Latest News From Education

A Disease You Don't Think About is Taking a Health Toll on Dairy Calves

If you listed the top three disease problems in young dairy calves, diarrhea and pneumonia would likely come to mind immediately. The third one might not be as obvious: umbilical infection.

Purchasing Thin Cows: Opportunity or A Train Wreck?

In every drought cycle some producers have an earlier end to the drought than others while others are more severely affected by drought. This cows are often available to purchase, but they aren't always a bargain.

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Fescue Foot Reported in Missouri Cattle

Reports of fescue foot in Missouri has extension specialists urging producers to check herds for warning signs of the disease in January when it most often occurs.

Don’t Forget the Cows

Cows contribute half the genetics and all the colostrum.

Probiotics Improve Early Weight Gain in an Automated Milk Feeder Study

Could probiotics improve early calf growth? Researchers think so.

The Best Water Tanks for Winter

Breaking ice on water tanks is often a daily or multiple times per day task this time of year. What water systems do you have on your operation to ensure cattle always have water on the coldest days of winter?

Are We Over-vaccinating Beef-on-Dairy Calves?

Just because we have easy access to the thousands of beef-on-dairy cross calves eventually headed for feedyards doesn't mean we should be vaccinating them every week, according to Dan Thomson.

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Limit-Fed ‘High-Risk’ Cattle: Greater Performance, No Negative Health Effects Found

While “high-risk” cattle are often given high levels of hay or forage to aid in the transition to a milled diet, a study at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station researches ways to increase performance.

Here’s Why Cows Produce Less Colostrum During the Fall and Winter

Have you ever noticed that cows who calve during the fall and winter months tend to produce less colostrum than their herd mates who calved during the spring and summer? Here's why.

Calf Scours Prevention Starts Now

While there are many seasonal preparations to consider before calving season begins, calf scours prevention is not always one that comes to mind. However, the best time to mitigate the risks of the disease is now.

From Raising Cattle to Now Reindeer, How One Family is Sharing the Magic Of Christmas On Their Farm

The Prescott Family Reindeer Farm in southern Missouri is 240 acres rooted in a deep desire to give everyone a full Christmas experience. Cattle producers by trade, they decided to also add reindeer to their mix.

Remote water monitoring provides easy access to water management

Ranchbot has developed reliable, remote water monitoring solutions that can be viewed anytime, anywhere from the palm of your hand.

Getting Ready for the Next Cold Snap

When cows get below their lower critical temperature and get into cold stress, they can adapt by increasing feed consumption to increase their basal metabolic rate and increase heat of fermentation.

Can We Use Technology to Screen for Sick Calves?

By using precision technologies such as automated milk feeders and pedometers combined with machine learning, dairy producers can detect illness earlier and make informed decisions about treatment.

Categorizing Feedlot Cattle for better BRD Management   

Preventing and managing bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is an ongoing challenge for beef cattle, especially for stocker and feedlot operations, as well as for dairy youngstock.

Coccidiosis Affecting Calves in North Dakota

Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease that affects several different animal species. In cattle, it may produce clinical symptoms in animals from 1 month to 1 year of age, but it can infect all age groups.

New Research Adds Context to Diet Recommendations; Measures of Colostrum and Milk Yield and Calcium Dynamics

Phibro recently conducted several studies to test various DCAD strategies and their relationships with key minerals and vitamins.

FDA Publishes 2021 Report on Antimicrobial Use in Livestock

Domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobial drugs approved for use in food-producing animals decreased by less than 1% between 2020-21. Compared to 2015 (peak year), 2021 sales decreased 38%.

Reproductive Hormones Found to Impact Gut Microbiota

Could reproductive hormones have an impact on the gut microbiota of cattle.

Thirty Calves Found Dead in Two Hours; Producer Seeks Answers

When a significant number of cattle died in less than two hours, a number of questions are raised. Kansas State University experts discuss this toxicology case and the answers that were found.

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Forage Budgeting with Non-Traditional Sources of Hay

Determining how much forage cows will eat on a per day and per month basis for the duration of winter always requires a little “cowboy math”.

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DVM Reaches out to Livestock Owners about OTC Antimicrobials move to Rx

Sandra Stuttgen, bovine veterinarian and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, says now is the time for livestock owners to establish a relationship with their DVM.

Melatonin Improves Growth Performance, Research Suggests

An Arkansas scientist has shown that a common and inexpensive hormone additive may mitigate the ill effects on growth performance of calves born to cows grazed on endophyte-infected fescue pastures during gestation.

AAVMC and Merck Award Close to $100,000 in Diversity Scholarships

The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) has awarded nineteen scholarships to students enrolled in AAVMC member institutions, totaling close to $100,000.

