If you don't have suitable grasses for grazing, herd expansion plans are going to suffer.

Drought might end further expansion

Prime Cuts with Steve Kay

Beef cattle producers in North America largely owe their livelihoods to a simple but precious crop — grass. The more they have, the more they expand their herds because no producer can bear to see pasture being underutilized. The less they have, the more likely they are to cut their numbers. Producers in the U.S. […] Read more


Plant growth can vary greatly. For example, smooth bromegrass is at the 2 1/2-leaf growth stage in North Dakota's McLean County on April 20, 2017, and it is at the 3 1/2-leaf stage a day earlier in Grant County.

Proper timing of pasture turnout critical for drought recovery

Grazing cattle too early can end up reducing your stocking rate

North Dakota’s drought-stressed pastures, especially pastures stressed during the fall of 2017, should receive special care this spring to help them recover from the drought, North Dakota State University Extension Service grazing experts advise. “It is critical that these pastures are given adequate time to recover,” says Miranda Meehan, livestock environmental stewardship specialist. “Grazing too […] Read more



Late-season snowstorm brings Prairies moisture

CNS Canada — After a winter spent waiting for snow, farmers across the southern Prairies were happy when the forecast was right and Western Canada received a late winter snowstorm. “We’ve heard moisture’s coming before and it doesn’t show up or it goes around us. So when it started snowing and it started adding up […] Read more






(Mark Wilson photo courtesy Louis Dreyfus Co.)

U.S. grains: Soybeans near one-year high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures neared a one-year high on Friday as concerns mounted about crop losses from a searing drought in Argentina, the world’s biggest exporter of soymeal and soyoil. Argentina, which is also the world’s No. 3 supplier of soybeans and corn, has been grappling with dry weather since late last […] Read more