Podcast

2 Veterinarians Share Their Tips for Keeping Calves Healthy

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:51:44 GMT

Health issues during calving season are high on the list of nightmares for ranchers. Veterinarians Troy Dutton and Joe Hochhalter from the Steele Vet Clinic in Steele, N.D., share several of their tips and strategies to help ranchers stay ahead of illness and health challenges this calving season.

Prevention is Key

Calves might get an official ID in the spring, but other factors throughout gestation impact the health of that calf before they hit the ground. This starts by focusing on challenges or risks your unique operation may experience throughout the year.

Dutton says: “It’s a lot easier and more rewarding to help people prevent problems than help them work through problems like scours and pneumonia in baby calves.”

Be honest with your veterinarian so you get the most accurate and timely advice.

“If you’re dealing with a specific problem, discussing that issue with your veterinarian before we get to calving season gives us a chance to intervene early,” Hochhalter says.

Year-round nutrition also plays a role in keeping calves healthy.

“We start all the way back prebreeding to make sure nutrition-wise they’re set up properly,” Dutton explains. “Work with a nutritionist to make sure your herd’s energy and protein needs are being met as well as provide mineral year-round.”

Additionally, monitor body condition scores throughout the year.

Hochhalter adds: “Those cows that are in good body condition at the time of calving are more likely to birth a healthier calf, have better quality colostrum for that calf and be in a better condition to breed back.”

Keep in mind the unique needs of your operation.

“Every rancher is different. You really have to work with your local veterinarian to help address those issues that the ranch is having,” Hochhalter says.

Get Them Off to a Good Start

Once calves hit the ground, a good start sets them up for the rest of their lives.

Hochhalter explains: “Calves that have some kind of calfhood disease never do catch up to their herd mates that have been healthy their whole life.”

Colostrum is a key component to this good start.

“Growing up, I was always told that calf needs colostrum within 24 hours. However, recent research shows us calves need colostrum sooner than that,” Dutton says. “Calves need colostrum within 6 to 12 hours of birth to get the most out of the antibodies it provides.”

Adequate colostrum impacts more than just health, too.

“Calves with adequate colostrum have better rate of gain and feed efficiency all the way through to the end,” Dutton says.

Dutton and Hochhalter encourage producers to know the difference between colostrum replacement and colostrum supplement in situations where the dam cannot provide colostrum.

Dutton says: “There are colostrum supplement products and colostrum replacement products. Colostrum replacement products have greater than 150 immunoglobulins.”

Sanitation and Calving Barns

Sanitation and calving areas look different depending on the time of year, herd size and geographical area of the ranch.

Regardless, keeping cattle clean and dry is non-negotiable.
For those using calving barns, know when to change out the bedding.

“In a perfect world, we’d like to see each new pair get fresh bedding, but that’s not realistic,” Hochhalter says. “The next best option is to change that bedding once it becomes damp and spoiled to reduce the exposure of pathogens to calves with naïve immune systems.”

Clean pens between pairs reduces the risk of disease spread along with proper ventilation.

“One overlooked factor that plays a role in the spread of disease is ventilation in calving barns,” Dutton says. “Ventilation issues present a real challenge even in the beef industry — especially for those early calvers.”

Sanitary equipment also can’t be forgotten in the calving frenzy.

Dutton says: “Equipment sanitation is also important — especially if you’re running around giving a bolus to a calf or using needles and syringes.”

For producers not using a barn, be aware of how mud impacts calf health.

“Weather plays a huge role. If those calves are really muddy, it increases the risk for navel infection or scours,” Hochhalter says.

Try to change bedding around shelters and find dry areas for cattle. Spreading cattle out also helps reduce disease transmission.

“We have some clients who sort pairs by age or keep pairs separate from cows left to calve, and we know reducing that calving density reduces the spread of illness,” Dutton explains. “However, this can be challenging depending on labor and resource availability.”

Remember the basics this calving season and don’t forget to ask your veterinarian for help when you need it. You can listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast .

For more tips, check out Drover’s Calving Preparation articles.

Minimizing Shrink to Maximize Profit

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 14:59:16 GMT

Every pound counts at the sale barn — and sometimes, the weight loss happens long before calves ever hit the scale.

For cattle producers, shrink isn’t just a biological response to stress; it’s an invisible drain on profit margins that can be managed with the right timing and techniques, according to K-State beef cattle experts.

