Purina

A Resource for Producers Passionate About Cattle

Living the Country Life and Purina® have partnered to bring you this special section of Living the Country Life to help you raise your cattle. No technical jargon here -- just an easy-to-understand resource for running your operation.

More Tips

Cattle care
Water requirements for pastured livestock
10 common cattle questions

Q: How many acres do you need for a cow and calf?

A: The acreage required for a cow-calf pair will depend on several things: mainly soil fertility, pasture quality and how much rain you get in your area. For example, most places in Missouri start with 3-4 acres per cow-calf pair for summer grazing.

Life Stages of Cattle Care

Pre-Calving & Calving

Signs a cow is about to calve
Listen to the radio program on spotting the signs of a cow in labor.
Switching from spring to fall calving
Some producers are finding fall calving to offer many benefits,...
Checking cattle for pregnancy
Making sure your cows are producing a calf each year is important....
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Taking Care of Your Calves

Vaccinating calves
Vaccinate new calves to give them the best chance at avoiding disease...
Sandhills calving system
Listen to our radio program on keeping young calves healthy.
Helping a newborn calf
Living the Country Life Radio Program
see more

Post-Calving

Preventing mastitis in cattle
A healthy diet and clean environment can reduce the risk of your...
Raising bucket calves
Living the Country Life Radio Program
First calf heifer care
Listen to our radio program on calf care.
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Stocker Grower

Reducing Feed Costs
Anyone who has livestock is feeling a pinch in the pocketbook, as...
Right hay for cattle
Living the Country Life Radio Program
Beef cow body condition scoring
Scoring system from 1 to 9
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Find Purina® products in your area.

Getting started

Watusi Cattle
An Idaho ranch raise cattle with a gentle nature despite their looks.
16 common cattle breeds
With so many breeds available, how do you choose which is best for...
Texas longhorns
Texas, where things are always bigger
Raising Dexter cattle
Living the Country Life Radio Program with Betsy Freese
see more

Feeding and grazing

Tips for feeding during drought conditions
For questions relating to drought and feeding programs, please send...
Summer pasture grazing
If your pasture starts to look a little bare by mid-summer, it's...
Poisonous plants for cattle
Before you turn the cattle loose to graze, be sure of what they'...
Cattle feeders
Cattle feeders cut waste and mess.
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Handling your herd

Keeping the livestock trailer clean
Living the Country Life Radio Program
Loading the animal trailer
Make loading livestock easier and safer with these techniques.
Transporting animals in hot weather
Living the Country Life Radio Program
Staying safe around bulls
Avoid getting injured by your bull by learning to read his behavior.
see more

Healthy herds

Purina Products
Information on Purina Products
Vaccinating calves
Vaccinate new calves to give them the best chance at avoiding disease...
Preventing grass tetany
Grass tetany is treatable if a veterinarian is contacted as soon as...
Preventing coccidiosis in cattle
A serious parasitic infection
see more