In other words, large, medium and small types tend to have the same working parts and, for all practical considerations, in the same proportion as all members of the herd. That being said, the obvious constraints of larger or smaller cattle rest more with the management of the producer’s system than the actual size of the cattle.

However, one thing about models is that, as new data comes in, the model simply repredicts. If the projections based on various assumptions do not hold true, then the assumptions can be changed and new projections created. This process really has no end and actually creates a lot of news and information that, in turn, drives managerial decisions.

A producer once called and was concerned that the banker was critical of the age of the cows in the herd. The producer was very successful in keeping older cows productive, but the banker felt the cows were too old.

Cattle reproduction is a very talked-about number. As noted for years, if not decades, success in the cow/ calf business is directly related to a producer’s ability to get the cows pregnant. The standard numbers referred to are relatively easy to calculate.

Once the industry decided that the walls would not cave in when Hereford bulls were mated to Angus cows or vice versa, the world of beef cattle systems was created.

Starting in 1995, the Dickinson Research Extension Center noted the need to evaluate production costs and herd performance for late-spring (early May) calving in contrast to the traditional spring (late-March, early April) calving in southwestern North Dakota.

Cattle are no different from any other living thing. Rule No. 1 is that cattle must eat and meet their daily nutritional requirements. Occasional imbalances may be tolerated for short periods, but through the long haul, every cow, calf, yearling, replacement heifer, finishing calf and bull must eat.

Back at the ranch, some of the Dickinson Research Extension Centers small grain hay, which is winter-seeded triticale and hairy vetch, will yield almost 5 tons per acre. The soft dough is around 12.5 percent moisture. For typical dryland production, those are some big numbers.

Generally, the operational model is renewed, and the managerial motto that �if it worked before, it will work again� can be heard humming in the background. By this time, one should be asking if I am talking about resilience or if I have shifted to resistance.

It was not that long ago (early April) that the Dickinson Research Extension Center decided to furlough the bulls for a month. As the breeding plans were being finalized and additional discussions were held, the bull turnout dates were set for mid-August.