Drought-stressed calves bring a lot of baggage with them when they clatter off the truck at your feedyard.

By now, drought has forced some ranchers to sell some cows and/or wean early; others have already priced their 2012 calves. We all have one thing in common – we’re all trying to figure out this cattle market. That said, here is my current analysis...

Implants provide the greatest return per dollar invested of any management practice.

"The current cattle market conditions open up more stocker production possibilities in terms of a wider range of beginning weights and heavier ending weights." - Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University

Here’s a look at just a few of the possible wrecks that can happen and some steps to protect against disease, weather and other goblins.

With the drought drying up summer grasses, scorching the corn crop and limiting feed resources for cattlemen, many are already culling their cow-calf pairs instead of paying for high-priced hay. For those who stick it out, many will be forced to...

It’s hard to argue with win-win situations in life. Even better are win-win-win situations. Preconditioning (PC) calves fits the win-win-win scenario...

Early weaning puts this ranch on stronger footing and it can more readily survive 1-2 bad years out of a dozen, rather than barely getting by.

"We’re encouraging people to have a plan and make sure they don’t miss the breeding opportunity for next year because the market will probably be good." - Ron Gill

If you’re thinking about early weaning for the first time, specialists advise doing some advance planning, and talk with your veterinarian and a nutritionist about the appropriate programs.