Top Stories

I’m Not Spreading BDV – By MERRIDEE WELLS – Calving season on the ranch is always an exciting time. The work of the past year, the offspring of that newly purchased bull, or the mating decisions you’ve made are about to be rewarded. So imagine, if you will, how it feels to find first one dead fetus, then another. Or to realize that one […]

Make Sure Your Cows Are Nutritionally Ready  – By GILDA V. BRYANT – Minerals are important for herd health, reproduction and efficiency during winter. However, that is only part of the picture.  Extra protein and energy are vital during cold, wet weather.  Producers should also be aware of forage and by-product supplementation quality, as well as […]

By: Bert Entwistle As Theodore stepped down from the train he stood for a moment in the failing light taking it all in. It was early September of 1883, and his presence in the tiny Badlands town of Medora was hardly enough to impress anyone. At five foot nine, painfully skinny and the picture of poor health, his thin moustache […]

Oh yeah, there’s some risk, too By: Loretta Sorensen Cattlemen who graze wheat will know the basics of their strategy remain the same from year to year. However, with all the variables involved, no two plans will be exactly the same. “Weather, grain prices, the amount of fall forage accumulated in a wheat field and many other aspects of the practice […]

Inspired by poorly written accounts of life on the range, an authentic cowhand takes up the pen to set the record straight By: Bert Entwistle In 1903, Andy Adams published a book called The Log of a Cowboy. Although sold as a fiction novel, it was really Adams’ first person account of his years as […]

By: Tim O’Byrne Pssst! Word on the gravel road is… the BLM doesn’t recognize cheatgrass. Yeah. Cheatgrass as a forage does not officially exist to the BLM according to reliable sources. That’s why the formidable bureau refuses to include it in a range analysis as having at least some nutritional value, encouraging grazing and control […]

Genomic Testing May Be Complex, But Is Finally A Reliable Window Into The Future? By: Jaime Pullman Depending on your perspective, the world of cattle breeding has gotten more complicated in the last twenty years just as it has become more transparent. Genetic testing, genetic tools, and the unfurling of the bovine genome have given us the opportunity for more information than you […]

At The Pendleton Round-Up By: Lora Thorson The little ranching and farming town of Pendleton, Oregon, tucked up in the northeast corner of the state, got its start along the banks of the Umatilla River in the early 1860s. It has served as a center for the agricultural community and the Umatilla county seat since […]

Like competition? Head for the Black Hills Stock Show By: Corinne J. Brown Ever wonder why so many visitors flock in droves up to Rapid City, South Dakota? You might say to see Mount Rushmore, a memorable American landmark if there ever was one. Or, maybe to attend the mass motorcycle rally at nearby Sturgis; […]

by Colin J. Cleary 2015’s Howlin’ HD Pickups Is your old trusty pickup starting to show her age? Maybe after looking into one of these fancy 2015 rigs ‘ol Betty might have to hit the road! Every year here at Working Ranch we nose around and check out what the major truck manufacturers have updated and improved on from […]