to use the technology.
Lawsonia infection might be impacting more than you think
- Crystal Reed
Agricultural producers in the United States continue to rely heavily on farmworkers, especially for labor intensive commodities in the fruit, vegetable sectors.
- Benjamin Herrold
Beef production in 2026 will be a key factor driving cattle prices this year, and University of Florida Extension Beef and Forage Economist Hannah Baker said several factors will determine production.
Kidding and lambing season is coming, and there are steps that owners should take to ensure their herd or flock is prepared.
- By Jeff DeYoung, Iowa Farmer Today
The combination of record calf prices and a short supply of grass has likely translated to less interest in backgrounding calves.
- Crystal Reed
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — This year’s Illinois Beef Expo at the Illinois State Fairgrounds had a new event — a fitting competition featuring seven teams of four people each returned this year.
- By Jeff DeYoung, Iowa Farmer Today
DES MOINES, Iowa — Bill Goehring has bought and sold cattle at the Iowa Beef Expo for many years, and one of those purchases paid a big dividend recently. The southeast Iowa producer sold the top-selling Hereford bull at this year’s annual event.
Editor’s note: The following was written by Jameson Brennan, assistant professor and South Dakota State University Extension livestock grazing specialist, with Logan Vandermark and Hector Menendez for the university’s website Feb. 13.
Consumers’ demand for beef — not just shrinking cattle numbers — is playing a central role in shaping prices and profitability across the U.S. beef supply chain, according to research from Kansas State University agricultural economists.
- Crystal Reed
Genetics and breeding is a long game, and you have to see things to the end.