🥩 Ranchers Invest in Processing

Reduce Your Hay Waste, November Ranch Checklist, Foil Packet Beef and Vegetable Meal Recipe from Ranching.com by CattleMax.

November 11, 2026

Welcome to the 147th edition of Ranching.com – the leading cattle management resource for a community of 96,000+ ranchers and farmers.

IN THE NEWS

🥩 Ranchers Invest in Processing

 🥩 Ranchers Invest in Processing - A group of Texas ranchers has secured a $24.6 million USDA loan to build a meat processing plant, creating new opportunities for locally raised beef. The project could give cattle producers more marketing options while helping strengthen regional processing capacity.

🐄 Rethinking Culling Decisions - Record-high cattle prices are changing how producers decide which cows to keep and which to sell, making profitability more important than ever. Dan Wendland of Autauga Farming, a longtime CattleMax user, shares how a closer look at cow performance and production costs can help guide those decisions.

🌾 Hidden Hazards in Roadside Hay - Roadside hay may be an affordable way to stretch winter feed supplies, but it can come with risks that aren't immediately obvious. From potential contaminants to forage quality concerns, producers should know what to watch for before feeding it to their cattle.

💉 Strengthening Your BRD Prevention Plan - A strong vaccination program starts with asking the right questions and working closely with your veterinarian to protect calves from bovine respiratory disease (BRD). These four questions can help producers evaluate their current approach and identify opportunities to improve herd health.

🐂 BQA Beyond the Basics - Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) goes beyond proper cattle handling and injections, helping producers improve animal care, management practices and beef quality. Taking a closer look at BQA principles can help ranchers strengthen their operations and build confidence in the cattle they raise.

🪰 NWS Watch

Tracking the Latest Developments and Industry Response

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Cattle records can quickly end up scattered across notebooks, spreadsheets, and different devices. Having everything organized in one place makes it easier to find what you need and make decisions with confidence.

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* This is sponsored content from CattleMax.com

VIDEOS FROM AROUND THE WEB

Reduce Your Hay Waste

RANCHING KNOW-HOW

November Ranch Checklist

November is a good time to tackle important herd management tasks before winter weather and feeding demands pick up. From evaluating cow condition to reviewing nutrition and herd health plans, these 10 reminders can help producers stay ahead of the season.

CATTLE COMMUNITY EVENTS
RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Foil Packet Beef and Vegetable Meal

Build a packet with shredded beef, beef sausage and vegetables and cook on the grill. Super easy and fun for the whole family. And … no clean up.
Get the recipe

READER POLL

🥩 What would more locally owned meat processing facilities mean for your operation?

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LAST WEEK’S POLL RESULTS

What’s the biggest challenge to keeping your cow herd profitable?

54.24%: Feed and Hay Cost

11.86%: Cow Maintenance Requirements

6.78%: Calf Weaning Performance

27.12%: Pasture Availability

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