By Kelly Brandlee For John and Jaclyn Horter, running a business while managing their fifth-generation farm near Bristol, S.D., has been a journey of growth, adaptation, and commitment to serving the agricultural community. John and Jaclyn farm alongside John’s parents, raising cattle, corn, soybeans, small grains, and alfalfa. Their children, Dane (14) and Raegan (10), represent the sixth generation on the farm. Approximately 11 years ago, in addition to farming, the Horters began painting and restoring tractors. As demand for their services grew, they realized they needed additional space. Around the same time, Gary and Mary Lone, owners of the...

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By Tony Hawkins, DVM, Valley Vet Supply Technical Service Veterinarian During calving season everyone always hopes for the best but rightly should plan for when things go awry.  This includes knowing how to pull a calf and having the right equipment on hand. If you need to deliver a calf, the first thing you need to do is attach the OB calving chains. If you only put one loop around each leg, there is a high risk of breaking a calf’s leg. To minimize this risk, put the first loop above the fetlock and then put a second loop (a...

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Greater Omaha Packing in Nebraska is proud to announce the launch of a new Hereford Affidavit, designed to expand opportunities for producers and ensure that Hereford-influenced fat cattle can qualify for program premiums. This initiative aims to reward the genetic merit of Hereford-crossed cattle, increasing value at every level of the supply chain. For decades, increased pigmentation within the Hereford breed has made it more challenging for Hereford-crossed cattle to meet the traditional 51% white face phenotype requirement. As a result, many cattle with strong Hereford genetics have been unable to qualify for associated premiums. The new affidavit provides a...

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by Paige Nelson What food staples are food pantries most desperate for? Hint: it isn’t ramen noodles. Meat and dairy products top the list. It’s pretty hard to create a nutritious meal from canned and shelf-stable boxed foods alone, which are the most frequently donated items. However, if you’ve ever tried to donate fresh-from-the-farm beef to a local food pantry, you quickly see why canned food drives are popular — they are easy. Donating beef to food pantries and school meal programs isn’t easy. But that didn’t stop Matt Pierson from turning his good idea into a working model with...

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By Briley Richard Sometimes being a cattleman feels like walking up to a buffet with endless options. Where do I start? Should I focus on the big picture or the details? How do I focus on just one thing? Through educational sessions sponsored by the Colorado Angus Association at the 2025 National Western Stock Show, industry experts and boots-on-the-ground cattlemen discussed the value of balancing trait selection to achieve forward progress. The session kicked off with a presentation by Kara Lee, director of producer engagement at Certified Angus Beef (CAB), followed by a panel discussion. The panel was comprised of...

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Here are four banker-approved tips By Codi Vallery-Mills If you have sold cattle in the last 8 months you have likely realized profit on those animals. The cattle market is at historical highs, and that is providing better financial outcomes for cattle ranchers today. Still, higher input costs are hanging in there and the need for lending money isn’t going away. The Cattle Business Weekly spoke with Josh Davis of Farm Credit Mid-America, where he is vice president of Food and Agribusiness, about operating in today’s financial environment of high profits and high costs. He gave advice on better questions...

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  By Codi Vallery-Mills If you are a South Dakota State University college sports fan you may want to keep track of the SDSU rodeo team these next two months. There are 16 rodeo athletes on the 49-member team ranking in the top standings of their respective events. SDSU rodeo coach Ron Skovly says the team has four rodeos left to show their determination to place well and he expects several from the team will be headed to the College National Finals Rodeo this June. The team is made up of students from across the country – from the coast...

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 The Red Angus Association of America hosted a reception on Thursday, Feb. 6, following the conclusion of the NCBA Trade Show at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. More than 50 attendees gathered to learn about an innovative fed cattle grid pricing system that offers competitive premiums for upper two-thirds Choice Angus carcasses. Tom Brink, RAAA CEO, shared that Sustainable Beef LLC, a new beef processing plant slated to open in April 2025 in North Platte, Nebraska, will implement the innovative grid. Notably, the grid is unique in that it equally rewards Red Angus, black Angus and smoky cattle. “This...

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Jack Sieben has become a familiar face serving up many of South Dakota’s bull sale meals. By Codi Vallery-Mills In rural farm and rancher country a lot can pass as a couple’s date night option including attending a bull sale. And why not, when the food you get there is better than anything you’re likely to cook at home that day? There are often homemade sweets, small batch brews, butter crusted potatoes, fresh made rolls, church salads galore… and those are just the sides. Once the main protein (beef of course) hits the plate you and your honey are thinking...

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U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Senator Cynthia Lummis along with U.S. Representative Harriet Hageman, all R-Wyo., reintroduced legislation Feb, 24 that would resolve the management status of thousands of acres of federal public lands in seven counties in Wyoming. The bill, which passed the U.S. Senate in December 2024, is the direct result of a collaborative process started under the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI). The WPLI was created by the Wyoming County Commissioners Association in 2015 to seek locally driven solutions on the future of federal public lands that have been in management limbo for more than 30 years. ...

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