Skip to main content
RanchWellPractical Texas
ranch safety Get help now
Get help now

Good days start
with safe habits.

Clear advice for the people, animals, and places you care for.

Check today’s job Find a safety guide
Respect the land. Care for animals. Look out for each other.
Cattle grazing on open pasture at Birdwell Clark Ranch in Henrietta, Texas

What’s the job today?

Pick the job. Make three checks. Share the plan.

For ranchers, crews, and families.
Two livestock trailers and two adults at Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, New Mexico
BEFORE YOU START

Hauling cattle

Livestock trailers at Navajo Technical University, New Mexico · USDA / Lance Cheung · Photo details

Three checks to talk through0 of 3 checked
Stop and check

A trailer problem needs fixing. If an animal is sick or injured, ask your vet before deciding to haul it.

Tell your family: never stand between a backing truck and trailer.

Open this check Read the guide Try the lesson
Download field card

These are reminders, not a full job plan. Checked boxes do not prove a job is safe.

Sources for this check

Explore safety guides

Practical guidance for real ranch work.

All guides

Livestock handling

Move calmly. Keep a way out.

Equipment & machinery

One tractor. One trained driver.

Animal health

Spot a change. Call your vet.

Wildfire planning

Plan your way out before a fire.

Weather & emergency prep

Hear thunder? Get inside.

People & ranch teams

Know when to stop and cool down.

Planning & checklists

A safer start for young helpers.

Land & wildlife

Know the plants. Protect your stock.

Water & troughs

Check supplies. Spot changes.

Learning to help on the ranch? Ask a trusted adult to choose a job you can do safely. A guide cannot replace hands-on supervision.

What matters right now

Useful updates. Original sources. Clear next steps.

News archive

Dates below separate each update from its source check. Check the agency before making a plan; a news summary cannot clear an animal trip.

Two Brahman cattle grazing in Brazos County, Texas

Archive photograph: Brahman cattle in Brazos County, Texas.

About this photo

Photograph by Beverly Moseley / USDA NRCS Texas

Breed/animal portrait. Does not establish animal health or diagnose disease. Resized and WebP encoded.

Original photograph ↗Public domain; also offered under CC BY 2.0 ↗Photo credits
ANIMAL HEALTH
Texas Animal Health Commission · Order: October 3, 2026
Sources checked October 4, 2026

Brewster and Pecos: check the updated screwworm zone.

Texas updated a screwworm control area in parts of Brewster and Pecos counties. Animals in the zone need TAHC permission before leaving. Check the current zone and movement rules before loading.

Check the current zone and movement rules
Ranch foreman Ralph Donahue and NRCS staff reviewing conservation work beside a pickup

Ranch foreman Ralph Donahue and NRCS staff discuss conservation work, 2009.

About this photo

Photograph by USDA NRCS Texas

Real adults discussing ranch conservation. Not actors, RanchWell customers, or an endorsement. No moving machine or livestock work zone pictured. Resized and WebP encoded.

Original photograph ↗Public domain; also offered under CC BY 2.0 ↗Photo credits
PEOPLE & EQUIPMENT
National Education Center for Agricultural Safety · Event: September 21–25, 2026
Sources checked October 4, 2026

Safety Week ended. Keep the good habits.

The 2026 program covered roads, tired workers, hearing, and dangerous enclosed spaces. Pick one topic your crew needs, then talk through it together.

Find the training resources
Towering cumulus congestus clouds in a historic National Weather Service photograph

Clouds from the historic National Weather Service collection.

About this photo

Photograph by NOAA / National Weather Service historic collection; individual photographer not identified

Authentic archival photograph, not a current weather alert. Original scan retains age and grain. Location not established as Texas. Resized and WebP encoded.

Original photograph ↗Public domain, NOAA official work ↗Photo credits
EVERYDAY WEATHER GUIDE
National Weather Service · Undated guidance
Sources checked October 4, 2026

Hear thunder? Stop work and get inside.

An open shed or a tree won’t protect you. Pick your safe shelter before a storm reaches you.

Read the shelter guidance

See it. Learn it. Use it.

Short, practical lessons for real ranch work.

Strong ranches look after people and animals. Try a choice, learn a habit, and share it with your family.

Watch more lessons
RANCHWELL ORIGINAL / 0:34
The sky changes. So does the plan.

Choose your storm shelter before starting the job.

Try the storm shelter lesson

Before you start

A quick checklist for a safer day on the ranch.

0 of 5 checked

Checked boxes help you prepare. They don’t mean a job is safe. Stop if the conditions or the plan change.

Someone seriously hurt or in immediate danger?

Call 911. Give the ranch address and the best gate for help to reach you.

Call 911