K-State veterinarian Brad White explains “shrink” as the weight loss that occurs between gathering calves at home and their final weigh-in at the scale.

“In general, I expect calves to lose weight if they’re sitting in a new environment, new water source, just transported and everything else,” says veterinarian Bob Larson. “So even though it might be easiest for me to take calves on the day that’s most convenient for me, in order to address shrink, I think it’s better to move that transport to the sale as late as possible.”

There are also economic implications associated with shrink.

“You think about a 500-lb. steer; you know, every 1% difference in shrink is 5 lb.,” Larson says. “And so you add a couple more percentages of shrink, and the amount of money we are talking about is easily offset by hiring somebody to help me gather them.”

Proper cattle handling techniques play a critical role in minimizing weight loss during the marketing process, the experts emphasize.

“We feel stressed because we have things to do, and we start rushing and pushing the cattle harder. We start losing those low-stress handling principles in the process,” beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster says. “Now that they are stressed, they have an increase in urination, defecation, and they start losing fluids and losing weight quicker.”

For producers concerned about shrink, online auction platforms may offer a useful alternative.

“One tool that producers have is methods that limit the amount of time the calves spend in the marketing system, such as marketing online,” Larson says.

The specialists concluded that shrink represents an invisible cost that doesn’t appear on invoices but significantly impacts producer profitability, making proper management essential for maximizing returns.

More on this topic is available on the latest episode of the K-State BCI Cattle Chat podcast.

Strategies to Improve Pregnancy Rates in Cow Herds

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:32:25 GMT

For many producers and veterinarians, it’s time to line up PG and ultrasound appointments to establish a pregnancy rate and sort off open cows. It can be a nerve-wracking day until it’s over — and even then ranchers may not be entirely satisfied with the outcome.

So, what can ranchers do if they aren’t satisfied with their herd’s pregnancy rates?

It’s beneficial to look at both an industry average and a herd average in these instances.

“If you have a 60 to 80 day breeding season and are over 90% for pregnancy rate, you are doing pretty well, according to previous North Dakota surveys,” says Lacey Quail, North Dakota State University extension livestock management specialist. “If you have a shorter breeding season, you can expect that percentage to be a little lower.”

Next, take a look at your herd records from previous years.

“If you get your PG or ultrasound results and aren’t happy, it implies you have previous records to compare it to,” Quail says. “We need to keep herd records so we can dig out something that might go under the radar and potentially cause profit loss.”

Fertility is multifactorial, which can sometimes make it challenging to pinpoint one specific cause.

She recommends producers start by asking themselves a series of questions to start narrowing down what may have caused lower pregnancy rates and where the problem occurred.

Several management questions producers can ask themselves to start to tease out the potential cause of lower pregnancy rates are:

Did you see cows cycling?
Did you see bulls mounting and breeding?
Did you see breeding activity at the beginning or end of the season?
Were the majority of open cows in one pasture or management group?
Are some of the open cows thinner than the rest of the group?
Were the majority of open cows of a certain age?
Did you experience a heat spell or other potential stressor?

Quail says, “Fertility is like a domino train. You are waiting for the last domino to fall, but the train may have fallen off track a long time ago in a different room.”

Once you answer the above questions, be mindful of the following missed opportunities.

“On the bull side, make sure you are having full breeding soundness exams completed by a veterinarian and take into account social hierarchy when putting together breeding groups,” Quail says.

After that, it’s important to remember breeding activity.

“A big missed opportunity is not taking the time to observe breeding behavior in your herd,” Quail says. “We want to evaluate if cows are cycling, and if bulls have the libido to seek, mount and breed. Noticing issues early can save a great deal of loss.”

Don’t just stop at noting activity in general. When did the activity happen?

“Take a closer look at when cows are getting pregnant, and not just if they are getting pregnant,” Quail says. “This can have a big impact on overall productivity and profitability.”

Nutrition also can’t be overlooked.

She says, “In many cases, cows calving early might reach peak lactation and breeding season before growing forages can support all their nutrient requirements. Keeping females in adequate body condition going into and out of the breeding season is going to go a long way toward overall pregnancy rate.”

Environmental stressors can’t entirely be avoided, but they can be mitigated.

“Another missed opportunity is fine tuning environments to reduce stress,” Quail says. “We can’t control the heat, but we can control to some degree how far cows and bulls have to walk to access water.”

