Growing Beef Newsletter
December 2025, Volume 16, Issue 6
The Cowboy/Cowgirl Christmas List
Patrick Wall, ISU extension beef specialist
The holiday season can often take us back to our childhood. Depending on your generation, you might recall turning the pages of the toy section in the department store catalog, the local farm store mailers, or TV commercials from area retailers, all developing the perfect list for Santa. Many of you may feel like Christmas came early when you picked up the check for your weaned calves this fall! Regardless, it might be time to put together a new wish list for the cattle operation, even though many of us are no longer kids.
- A shiny, new creep feeder. Sure it’s no Radio Flyer, but this piece of equipment has probably never been more valuable. "Pounds Pay" has been the general theme in this wild market, and with low-cost feedstuffs, creep feeding is a sound management decision.
- Water system. Sure, no kid has ever put water on their Christmas list, but ask yourself as a producer how many times throughout your career you’ve asked for it! A look at the U.S. drought monitor over the last 10 years would certainly indicate that drought has been a problem over a large portion of cow country. Treat yourself to a new or more reliable water system. Utilize forage you otherwise couldn’t. Completion of this project could help you ask for #3 on the list.
- Fence. You can’t carpet farm cows without good fence. Unfortunately, much of the cattle infrastructure in Iowa is…tired. Cropland returns on marginal acres are on the naughty list, so doze out the old fencerow, seed it to grass, and fence it in. Maybe upgrade the section where the cows always seem to get out.
- Technology. Old cowboys and cowgirls can put toys on their list, too! There are ear tags that detect heat, breeding date, calving behavior, and location. Order virtual fence collars if item #3 doesn’t make your list. Genomic test your heifers to see which heifers will make the best replacements. The list goes on, but all of them could help solve one of most reoccurring problems in the industry – labor.
- Take a trip. There’s a section of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training regarding Emergency Action Planning. I always ask attendees if they have a neighbor, friend, or kid who does chores in their absence. Very few, if any, hands go up. Farmers and ranchers are so entrenched in "the grind" that they often forget there’s more to this world outside their fences. If you can, include the young ones in your life still working hard on their list to Santa. They’ll likely never forget that trip…and neither will you.
This monthly newsletter is free and provides timely information on topics that matter most to Iowa beef producers. You’re welcome to use information and articles from the newsletter - simply credit Iowa Beef Center.
