Latest From Opinion

Nevil Speer
Speer: Day-Old Calves Cost How Much…?

Prices for day-old beef-X-dairy (BXD) calves are often surprisingly high. But what used to be a highly discounted after-thought (straight dairy calves) is rapidly transforming into a meaningful source of production.

Greg Henderson
No, Beef Demand is Not Shrinking

Checkoff deniers would have you believe per capita consumption data indicate demand is in decline. That claim was debunked 25 years ago.

Greg Henderson
12 Percent Claim is 100 Percent B.S.

Last week I learned I'm a 12-percenter, and if you're a Drovers reader it is likely you are a 12-percenter, too. That's not good, at least according to those who would regulate our dietary choices.

Greg Henderson
A Girl, a Goat and the Law: The Shasta County, CA, Boondoggle

How fair officials and the local sheriff, both unencumbered by intelligence, tarnished your image as a livestock producer and created a public relations disaster.

Nevil Speer
Critical Thinking Is Paramount (And No, Cows Are NOT Killing The Earth)

An Open Letter to Superintendent Rick Nielsen, Nebo School District (Utah): “Utah school gives kids ‘disgusting’ insects to eat in class for climate assignment on cows killing the Earth.”

Greg Hanes CEO Cattlemen's Beef Board
Hanes: The Beef Checkoff and Lab-Grown Protein

Regardless of how lab-grown protein products are categorized, the federal law that created the Beef Checkoff does not allow such products to be promoted.

Paige Carlson
How to Boost Lab-Grown Meat? Issue an Executive Order

An Executive Order recently called for "advancing biotechnology and biomanufacturing" to create a more "sustainable" bioeconomy. What is this, you may ask? A decoy.

Steve Cornett
Who Wants to Watch the Packers Squirm?

Next week will be a good one for folks with good internet access and a few free hours who want to see some rhetorical fireworks about cattle price discovery.

Greg Henderson
Colorado Animal Activist Kessler Charged With Animal Cruelty

A controversial animal rights activist and former member of the Colorado State Board of Veterinary medicine has been charged with animal cruelty. The blatant hypocrisy is stunning.

Greg Henderson
U.S. Senate Works Overtime to Protect Sunshine

A foreign leader addressing a joint session of Congress this week was a rarity. Not to be outdone, the partisan and often cantankerous members of the U.S. Senate passed legislation unanimously on a voice vote!

Janette Barnard
Barnard: Minimum Viable Management Isn't Enough

Suboptimal cattle production isn't just an innocuous segment that has no effect on the rest. Poorly managed cattle are a drag on the whole system and the impacts are worsening as we look to address big challenges.

Greg Henderson
Colorado Gov. Polis Transparently Undercuts Agriculture

Colorado ranchers say they are “under attack” by their governor after hiring a director of the Bureau of Animal Protection who has ties to Mercy for Animals and leads a project that promotes plant-based food choices.

Greg Henderson
Plant-Based Chicken Plucking

Plant-based chicken pluckers are not satisfied with a 1% market share, but they have the difficult task of convincing folks a concoction of pea protein, soy protein, flour, oils and sodium tastes just like chicken.

Greg Henderson
Activists Play Grinch, Seek End To ‘Animal Gifting’

Animal activist groups went full Grinch-mode this week, calling for the end of "animal gifting" programs such as Heifer International and 'Hatching Hope' that work to support impoverished people. Because, well, Humbug!

Hannah Thompson-Weeman
Animal Rights Extremists Take Their Cause to the Courtroom

While some animal rights activist organizations rely on tactics like undercover video campaigns where individuals misrepresent themselves to get hired on farms or plants, others are much more brazen in their approach.

Greg Henderson
PAUSE Act A Radical Threat To Ranching

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has effectively hung a “welcome” sign out encouraging radical activist groups to make mischief in his state and torment ranchers. The first salvo is called the PAUSE Act.

Certified Angus Beef
Angus VNR: A Focus on the Cow and the Carcass Can Coexist

Kansas rancher Matt Perrier talks about his focus on maternal traits that fits marbling into the equation.

Justin Sexten Performance Livestock Analytics
Data-Driven Decisions: Strategic Health Management

Antibiotic metaphylaxis is an effective preventative to BRD and leads to improvements in feedyard performance. Can high-risk calves to respond to respiratory vaccines when administered at arrival?

Rhonda Brooks
Never Let A Good Crisis Go To Waste

Can anything good ever come from a crisis of such magnitude as the coronavirus pandemic? Perhaps so. But it's not easy to find the good during tragedy. Bovine Veterinarian Editor, Rhonda Brooks, shares her perspective.

Hannah Thompson-Weeman
What’s Next for Animal Activism in 2021 and What Can We Do About It?

As much as 2020 has shown us being flexible is just as valuable as having plans, I still believe there is merit to taking a moment to reflect on some of the trends we’ve seen and how they may impact us moving forward.

Rhonda Brooks
If Dolly Can Do It, So Can I

Dolly Parton does a lot of good out in the world. So can we. Sometimes it's as simple as making a loved one some biscuits and gravy.

