Profitability should be the goal to every business enterprise. How you obtain that profit can be tricky, especially in agriculture; however, when your plan works and you attain your goals, satisfaction is achieved. “Sometimes it goes good, and sometimes I want to pull my hair out.” That sentiment shared by cattleman Dakota Dalrymple of Enterprise, […]
Don’t Take Risk with Your Feeding Program
Risk. It’s a term everyone in the livestock business is familiar with. But why take additional risk on sets of already high-risk calves that you plan to background and sell? With a premium nutrition program that jump-starts their feed and water intake and keeps them eating and growing, you can put that extra risk behind […]
Don’t Risk Your Calves’ Health, Start with Good Nutrition
Cattle feeding is a precarious business, especially when you’re getting in high-risk cattle and hoping to put as much gain on them as you can in about 120 days. A father-son joint venture between Chad and Coleman Ladd, 2CL Feeders LLC, in Madisonville, Kentucky, has found that supplementing their calves with a premium nutrition program has helped increase both their overall health status […]
Growing Efficient Pounds Equals Growing Money
Money doesn’t grow on trees. However, it does grow on healthy cattle that are out grazing longer periods during the day. The more time calves spend grazing, the more they are going to gain and faster they are going to get to their market-ready end point. Isaac Marcum at Paint Lick, Kentucky, discovered his appreciation […]
Producers have Opportunities to Maximize Returns
The cattle business is filled with risks. However, for all the uncertainty there are an ample amount of opportunities available for those producers who manage their risks and plan accordingly. With so many external influencers in the cattle market such as the environment, the recession and a pandemic, it might seem daunting to plan for […]
How One Stocker Operator Minimized Medicine Cost and Maximized Return
Farms and ranches passed down from generation to generation, with the younger generation learning from the one before them is just one part of the agricultural legacy. Working together every day to make the land and animals more efficient for the future generations is the other part of that legacy. Howard Cattle Co., at Waurika, […]
Grazing Time Equates Gaining Time
When cattle are not grazing, they are not gaining. There’s nothing simpler to understand than that when it comes to basic animal husbandry and care. For Wyoming rancher and manager of the Rattle Snake Grazing Association Dusty Citron, keeping them eating and putting on pounds is key to success. Citron manages about 1,000 yearlings and […]
A Guide to Low-Stress Shipping
The cool, crisp mornings are a hint that fall is just around the corner. And for cattle operations, that means one thing – shipping time is quickly approaching. Shipping your cattle might seem like an easy task. Get them penned up, load them up and send them on their way. However, keeping your calves healthy and as low-stress as possible during this […]
Tips for Marketing Feeder Calves
As Summer slowly gives way to Fall, the daylight hours get shorter each day. It also means time is nearing for those who graze and background calves to finalize their marketing strategy for the year. Several marketing options exist for those who have backgrounded their calves. They can sell them privately, take them to the […]
Every Animal has Value: Keeping Cull Calves Profitable
Each fall when you go to market with your weaned calves, it seems like there are a handful of outliers in your calf crop that could cost you some premiums. But don’t dismay; there are ways to find value for every calf that you’ve produced; it might just take some extra time or some different […]