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It may seem odd that a so-called forage specialist writes about water, but as any forage manager well understands, water is the life blood within any forage system. With abundant water comes the potential for abundant life.

The program is designed to help producers identify and select the right animal to become a profitable cow on their ranch.

Forage365 brings to bear all of the Noble Research Institute's expertise in genetic research, plant breeding, economics and agriculture with the express purpose of doing what is considered improbable reducing the need to feed hay.

Achieving a desirable pregnancy rate in replacement heifers is contingent upon many things, but it all begins with nutrition.

Records provide the knowledge necessary to make informed and objective decisions. This is why accurate, detailed and accessible records are such a vital part of any successful business, including agricultural production.

As we manage the cow herd into the fall and through the winter, our primary focus should be on health and nutrition. These two areas of management determine reproductive performance, which is the number one factor that affects profitability.

Cattle will naturally seek windbreaks in the winter. In cold weather, cattle require additional energy to maintain body temperature, and wind chill further increases energy demands.

Grazing lands provide forage for livestock, habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities such as hunting. The assessed value of a ranch based on aesthetics and wildlife habitat or its recreational opportunities can often exceed the property's agricultural value.

The drought of 2011 is set to go down in the record books as one of the most severe in history. Most livestock producers in the Southern Great Plains have not been able to put up enough hay to meet their requirements in a normal growing season, let alone during a drought when they will have to start feeding hay earlier in the year.

To help provide producers options for managing and marketing cull cows, researchers at the Noble Research Institute and Oklahoma State University teamed up and conducted a study that evaluated the economics of two alternative management and marketing systems for retaining open beef cows.