Ranchers shouldn’t feel like they have to go through this process alone. They can reach out to specialists, veterinarians and their nutritionists for help.

“Consulting with a veterinarian regardless of your pregnancy rate is a good thing to do,” Quail says. “Some records to be aware of and share with your vet are differences in pregnancy rate and calving rate as well as any co-mingling with neighboring cattle.”

May your pregnancy rates be favorable this fall. But if not, remember to start with herd records and basic questions to help get to the cause.

You can listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast .

Importance of Clean Water in Cattle Production

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:23:33 GMT

There’s nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold drink of water after spending time in the Kansas heat in August. According to Kansas State University beef cattle experts, cattle feel the same — and clean water is the most critical nutrient for the animals’ health and performance.

“Water is the most important nutrient that animals are going to get, and they have to have enough of it,” says K-State Veterinarian Dr. Scott Fritz.

While many producers might assume all water is created equal, experts warn that not all sources are suitable for livestock. They note that total dissolved solids, nitrate and sulfate levels and pH (acidity) can significantly impact animal health and productivity.

“Cattle nearly double their water intake (when temperatures rise) from 40 degrees to 90 degrees (Fahrenheit),” Fritz says. “This increase underscores the importance of understanding water capacity and quality, especially during intense summer heat.”

Wells and ponds present different challenges.

“We’ve seen wells that were normal for 10 years, then all of a sudden the water contains as much sodium as sea water,” Fritz says.

Key factors ranchers should monitor include total dissolved solids — which should stay under 3,000 parts per million — as well as sulfate and nitrate concentrations. The veterinarians noted that water hardness typically has minimal impact on livestock.

Fritz and others agree it’s good practice to test water sources periodically, particularly after drilling a new well or during significant seasonal changes. The goal is ensuring livestock have access to clean, abundant water that supports their health and productivity.

To learn more about heifer management, marketing cattle and water quality, check out the latest episode of the K-State BCI Cattle Chat podcast.

Experts Encourage Beef Quality Assurance Certification

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 22:20:08 GMT

What started as a grassroots effort to reduce injection-site lesions in beef has evolved into one of the most comprehensive training programs in the cattle industry.

On their weekly Cattle Chat podcast, the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University explained how the Beef Quality Assurance program is still relevant and important today.

“Beef quality assurance was a producer-initiated program to decrease injection-site lesions in premium beef cuts,” K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers says. “Since then, beef quality assurance has kind of morphed and grown; it now covers many aspects of the cattle industry”

Over the years, BQA has expanded to include training on antimicrobial stewardship, animal handling, farm biosecurity, and proper injection protocols. The certification, available both online and through in-person sessions nationwide, promotes industry-wide consistency in animal care and food safety.

The benefits of BQA certification include consistency in safe meat and safer working conditions, as well as consistency between producers and employees working with beef cattle. Lubbers described the value gained for workers and producers from the certification.

“There are a lot of things that if I were just to stand next to somebody in a chute for 15 or 20 minutes, I’m going to forget a couple of things that they should know, but would have learned in the module,” Lubbers says. “I can be assured that the people on my operation that may be working with cattle in any way have already had that training whether I have explained it to them or not.”

Another crucial benefit to getting BQA certified lies in maintaining consumer trust and building industry reputation. “I would love to say 99.95% of our producers are Beef Quality Assurance verified, because then it demonstrates a commitment from the entire industry to do things right,” Lubbers says.

The BQA program is developed by producers, for producers. Its’ voluntary nature reflects the cattle industry’s dedication to continuous improvement and responsible practices. Whether a seasoned rancher or a new employee, BQA equips individuals with practical, science-based knowledge to improve cattle management and protect the reputation of U.S. beef worldwide.

To get BQA certified, visit www.bqa.org

To hear the full discussion, listen to Cattle Chat on your preferred streaming platform.

Your Next Read: How to Win Beef Consumers’ Trust: Authenticity and Responding to Concerns

Creep Feeding: Will it Pay Off?

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:24:45 GMT

To creep feed or not to creep feed. That is the question many ranchers ask themselves during the summer. Feed of any kind is always an added input, so what should ranchers consider to ensure this practice is profitable? Mark Johnson, Oklahoma State University professor of animal and food sciences, shares several creep feeding pointers in the recent episode of the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast .

Before you can determine if a practice is profitable, you must first ask yourself the purpose of the practice.

