Education
The sooner calves eat enough dry feed to sustain themselves, the better equipped they are to bridge the nutritional gap between the fixed liquid ration and a weaned diet of solely dry feeds.
A researcher explores the intricacies of fecal pH and explains how changes in the metric can be an early signal of digestive and health disruptions in dairy cows.
Creep grazing programs can produce additional calf gains using forage rather than the traditional grain-based creep diets. There are many ways to adapt this system to each individual situation.
Late May and June typically produce the first heat events of the season when temperature, humidity and feed intake will significantly impact water consumption by feedlot cattle.
Know when to cut and when to run. With the former, Amanda Hartnack, DVM, recommends fixing those hernias in the field that are no larger than 10 to 15 centimeters.
Jesse Goff, Iowa State University dairy veterinarian and professor, attributes hypocalcemia, including the subclinical stage, to metabolic alkalosis. He says the issue has to do with potassium in forages being fed.
Proper body mechanics are important to helping bovine veterinarians minimize injuries on the job. Here are six ways to minimize physical wear and tear as you go about your work.
As drought continues in the Great Plains, producers are making hard decisions about cowherd management and feeding options, but cost of production and opportunity costs must be carefully evaluated.
Its name sounds like something that belongs in the pages of a Dr. Seuss book. But festulolium actually is a highly useful hybrid forage grass – the result of a cross between fescue grass and ryegrass.
Three bovine veterinarians share some of their best practices, tools and insights for conducting necropsies more effectively and efficiently.
Developed by a team of veterinarians, students and regulatory agencies, the app will help rural practitioners evaluate problems in the field and determine whether issues they see are part of a greater pattern.
Check out the photographs of nine common problems Dr. Ahmed Tibary, Washington State University, says he most often sees in the sperm of bulls that fail breeding soundness exams.
The right tools can make quick work of a routine necropsy, according to Dr. Dee Griffin. The opposite is true, too. He says buy a motorized sharpener, a single bit ax and. of course, the best knives you can afford.
Asian longhorned ticks are moving across the U.S. Calves are particularly vulnerable to them. Of course, a variety of tick species are problematic for cattle and need to be addressed each year.
Dr. Pedro Melendez, a veterinarian and dairy specialist at Texas Tech University, addresses five sources of shrink that can cause substantial losses in terms of feed used, ration formulation and poor performance.
All feed types are costing more, and there’s no way around that. However, several management practices can be used to potentially lower costs without sacrificing cow health or the animal’s next lactation.
To help producers obtain a lower SCC, it is important to know what you are up against in the herd and how to treat for specific problems, says Peter Edmondson, DVM.
Estrus synchronization can be an important management tool to get cows settled as early in the breeding season as possible and get cows bred to bulls with highest possible genetic value.
Vaccination plans are only one pillar in an effective herd health program and should be viewed as a mechanism to minimize risk of disease.
Flies are a nuisance and contribute to lost productivity on the dairy. Controlling flies requires an integrated management plan that includes inspection, sanitation, treatment and monitoring.
Maternal colostrum is often considered nature’s “perfect food.” But does this “free” resource help calves achieve passive immunity as reliably as the guaranteed ingredients in a bag of colostrum replacer?
While most beef production operations are still pasture-based, confinement facilities are gaining traction in the U.S. With them come a host of routine health concerns for veterinarians and producers.
Progesterone is a key hormone in the establishment and maintenance of a pregnancy. Increasing its concentration can boost pregnancy rates and decrease pregnancy losses after embryo transfer.
Addressing the water needs of cattle is a complex process depending on water quality, weather patterns, time of day, feed moisture content, and animal factors such as bodyweight and stage of production.
Bulls don’t always transition well from one farm to the next. Some extra TLC could mean the difference in whether that animal stays in good condition and maintains good sperm quality and quantity or struggles to adjust.
A commonly used and predictable method of addressing anaplasmosis is by incorporating a feed-grade chlortetracycline in the animal’s feed or mineral supplements. When prescribing one, consider the product formulation.
An emergency preparedness plan can assist a cattlemen’s ability to respond to varying threats. Developing a disaster plan is a good idea for both people and all the animals they care for on a farm or ranch.
Pardon the pun, but dealing with scours can be a real pain in the butt. It’s frustrating, it’s costly, and it can be downright messy at times.
Keep an eye on water intake and feedstuffs. Avoid vaccinations when heat levels are high. Address the environment for management steps you can take to improve cow comfort.
With spring upon us and drought persists, liquidation puts the industry on track to reduce the nation’s cowherd back near 2014 levels, which was the smallest beef cowherd since 1952.