Rhonda Brooks
If Dolly Can Do It, So Can I

The country star does a lot of good out in the world, and so can we. Sometimes it's as simple as making a loved one some biscuits and sausage gravy.

Greg Henderson
Taxing Meat: A Fool’s Errand

Criticism of beef production is rampant worldwide, and a new international report will only further fuel activists who want your business shut down.

Greg Henderson
California’s Prop 15 Will ‘Punish Farmers and Ranchers’

Californians will vote on Proposition 15, which is billed as tax reform, except neither side can agree on exactly what gets reformed. Farmers and ranchers are rightly wary of the repercussions.

Guest Commentary
The Art And Science Of Time Management From A Veterinarian's Perspective

Learning how to prioritize is important. Doing those things identified as important first helps streamline your time spent.

Justin Sexten Performance Livestock Analytics
Justin Sexten: Stuck In The Middle

Whether you are looking to market spring-born calves, yearlings off grass or buying the next turn, everyone is looking to capture the value added by their management.

John Maday
Thank You and Farewell

With mixed feelings, the February 2020 issue is my last as I’ve announced plans to retire from my position as editor of Bovine Veterinarian.

John Maday
New Year, Same Issue

As we enter a new year and a new decade, antibiotic stewardship remains on the top of issues affecting food-animal veterinarians.

John Maday
Germaphobes: Take Notice

Generally speaking, farm kids just seem healthier than their city cousins.

John Maday
We Need a National Strategy for CWD

Control measures for CWD have mostly evolved on a state-by-state basis, with the exception of some broader controls over movement of captive cervids.

John Maday
New FDA Guidance Clarifies Labeling for Drugs Used in Feed

The FDA has issued a new Guidance for Industry (GFI #181), which provides content and format regulations for the representative “Blue Bird” labeling to be used for Type B and Type C medicated feeds.

John Maday
Re-imagine the Research Poster

Veterinarians and animal scientists likely attend at least one or two poster sessions each year during scientific conferences, but might not learn as much as they could.

John Maday
PEW Supports FDA’s Biomass Method for Monitoring Antibiotic Use

The biomass method would adjust antibiotic sales data by livestock population, providing more valuable information than the current use data.

John Maday
PEW Supports FDA’s Biomass Method for Monitoring Antibiotic Use

The biomass method would adjust antibiotic sales data by livestock population, providing more valuable information than the current use data.

John Maday
USDA Blueprint Sets Goals for Animal Genome Research

When a technology advances as quickly as genomics has in recent years, yesterday’s goals begin to look like nostalgia.

John Maday
The Scientist who Debunked Livestock’s Long Shadow

This week, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) named University of California-Davis Professor Frank Mitloehner, PhD, as the 2019 Borlaug CAST Communication Award recipient.

John Maday
Biggest Dietary Problem? Things We Don’t Eat

Hardly a day goes by without someone telling us about the foods we shouldn’t eat, fueling perceptions that consumption of “bad” foods damages our health.

John Maday
Say it again: Three Percent!

Another peer-reviewed study shows beef production is a minor contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

John Maday
Say it again: Three Percent!

Another peer-reviewed study shows beef production is a minor contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

John Maday
Resistance Grows Among Zoonotic Pathogens

Zoonotic diseases, such as campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, continue to build resistance against common antimicrobial drugs, according to a new European report.

John Maday
Resistance Grows Among Zoonotic Pathogens

Zoonotic diseases, such as campylobacteriosis and salmonellosis, continue to build resistance against common antimicrobial drugs, according to a new European report.

John Maday
"And Now for Something Completely Different"

Our editorial team has developed a comprehensive package of content focused on Cannabis and its potential across U.S. agriculture.

John Maday
Headed in the Right Direction

U.S. sales of medically important antimicrobials for use in food animals dropped considerably last year according to the latest summary report from the FDA. The decline in 2017 accelerated a trend that began in 2016.

John Maday
Headed in the Right Direction

U.S. sales of medically important antimicrobials for use in food animals dropped considerably last year according to the latest summary report from the FDA. The decline in 2017 accelerated a trend that began in 2016.

John Maday
New Technologies Contribute to Livestock Sustainability

The greatest potential for improving sustainability of livestock production depends on scientific innovation to boost productivity while reducing environmental impacts.

John Maday
New Technologies Contribute to Livestock Sustainability

The greatest potential for improving sustainability of livestock production depends on scientific innovation to boost productivity while reducing environmental impacts.

John Maday
Global Regions Report Beef-Sustainability Progress

When the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef formed in 2012, participants quickly realized sustainability goals, practices and measurements would need to reflect regional differences in beef-production environments.

John Maday
Global Regions Report Beef-Sustainability Progress

When the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef formed in 2012, participants quickly realized sustainability goals, practices and measurements would need to reflect regional differences in beef-production environments.

John Maday
Perspective Pays in BSE Response

Last week, the USDA confirmed a case of atypical BSE in a Florida cow. The industry assessed the situation appropriately, while American consumers and our export partners responded with a collective shrug.