Reviewing the dynamics of the 2025 beef industry through August, Clint Peck summarizes industry events, challenges and market opportunities. Source: BEEF, September 3, 2025. Link. Life in the cattle business just keeps getting more interesting” … [Read more...]
Naval infections third most common cause of disease in calves
The umbilicus isn’t just an anatomical leftover from fetal life; it’s a critical gateway for infection and a window into broader calf health and welfare, writes Andrea Bedford. This article is another good reminder to emphasize early calf care with producer teams. The importance of early disinfection and dipping are critical practices in early calf care. Source: Dairy Herd … [Read more...]
80 percent of calves sell through livestock auctions
Input from nearly 500 beef producers is assembled in the recent 2025 Farm Journal State of the Beef Industry survey. The marketing guidance for producers to provide weaning, health and genetic data to buyers is a key takeaway from the article worth discussing with producer clients. Source: Drovers, October 20, 2025. Link. Ranchers need to get more active in marketing their … [Read more...]
Oligoimidazolium carbon acids found to prevent udder infections with no adverse effects
A team of international scientists has unveiled an alternative class of potent antimicrobial compounds that could be used to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria that cause bovine mastitis in a recent study. Not yet commercialized, this approach to mastitis will be one to watch. Source: Feedstuffs, October 14, 2025. Link. Novel compounds called oligoimidazolium carbon acids … [Read more...]
Vaccinating calves early pays off later
Despite producer pushback on the economics of strategic vaccination, preconditioned calves are table stakes, especially with the current market conditions. Timed vaccination can also support reduced antibiotic use. Vaccines against BRD pathogens (such as IBR, BVD, PI3, BRSV, Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida) are widely available. Still, their effectiveness … [Read more...]
Bluetongue in the Midwest
Vince Collison, DVM, shares recent experiences with Bluetongue virus infections in northwest Iowa in this article. He reviews the virus, how it is transmitted and how it affects animals who contract the disease. In the U.S., the biting midge Culicoides sonorensis is the primary vector of the virus that most frequently infects sheep and whitetail deer. Source: The Stockman, … [Read more...]
Windrow grazing provides nutrition, cost advantages
Here’s an idea that has caught on in row crop country. Aaron Berger shares how windrow-grazing annual forages allows producers to cut the crop at an optimum time for quality in late summer or early fall and increase harvest efficiency through strip-grazing the windrows. With crop harvest progress more than 80 percent complete, this method may be a good discussion topic with … [Read more...]
Don’t overlook heifer fertility
Commentary Acquiring, raising and developing heifers is one of the highest expenses of milk production. Managing them intentionally and separately provides an opportunity for veterinary teams to educate dairy teams about heifer development and improve herd performance. In many cases, heifer care, feeding and reproductive programs are not held to the same standards and … [Read more...]
Beware tall fescue toxicosis
Fescue toxicosis is commonly seen in cattle grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue. Most often associated with spring and early summer grazing, tall fescue toxicosis is a threat in the fall, especially to new bulls and cattle grazing pastures to the ground. Heather Smith Thomas shares many considerations when dealing with tall fescue to reduce the incidence of toxicosis in this … [Read more...]
Feeding by-products advances dairy productivity and sustainability
Feeding by-products are no longer just useful; they’re essential. By-products, including soybean meal, corn distillers grains, canola meal, beet pulp, soy hulls and citrus pulp, are often the result of food and industrial processing. While these ingredients are undesirable for people, they’re rich in nutrients that cows can digest and convert into high-quality … [Read more...]
First-of-its-kind system eradicates residual dairy barn methane
The large-scale field trial of the Methane Eradication Photochemical System represents the first real-world validation of a scalable technology capable of eradicating methane emissions from livestock barn air. The prototype MEPS unit, housed in a standard 40-foot shipping container, processed air samples from a 250-cow, open-sided dairy barn on a dairy farm in … [Read more...]
Researchers using ‘eBeam’ to battle New World screwworm
Texas A&M AgriLife and the National Nuclear Security Administration are exploring safer alternatives to high-radioactivity technologies to address NWS and other invasive arthropods. The eBeam technology used to halt fly reproduction is a potentially safer alternative to high-radioactivity cobalt-60 gamma sterilization. Source: Farm Progress, October 7, 2025. Link. Texas … [Read more...]
Education, a necessity for veterinary-producer relationship creation and sustainability
Producers in small and medium livestock operations and veterinarians in rural veterinary practices experience similar barriers to establishing partnerships. Each group recognizes the need for education, preferring in-person, collaborative learning communities. Researchers from Texas A&M revealed five major themes regarding relationship barriers: a) time; b) financial … [Read more...]
Manage shrink to maximize revenue
Cattle shrink every time they are moved. Producers may not be able to do much about the price they get for their cattle, but they can minimize shrink, writes Heather Smith Thomas. Sorting, loading, hauling to a sale and standing without feed and water can result in body weight loss of 15 percent or more. Thomas explains two types of shrink a) excretory and b) tissue, noting … [Read more...]
Review: Generic versus pioneer drugs for cattle
This is a timely article as calves are being weaned, cows turned out on pasture or stalks and preparations for colder weather are underway. Andrea Bedford, PhD, details the rigors of NADA and ANADA products, where generic equivalents may differ and where they fit in decision-making for veterinarians and producers. Source: Bovine Practitioner, September 17, 2025. Link. The … [Read more...]
