Right after the saddle bronc riding during Rodeo Rapid City, the Black Hills Stock Show Supreme Row cattle paraded into the Summit Arena on the evening of Feb. 7 for final selection. Ushered in by Bob Mills and Jerry Talsma, each breed’s champion bull and heifer were on display for a large rodeo crowd to see.  Judging the  Hubbard Supreme Row selection were cattlemen Jake Hennessy of North Dakota; Eldon Krebs of Nebraska and David Uhrig of South Dakota. The men were tasked with sorting through nine different breeds – Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Red Angus, Shorthorn, Gelbvieh, Limousin,...

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The Wine Glass Ranch in Imperial, Neb., is the 2025 Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) National winner as announced by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). The award, which annually recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of cattle producers, was presented to the Pribbeno family, during CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tenn. “This ranch has been in my family for 140 years, and we are the stewards of the ground,” said Logan Pribbeno with Wine Glass Ranch. “We are grazing the best and leaving the rest for the benefit of our soil health.” Jeff and Connie Pribbeno and their...

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The NALF board approved 2 new indexes and EPDS to be listed in January of 2026. In 2024, three new EPDs were implemented, Dry Matter Intake, ADG, Feed Efficiency sub-index ($Gain) and a new terminal index, $TPI utilizing iGENDEC software in 2024.  Upon completion of these EPDs, the NALF board moved forward with the development of 2 additional index’s, $MPI, (Maternal Profit Index) and $IPI, (Industry Profit Index) which is synonymous with an all-purpose index in 2025.  These new indexes were built via iGENDEC with the help of Dr. Robert Weaber and Dr. Matt Spangler. iGENDEC was also the platform...

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  The popular CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, shared expert market and weather analysis last week. “The U.S. cattle and beef industry enters 2026 with strong but volatile market conditions, as historically tight cattle supplies, record-setting beef demand, and elevated policy and weather uncertainty continue to support prices, even as markets appear to near cyclical highs. Tight inventories and exceptional demand remain the dominant forces shaping the market; however, producer demographics, high input costs, and policy uncertainty point to a slow and measured expansion phase,” said Mike Murphy, CattleFax chief operating officer. Weather...

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  The use of distillers grains in beef systems has been a long-term focus at UNL because of the opportunities for a beef producer to get an inexpensive source of both energy and protein that can fit well in many cow, backgrounding, and finishing systems.  Usage is greater for the feedlot sector, but there is actually great value in younger, lightweight, backgrounding cattle. Of course, use of distillers in combination with low energy forages like residues for cows is also a consideration, or in situations when protein supplementation is needed.  UNL recently summarized the feeding value of distillers grains for...

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The old phrase, “horses for courses” now has a complementary phrase of “cows for resources.” Approximately 75% of the feed that goes towards producing a pound of beef comes from forage. Recent research at Oklahoma State University by Dr. David Lalman has shown that there are significant differences in how efficiently heifers convert forage to pounds of beef in a growing diet consisting of good quality hay. In a recent article titled “Finding Forage Efficient Heifers” in the December 15 issue of the Cow-Calf Corner Newsletter, Dr. Lalman shares groundbreaking research examining forage efficiency.  Research has been conducted for almost...

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  The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing a shift in its 100 million per week sterile fly dispersal efforts to stop the northern spread of New World screwworm (NWS). USDA will reallocate aircraft and sterile insects to reinforce coverage along the U.S.-Mexico border. The new dispersal area, or polygon, will include operations about 50 miles into Texas, along the U.S. border with the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Mass production and targeted dispersal of sterile insects are critical components of an effective strategy to fight NWS. Other tools including import protocols...

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The U.S. beef herd again contracted over the past year, according to the USDA Cattle Inventory report released last week, extending the cattle cycle into its thirteenth year. High prices continue to incentivize producers to sell calves rather than retain them for herd rebuilding. All cattle and calves totaled 86.2 million head in January 2026, down 320,000 head or 0.4% from 86.5 million in 2025, in line with analysts’ estimates. This is, for another year, the smallest cattle herd since 1951. South Dakota reported 3.55 million head, up 50,000 head or 1% from last year. Nebraska reported 6.15 million, up...

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Cannon Reimann, 13 years old from Ree Heights, S.D., exhibited this year’s National Western Stock Show Grand Champion Junior Market Steer. The steer sold for a record-breaking 0,000 to Bank of Colorado, in the Auction of Junior Livestock Champions smashing the old record of 0,000 set in 2025.  Her steer’s name is Boots, because he has black legs with white boots. Hutchison Western led the way with the opening bid of 0,000 in honor of the 120th Anniversary of the NWSS. Cannon was also awarded the Nick Reimann Memorial Trophy in honor of her father who passed away in a...

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  Take a stroll down Valentine, Nebraska’s Main Street this Valentine’s Day weekend. You’ll find stores open, restaurants welcoming, bountiful boutiques for shopping, and pen after pen of cattle genetics on display. Feb. 14 brings the 25th Annual Heart City Bull Bash to the Nebraska town. It’s an event that cattlemen and women in the area look forward to each year. The event first started as a way to showcase Sandhills cattle genetics. “When you think of cows, you think of Cherry County, Nebraska. It’s the cattle capital of the world and the Bull Bash is a way to gain...

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