Shorter Hauls Suggested for Traveling Calves

When baby calves are transported from their home dairy to a separate rearing site, they need support in multiple ways.

More Milk Could Mean Faster Healing for Young Calves

It has been well-documented that feeding preweaned calves on a higher plane of nutrition improves calf health and performance. However, providing calves more nutrients may also promote wound healing.

Caffeine Perks up Calves, Too

That jolt from your morning java also could be a handy helper in stimulating struggling newborn calves. Caffeine could help calves before they receive colostrum, or at other times when calves appear dull and lethargic.

Immunizing Dairy Calves Against BRD is Not as Simple as ‘One and Done’

In the past, it was believed there was no point to give injectable respiratory vaccines before about 4 months of age, because they would be inactivated by maternal antibodies. A recent study proves that’s not the case.

Producers Beware: A Look Inside the Animal Activists' Playbook

Here’s three key claims and takeaways from this year’s animal rights extremist conferences and how they plan to turn consumers away from meat, poultry and dairy products.

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A New Kind of “A.I.” for Dairies

Move over, artificial insemination. There’s a new “A.I.” in town, and it’s more intelligent than you.

Calves Could Benefit from Physical Enrichment

Just like children letting off some steam on the playground, calves too could benefit from physical enrichment.

Phibro Animal Health Releases 'You Herd Right' Dairy Podcast

Hear from experts as they review and explain ideas on best feeding and management practices for transition cows.

Genetic Improvement 101

Genetic improvement can be complicated. Here’s a look at the basics.

Herd Liquidation May Be Slowing Down

It seems likely that many producers have adjusted herd inventories, given hay and feed supplies, to be able get through the winter.

What's A Good Bull Worth?

Determining the value of a bull is an important question, and one that is a challenge to answer. Mark Johnson, DVM, Oklahoma State, offers some calculations to help determine a value.

Keeping Cows Maternal

The “maternal” discussion is far more complex than a healthy live birth and seedstock producers are using more data and knowledge to create better dams each year.

HBS Avoidance Strategies

Sometimes called “sudden death syndrome” or “bloody gut,” Hemorrhagic Bowel Syndrome is characterized by dark, tarry, and sometimes bright red, bloody feces; dehydration; and decreased feed intake.

Boehringer Ingelheim Launches Free PRRS Handbook

PRRS continues to be the most economically significant disease affecting the U.S. swine industry. Boehringer Ingelheim is launching a PRRS Knowledge Manual, chronicling years of research and best practices for control. 

5 Steps to Prevent Inflammation in Transition Cows

Inflammation creates additional stress at calving.

Transition Cows: It’s Tough Being the New Kid

The transition period, 3 weeks before and after calving, is challenging for all cows. But for first-calf heifers, it’s likely the scariest and most stressful time in their young lives.

Mineral Supplementation is Valuable but Know how Products Vary

Determining proper mineral supplementation merits more thought than simply going to the feed store, grabbing a few bags or a pallet of the mineral they have on hand and throwing it in a lick tub.

When Sick Dairy Calves on the Farm are Unlikely to Recover

Decision-making for treating tough diseases in dairy calves is complex and challenging. Sometimes timely euthanasia is needed. More training and support for calf caretakers are needed in the process.

Weaning Considerations for Healthy Calves

Whether calves will be retained and backgrounded or sold shortly after weaning, it is important to consider the impacts of weaning strategies on calf health and performance.

Helping Calves Eat Naturally

In our quest for healthy, growthy, efficiently raised calves, have we lost some of the more fundamental elements of what makes calves tick?

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Use 15 Minutes of Focus to Super-Charge Your Practice

The poet Ovid said, “Dripping water hollows out stone, not through force but through persistence.” This quote perfectly encompasses a key in business success: small habits done repeatedly truly do add up.

The Pros and Cons of Caustic Paste

University of Wisconsin animal welfare researcher Sarah Adcock addresses several considerations when using caustic paste to complete disbudding, as well as some drawbacks that could be improved upon.

9 Practices to Help Resuscitate a Newborn Calf

After a typical birth the calf should breathe within 30 seconds of delivery, says Dr. Geof Smith, dairy technical services veterinarian for Zoetis. If it isn't, you need to intervene.

Six Straw Alternatives to Get You Through a Bedding Shortage

If you are experiencing a shortage in your straw supply, here are six bedding alternatives to consider.

Beef X Dairy: Vision & Reality

While dairy producers are rapidly embracing the concept of using beef semen to freshen their cows, the resulting crossbred calves are proving both a valuable opportunity and a challenge for the U.S. beef industry.

There’s a New Mastitis-Causing Pathogen in Town: Prototheca Bovis

“Similar to Staph aureus and mycoplasma, Prototheca [mastitis] is hard to detect, has no known cure, and is contagious by intermittently shedding from cow to cow."