Dectomax-CA1 Injectable receives FDA conditional approval to control New World screwworm
Zoetis Inc. announced that Dectomax-CA1 Injectable (doramectin injection) is the first and only parasite control product to receive conditional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention and treatment of infestations caused by the larvae of Cochliomyia hominivorax (myiasis), and prevention of reinfestation for 21 days. This conditional approval … [Read more...]
Zebra cows repel flies and win Ig Nobel Prize
Say what? Japanese researchers received the 2025 Ig Nobel Prize in biology for showing that black cows painted with white stripes repel flies better than their counterparts that didn’t look like zebras. Source: The Scientist, September 18, 2025. Link. Image credit: Tomoki Kojima et al., 2019, PLoS One, CC-BY 4.0 … [Read more...]
Advice for grazing beef-on-dairy calves
While beef-on-dairy calves outperform dairy calves for stocker and finishing systems, they require a different management and understanding when it comes to grazing. Unfamiliar with being a grazing animal, beef on dairy calves need to go through a two- to three-week receiving period, says Paul Beck, MS, MBA, PhD. This allows time for calves to adjust to new feeds, learn to … [Read more...]
Rancher’s Lunch Time Series features Dr. Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson, an animal science professor at Oklahoma State University, will discuss “Selecting and managing replacement heifers for long-term success,” during a free webinar session at noon, Thursday, October 23. Source: OKState Animal & Food Sciences, Facebook, September 24, 2025. Register for the webinar series, ‘Cow Calf Corner Live,’ at this link. INSIGHTS: … [Read more...]
Conditions associated with HPAI spreading to farms identified
Kimbra Cutlip’s article is a reminder that 1) wild bird migration is underway, 2) colder weather means more infections, 3) biosecurity reduces risk to animals and their caretakers, and 4) prevention strategies are beneficial and reduce strain on production economics. Source: Feedstuffs, September 10, 2025. Link. A recently published study in the journal One Health compared … [Read more...]
McDonald’s USA makes company’s largest-ever investment in regenerative agriculture through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Partnership
Beef has been at the core of McDonald’s menu and identity since it first opened its doors 70 years ago. McDonald's USA just announced its participation in an initiative that helps demonstrate its continued commitment to responsible beef sourcing and stewardship of natural resources. This initiative will invest more than $200 million over the next seven years to help promote … [Read more...]
Let’s review: Matching the drug to the bug to treat BRD
K. Shawn Blood, a Zoetis DVM, reviews the four most common classes of anti-infectives used in cattle treatments and their modes of action. He emphasizes the importance of choosing the right anti-infective since respiratory disease is a complex disease system. He notes that many outside variables can negatively affect treatment outcomes. Source: Progressive Cattle, September … [Read more...]
Calf castration. The younger the better!
Sponsor Content When, why and the best modern practices for castration are the topics for the last segment in this week’s episode of Doc Talk with host Dan Thomson, MS, PhD, DVM. He explains the benefits of castrating calves in the first week of life compared to waiting until weaning, since the bull's testicles don’t produce testosterone until they hit seven to 10 months of … [Read more...]
Understanding probiotics and their role in dairy production [Podcast]
Sponsor Content In this podcast episode, Stephen Lerner, PhD, explains the science and practical applications for probiotics and enzymes in dairy farming. He says microbial solutions are becoming mainstream in dairy management, offering sustainable alternatives to traditional treatments, and transforming animal agriculture by improving gut health, feed efficiency, immune … [Read more...]
How a probiotic reduces mastitis by 40 percent
Research trials on transition cows deployed an intervaginal probiotic gel that uses lactic acid bacteria to prime, prepare and restore a lactating cow’s reproductive tract through the transition period. Initial data shows reduced cases of mastitis, pneumonia and overall health disorders. Source: American Agriculturist, September 10, 2025. Link. … [Read more...]
Salmonella strain infecting cattle and people is highly similar
Researchers at Pennsylvania State University investigated how strains of the pathogen Salmonella Dublin are evolving and spreading across humans, cattle and the environment in the U.S. Taking a broader One Health approach, they examined genomic differences and stability across strains over time and from different yet related sources. S. Dublin can cause severe illness and … [Read more...]
Dung beetles combat flies; insecticide overuse harms beetles
Another conundrum in the war against flies. Insecticides often used to kill face flies on cattle can be effective. But, they may increase the problem by killing dung beetles that naturally control the flies. Cornell University researchers have been studying how differing ingredients in feed-through insecticides impact beetle numbers. They offer their perspectives and share … [Read more...]
Preconditioning pay$
A quote from a March 2022 post remains top of mind, “Preconditioning starts when the calf hits the ground.” It’s truly a “Begin with the end in mind” statement. Many preconditioning articles can be found in the AHD archives <Link>. It’s no surprise to see the topic in media several times a year and considering a calf’s economic value, it is no wonder. In this article, … [Read more...]
I’m not hot, so the cows must be fine
This article is a good reminder about heat stress myths dairy producers hang on to year after year. Gabriela Maldini, PHD, MSc, shares some of the top myths she has encountered. Note her comments as they pertain to dry cows and seasonality. Source: Progressive Dairy, August 13, 2025. Link. INSIGHTS: Consider sharing this article with dairy producers via social media or … [Read more...]
Vets urge smarter parasite control to combat drug resistance
Commentary The topic of parasite resistance is not new to U.S. livestock production. However, the British Veterinary Association’s actions described in this article are important. Many foreign production environments are more condensed than those in the U.S. and can foretell future domestic production issues. The BVA’s new policy position warns that routine, blanket … [Read more...]