Too many cow-calf producers still ignore the benefits of preconditioning.
For as long as I can remember discussing cattle production health topics, pre-conditioning has been near the top of the list of economic factors. As animal health pros, we believe we’ve told the benefits to producers dozens of times. But, as with vaccination compliance, preconditioning is still not practiced consistently across beef producers.
Preconditioning your calves is a no-brainer. It makes money for everybody in the chain and improves the quality of beef for consumers.” – Dan Thomson, DVM
Source: Drovers, July 11, 2019. Link. The success of precondition programs is measured by how well the calves will perform for the next owner, the feedlot. Adding pounds while the calves are in a preconditioning program is desirable, but more important might be their ability to handle the stressors that await them.
INSIGHTS: If for some reason you’re tired of beating the preconditioning drums use what Dr. Thomson says . . .
Getting more producers to precondition is one of the most important issues our industry faces. It’s an animal welfare issue, it’s an economic issue and it’s a beef quality issue. Preconditioning is the time when we’re building the calf’s immune response, building that health security and decreasing the animals’ stress.” – Dan Thomson, DVM