“The bottom line of creep feeding is to put additional weight on calves through additional nutritional resources that only the calves have access to,” Johnson says.

This is done by providing feed to calves that their mothers do not have access to.

A secondary benefit to creep feeding is that it acts as a pre-weaning aid. Calves become used to eating out of a feeder, which will reduce stress and offer some familiarity in diet and routine once weaning comes around.

Creep feeding doesn’t come without its challenges either. The practice requires additional equipment to provide the feed and producers need to be cognizant of reducing spoilage, keeping feed fresh and that rodents can help themselves to the ration as well.

Once producers weigh the pros and cons, it’s time to pencil out the cost of gain.

“Historically, when we looked at research data we did not find it cost effective when comparing cost of gain to the value of a weaned calf. Now, the current cattle market we are in is a game changer,” Johnson says.

Creep feeding is a practice he pencils out for his own cattle each year to determine if it financially makes sense.

“We were putting gain on for far less than the gain was worth and were simultaneously experiencing a drought. It penciled out for us last year,” he says.

One consideration sometimes forgotten about is that not all added weight on calves is created equally.

“In some cases that additional weight results in over conditioning, which results in a discount in the marketplace,” Johnson explains.

If creep feeding does pencil out for ranchers, they should consider the quality of their grass and age of their calves when deciding the ideal protein and energy levels of the feed. The length of the feeding period should also be factored.

Johnson says, “You can creep feed one to two months prior to weaning and can see adequate benefit compared to feeding for extended periods.”

If creep feeding doesn’t look like a profitable practice but producers still want to provide calves with feed that their mothers don’t have access to, creep grazing is another option to consider.

“If there is the possibility to have an area of pasture that only calves have access to, you can also get an effective cost of gain,” Johnson says.

Remember that only you can determine what is profitable for your operation and that input and cattle prices vary from year to year.

“One of the things I love about the beef industry is that we raise cattle in a variety of production environments and nothing is a one-size-fits-all practice,” Johnson says. “So, I encourage people to put pen and paper to their practices to see what works for them.”

Your next read: Protecting Your Profits With Price Insurance

The Truth About Mature Cow Size and Ranch Profitability

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 12:35:05 GMT

The objectives of reducing input costs and increasing stocking rates are frequently approached with the mentality – how do we spend more days grazing and less days supplementing feed? While this is certainly a contributing factor to ranch profitability, it is not the entire picture. When focusing on moderating costs and avoiding the need to artificially modify environments to increase production, it is critical to understand what factors impact cow efficiency and how to select for these traits.

David Lalman, Ph.D., Extension Specialist for Beef Cattle and Professor of Animal and Food Sciences at Oklahoma State University, has conducted various studies related to mature cow size and feed efficiency with the intent of helping cattlemen and women someday be able to cost-effectively sort for the best cows for their herds. He started with these two measurements because in general, a high mature cow weight corresponds to high feed intake.

“My ideal cow is one that is resilient and productive in the best environment and still productive in the worst of years,” Lalman says. “A good cow is expected to have a calf each year, provide adequate milk while maintaining body condition and not eat her way out of a profit.”

Production also plays a role in how efficient a cow or bull is. Year over year cattle producers have been selecting for higher growth bulls and replacement females to sell calves with higher weaning and yearling weights. Consequently, this led to a yearly increase of 7 lbs. in average mature cow size since 1978.

“A person who had a 30-year career in the cattle industry and selected for industry average growth traits each year should be grazing about 13% less cows today than 30 years ago,” Lalman says. “That’s impact of cow size on stocking rate over time based on overall industry average.”

While this old rule of thumb for cow efficiency still carries some weight, it is not the end all be all. Advancements in genomic and feed intake research are sorting out the outliers and providing cattlemen with more information to select for their ideal cows.

When Lalman evaluates groups of cattle for overall efficiency, he breaks the data set into 4 quadrants:

Individuals with above average Feed Intake EPD and above average Mature Weight EPD
Individuals with above average Feed Intake EPD and below average Mature Weight EPD
Individuals with below average Feed Intake EPD and above average Mature Weight EPD
Individuals with below average Feed Intake EPD and below average Mature Weight EPD

Ultimately there are cows and bulls that fall into each quadrant. Which type is best for you depends on the resources you have available and the goals of your operation.

“We haven’t gotten to the point yet where we can point to one genetic selection tool to evaluate for efficient cows in a herd, but there are pieces available that are helpful,” Lalman says.

