Testing for trichomoniasis, or trich, is essential to help ensure herd health and profitability. The bovine venereal disease lives in the epithelial of the penis and prepuce and is considered a lifelong infection in bulls. Infected bulls transmit trich to most females they service. Cows can clear the disease but will abort calves or become infertile. Trich is easily transmitted … [Read more...]
Success strategies for newborn calves
There is a 4-hour window to optimize antibody absorption and immunity in newborn calves, according to Brian Vander Lay, veterinary epidemiologist. Once a calf gets its first meal the gut wall begins to close and they lose the capacity to absorb essential antibodies in colostrum necessary for immunity. He offers five strategies to ensure healthy calves. Share this on social … [Read more...]
U.S. Cattle Trace to lay groundwork for federal requirements
Amid confusion from the government’s Animal Tracing Act and more recent proposed mandates for RFID from APHIS, a group of producers have formed the voluntary cattle tracking system, U.S. Cattle Trace (USCT). The inevitability of foreign animal disease risk underpins the priorities of this developing system. Source: BEEF, February 2020. Link. USCT is a producer-driven … [Read more...]
Delaying on-arrival vaccination may reduce morbidity, mortality
Vaccine labels all contain verbiage like, “. . . is indicated for vaccination of healthy cattle as an aid in the prevention of disease caused by . . .” For years veterinarians have recommended vaccination against respiratory viruses during initial processing of high-risk cattle on arrival to the feedlot or background operation. New research indicates it may be better to … [Read more...]
A whole lot of bull: BEEF’s 6th annual Seedstock 100
Sponsored by Boehringer-Ingeheim Veterinarians, retailers and sales representatives all work with producers to deliver the best beef products. The Seedstock 100 is a survey of these combined efforts for the top bull genetic producers. The distribution map < link > is interesting on its own. Source: BEEF, January 21, 2020. Link. The Seedstock 100 represents the … [Read more...]
Reduce mud at hay feeding locations
Paralleling methods used to build roads through swamps, Mark Hilton, DVM, shares methods for using hay pads to keep cattle less muddy as winter hay feeding begins. He also shares the benefits of limiting 24/7 free access to hay and includes study results. Source: BEEF, November 2019. Link. When asked, 100 percent of beef producers who have built hay pads and now use time … [Read more...]
Profitable cows start with a sound heifer development plan
How you develop heifers makes all the difference in what kind of cows they become, writes Burke Teichert. He shares his perspective on issues that drive good decision making in the development and selection of replacement heifers: We should not strive for maximum conception rate in yearling heifers Heifers do not need to reach 65% of expected mature cow weight to have … [Read more...]
Rethinking red meat
New nutrition recommendations published in the Annals of Internal Medicine < link > say that red and processed meats are not bad for us, contradicting current guidelines. A panel of 14 persons working in various fields related to nutrition used a research approach that rates the certainty of the evidence. They focused on the absolute risk rather than the relative risk of … [Read more...]
U.S. antibiotic council member shares perspectives
Mike Appley, DVM, has served four years on the Presidential Advisory Council for Combating Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria, < link >. He believes one of the biggest behavioral problems is that the problem always seems to be what someone else is doing, and what we are doing without fault. Antibiotic resistance is a real and pressing problem, and everyone needs to pitch … [Read more...]
Cows really do benefit the planet!
People still think it’s cows that are causing climate change, writes Amanda Radke. She offers resources to help continue to offset the false 2006 claim made by the United Nations and marketing claims made by makers of of plant-food products. Source: BEEF, August 31, 2019. Link. INSIGHTS: More ammunition for meat vs. meatless diet debates. … [Read more...]
Boosting immunity in cattle may mean more productivity
Barry Bradford with Kansas State University presented new information from his study of immunometabolism at the American Society of Animal Scientists in July. He researched inflammatory responses during times of stress, especially those that impact on liver health. The interactions between normal organ function and the immune system are becoming much tighter than we used to … [Read more...]
Ongoing training essential to animal welfare
Good animal care must become a habit and part of the culture, writes Dave Sjeklocha, DVM. Training workers and family members on animal handling and care has never been more important. Documenting this training equally important. And we must continue to train, retrain and redocument, he says. Dr. Sjeklocha recently reviewed recent activities by animal rights groups. He … [Read more...]
Decade-long study highlights the merits of 4-H for personal youth development
Amanda Radke summarizes key takeaways fom a 10-year study conducted by Tufts University evaluating the effectiveness of various youth programs. The study revealed that 4-H youth are: four times more likely to give back to their communities two times more likely to make healthier choices two times more likely to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering … [Read more...]
Weaning basics keep calves healthy
Heather Smith Thomas is bringing a series of articles about ranch management basics to help educate those new to the beef industry and dust off the knowledge of long ime cattle producers. These basics are especially important as we seek to gain value from preconditioning programs. She reviews two lower-stress weaning methods: fence-line weaning and nose flaps. There are many … [Read more...]
RFID is it for USDA’s mandatory animal disease traceability. Deadline is January 21, 2023.
The pressure is on fruit and vegetable growers all over the world to implement traceability systems in the next 12 months. USDA’s Gregory Ibach believes the meat industry will be next on the traceability agenda. USDA took another step toward enhancing the nation’s mandatory animal disease traceablity (ADT) program by requiring official electronic radio-frequency identification … [Read more...]
