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Calving difficulty (dystocia) is an important economic problem in the U.S. beef cattle industry. According to the USDA, the economic impact of calving difficulty is $350 million each year, and approximately 3 percent of all beef calves born in the U.S. will be lost due to calving difficulty.

The cow’s first milk is crucial to the health and survival of her calf. It contains fat that provides energy (and generates body warmth in cold weather), acts as a laxative to help pass first bowel movements and provides important antibodies against disease.

How do other cattle producers ensure a successful calving season? We’ve gathered their advice.

Every cowboy knows that the cardinal rule of calving is that calves need colostrum as soon as possible within their first few hours of life. That’s when they have the ability to absorb the colostrum’s immunity-boosting antibodies directly through the gut wall and into the bloodstream – the opportunity for that direct absorption ends after the calf is about 24 hours old.

There once was a time when you could, and did, rely on another person’s word when conducting business. Unfortunately, “the gentlemen’s agreement” is now a relic of the past. The time of doing business this way is over.

It may seem like a trivial matter, but to the IRS, commingling of funds suggests your ranch or farm is a hobby rather than a business. What exactly is “commingling?” The usual situation is depositing checks made payable to your business into your personal bank account, or using your business account for personal expenditures.

In less than 40 years, there will be 9.3 billion people on this earth. And, obviously, those people need to be fed. But 2050 will also mean less land, less water and likely a continued unstable world economy.