September 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 21 pass through gates without their calves at side or nearby. Ideally, form a team of two handlers who lead the herd through gates. One rider continues in front of the cattle and the teammate passes through the gate and stays close enough to regulate gate behavior. Eventually herds will volunteer to follow handlers. Proper stockmanship in cow-calf grazing operations contributes to production parameters, including first-service conception rates, nursing frequency, neonatal health and lowstress weaning. Build maternal behavior during daily interventions. Ask calves to be near their dams and train pairs to move together during calving, tagging and pasture rotations. Calves walk more slowly than cows, horses or four-wheelers. Avoid asking cows to walk ahead of calves, leaving babies at rear of the herd. Never interrupt nursing prior to early morning gathering. Wait for calves to respond to pressure and volunteer to accompany their mothers. Expect the last animals arriving at a pen destination to be a mother and her calf, side by side. Skilled stockmanship can influence how cattle graze, distribute across pasture, respond to herd movement and develop trust in handlers. Pasture management, rotational grazing and building soil health is paramount to the sustainability of the beef industry. Focus on both soil health and mental fitness of grazing animals. Expect cattle to be content, confident and productive in grazing systems. Ask herds to move together while checking water or doing health evaluations. The herd should be willing to move short distances in an orderly fashion between paddock moves. Avoid herd anticipation of moving to new feed. Take time to retrain herds that replace grazing with move anticipation. Spend time early in behavior changes to save time and improve cattle performance. Remember that cattle do what we ask, and their behavior is a product of our communication skills. Wait for them to analyze our intent. Pressure and timing of release is key. Look where we want cattle to go and know that silence is power and pressure is intermittent and lessening. Enjoy learning how to build trust and confidence in animals we have been granted dominion over. ~NC~
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