The relationship between cattle and wildlife
Often, ranchers and environmentalists are at odds with each other; each having a set of conservationist viewpoints that don’t necessarily match up, writes Amanda Radke. She explains why ruminant animals and wildlife can co-exist and thrive in the same environment. Source: BEEF, May 31, 2019. Link. The agricultural community has much to gain by taking pride in our … [Read more...]
Bats are nature’s pest control
As we sat on the deck during a recent evening, bats from behind the neighbor’s chimney awoke to fly over the neighboring yards. After counting 36 of them, I stopped as they went about their insect control. Amanda Radke writes about the pros and stigmas concerning promoting bat populations for pest control. Source: BEEF, May 20, 2019. Link. Bats may have a negative … [Read more...]
Poisonous plants for cattle, horses, dogs, cats
Spring brings a flowery green up but, plants toxic t0 our critters may lurk among the blooms. We compiled some resources for cattle, horses, dogs and cats below. Use them on social media and to solve problems with animal owners. Source: Plants toxic to cats, ASPCA. Link. Source: Plants toxic to dogs, ASPCA. Link. Source: Poisonous plants that can kill cattle, BEEF, … [Read more...]
Depression among customers hurts us all
Production agriculture can be isolating. This tends to intensify feelings like grief, depression, anger, blame, resentment and a feeling of failure, writes Amanda Radke. She curated a series of articles on mental health issues with farmers and ranchers. Beyond our own issues with high veterinary suicide rates, some of our better customers are also hurting. Mental health issues … [Read more...]
Flooding could surpass 1993, 2011
Most of the country is expected to experience above-average precipitation this spring, increasing the flood risk. According to NOAA’s U.S. Spring Outlook issued March 21, nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states face an elevated risk for flooding through May, with the potential for major or moderate flooding in 25 states. Source: BEEF, March 21, 2019. Link. … [Read more...]
Ranch level biosecurity goes beyond vaccination
Keeping diseases at bay requires a lot more than a good vaccination program, writes Caitlin Hebbert. She presents biosecurity beyond BQA requirements and engages Stephen Collett to describe a hierarchy of three levels of biosecurity: Conceptual StructuralProcedural Source: BEEF, February 19, 2019, page 48. Link. Be proactive. A little caution and awareness when it … [Read more...]
Avoiding cost does not create value in calving date plans
As the cattle market approaches some expansion slowdown <link>, consider options for where and when calves are born. Despite the greatest total cost, June calving provided the lowest unit cost of production and greatest net profit per calf, thanks to greater weaning and carcass weights. Source: BEEF, January 23, 2019. Link. Calving dates and management systems are … [Read more...]
Observe manure to monitor nutritional status
Texas cow-calf consultant Dan Gary recommends using cow-pie-ology, the visual observation of manure, to determine the nutritional status of cattle. (research) shows . . . as manure piles stack up, more protein is needed. That’s because passage rate through the digestive system slows down and instead of a cow pie, there’s a cow stack. Conversely, excess protein results in … [Read more...]
The calf-fed conundrum
Calves are weaning heavier, often at weights where they go from the ranch to the feedyard without a growing phase in between. The conundrum? For as long as 90 days following placement, these cattle can show health issues later in the feeding period rather than when they first go on feed. From a health standpoint, we continue to go backward,” says Miles Theurer, DVM. “The … [Read more...]
Ruminations from NCBA Cattle Con (includes video)
Burke Teichert < link > reflects on his experiences during this year’s Cattle Industry Convention. His years of work show in his “I wonder” topics. The video interview reveals his wisdom and he challenges us to keep learning. My challenge is for all of us to become better and more engaged life-long learners—to become better systems thinkers and observers. Source: BEEF, … [Read more...]
Hay! Plastic bale netting is not digestible
Modern technology for hay bale wrap is causing rumen problems that can be just as damaging and fatal as the miscellaneous hardware cows often ingest. Many producers never remove net wrap and never have problems, while others say these risks are the reason they always remove net wrap before feeding hay or running it through a processor,” Cody Creelman, DVM, says. Source: … [Read more...]
BEEF blog’s top 10
Consider broadening your perspective as customer interactions begin this year. Top-read lists similar to this one offer insights into customer priorities and interests. Here are the 10 BEEF Daily blogs that received the most traffic in 2018: 1. Researchers conclude livestock have no detectable effect on climate 2. Hay bale kills ranch mom 3. Move over kale; steak is the … [Read more...]
Change the feeding schedule of spring-calving cows now
December is the time to reset the feeding schedule to dusk hours for cows bred to spring calve, says Glenn Selk. Known as the Konefal method, adjusting the feeding schedule limits night-time calving when observation is more challenging and when temperatures usually lower. University studies have confirmed this method moves calving to daylight hours in as many as 85 percent of … [Read more...]
New tracker technology for cows resembles fitness trackers
A new type of fitness tracker may help farmers keep track of their livestock. The new technology, in the form of a smart ear tag, produces similar data to those delivered by consumer smart watches. GPS enabled, the high-tech ear tag allows farmers to track the location of individual animals remotely via internet capabilities. Source: BEEF, December 7, 2018. … [Read more...]
Eye-in-the-sky hired help works for cattle producers
Drones provide potential for practical applications beef producers, according to Amanda Radke. She discusses four ways that a drone could enhance management practices on ranches. Collect more data with much less labor Aerial maps can improve land management practices Monitor livestock, fences and water sources Collect data on individual animals While drones … [Read more...]