He encourages cattlemen and women to use a combination of mature cow weight and feed intake data when selecting for efficient cattle. Another factor to consider when considering mature cow size is your cull cow marketing strategy. Smaller cows will offer less cull cow weight.

There is no one size fits all approach for selecting efficient cattle (pun intended), but mature cow size and feed intake are important considerations for both seedstock and cow-calf producers.

“If you aren’t paying attention to mature cow size, feed intake and their ability to maintain or add weight; you may create a less resilient cow herd when times get tough,” says Lalman.

Take it back to the basics of knowing your finances, resources and goals to select cows and bulls that will produce profitable progeny for your operation.

Lalman’s final thought to share with ranchers is, “I encourage people with a priority breeding objective to control cow cost to use AI sires or bloodlines with high accuracy for these two traits. And for them to encourage their seedstock suppliers to collect these phenotypes and turn them into the breed associations. Over time, this will improve commercial producers’ ability to control cow cost and improve cow efficiency.”

Listen to the full conversation on the Casual Cattle Conversations podcast.

Your next read: Iowa Cattle Operation Turns Focus To The Future, Invests In Fall Feedyard Expansion

Industry Needs Action, Despite ‘No Nothing Burger’ Hearings

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 05:28:31 GMT

After a week filled with congressional hearings on the Cattle Market Price Discovery and Transparency Act including CEOs from “The Big Four,” Don Schiefelbein, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) described it as “kind of a big no nothing burger.”

Despite a “no nothing burger” hearing, in a recent “AgriTalk” segment, Schiefelbein joined host Chip Flory to highlight where he feels the industry needs to see action.

Processing Capacity

Cattle capacity and hook space, as well as lifting regulations and the burden of getting a packing plant up and running are a priority to Schiefelbein. He believes this will be valuable to ranchers in regaining leverage.

Cattle Contract Library

Starting as a pilot project, “How we construct [the library] determines whether or not we’re going to be truly successful,” Schiefelbein said. He appreciates the fact the library can be tweaked or changed as needed in its early stages.

Transparency is also important to Schiefelbein regarding the library. He hopes it will be effective in helping producers and not just be a tool to help the packer.

Packers may be able to decipher their contracts from their competitors, which Schiefelbein describes as a concern. This project, originally designed to help the producer, might end up being more beneficial to the packer.

Livestock Mandatory Reporting

Oversight on Livestock Mandatory Reporting is extremely important to Schiefelbein, ensuring it gets renewed and reauthorized.

Department of Justice (DOJ)

There needs to be some results from the DOJ about where they are on their investigation, Schiefelbein believes. The JBS settlement from earlier this year had Schiefelbein saying, “It’s hard for a rancher to accept that somebody would settle for tens of millions of dollars and not have wrongdoing.”

Alternative Marketing Agreements (AMA) and Cash Trade

The Cattle Market Price Discovery and Transparency Act is not set out to kill AMAs, Flory said. “We just need more transparency. We need more on-the-ground price discovery happening in that southern market in particular.”

“We want more cash trade,” Schiefelbein explained. “We just want it in the hands of producers to control it.”

In addition, he’s concerned about how a mandatory level of trade could affect producers in AMAs. In an area where cash trade needs to be increased to meet the minimum level, will the larger or smaller producers lose their agreements?

The implementation and unintended consequences of government involvement concerns Schiefelbein. “Those of us who lived when the government got into the dairy buy-out in our marketing world … remember quite well it was not intended to be that way, but the impact was absolutely devastating,” Sciefelbein said.

He also brought up the old quote from former president Reagan saying whenever the government comes to your place and says ‘I’m from the government, I’m here to help.’ Maybe you better close the door.

Listen to the full “AgriTalk” interview with NCBA’s Don Schiefelbein here .

Biden Administration: Fully Vaccinated People Don’t Need Masks

Fri, 14 May 2021 21:40:57 GMT

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced new protocols for fully vaccinated people. Joining us for this special AgriTalk podcast to discuss these new measures is Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, Senior Advisor to the White House COVID-19 Response Team.

They also discuss:

> Where the country is at in the fight against COVID
> Achieving Biden’s 70% vaccination goal by July 4
> Adolescents ages 12-15 are now authorized for Pfizer vaccine, and what that means
> How rural America is doing in progress to get vaccinated
> What’s next in the battle against COVID

Listen now: