Cattlemen have demonstrated a commitment to the integrity of today’s beef products by implementing sound cattle management practices. Consumers are looking for beef raised in a healthy and safe environment. An appropriate Herd Health Program ensures that all cattle are raised in the best health.

A strong herd health plan begins with a yearly production calendar that includes cattle nutrition, reproduction management, vaccination schedules, and marketing, all of which are critical to sustainable beef cattle production. Management practices can be better matched with cattle needs by looking at the annual production cycle month by month. The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Animal Science Department has an example of a beef production calendar.

Once a production calendar is developed, a producer can work with their veterinarian to plan a specific strong health program to their herd management plan for their herd. The veterinarian can help a beef operation best tailor health management to deal with local diseases, parasites and other regional health issues.

When shopping with Valley Vet Supply, you will find our prices among the lowest anywhere on Cattle Vaccines. Paying less means better profit margins for the farm & ranch. Order now or request a free Farm & Ranch supply catalog. The program includes $16 billion in direct payments to farmers and ranchers including $9.5 billion of emergency funding from the CARES Act and $6.5 billion of funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).

Most herd health plans include core vaccinations such as IBR, BVD, BRSV, PI3, Clostridials, Brucella, Lepto, Vibrio, and so on, as well as core parasite controls. But there are additional considerations, and a veterinarian’s recommendations can better meet a herd’s needs. Consider what core vaccinations are key to each group: bulls, mature cows, replacement females, calves at birth and weaning, and into the feeding stages.

Mdi Cow Calf Program Training

With the new Veterinary Feed Directive regulations, the health program needs to focus more directly on preventative options to minimize the need for treatment. Some health issues that may have been treated use a feed grade antimicrobial in the past may not be an option, but there might be a vaccination available for prevention. Depending on labor and timing, developing a strong plan can improve effectiveness and economics for the operation.

Nutrition is an important element of all herd health plans. Building a nutrition plan around utilizing available feedstuffs and water supplies is a vital part of the yearly management calendar. Additionally, cattle health and nutrition can’t be separated. Today’s producers may want to also consider alternative feed additives that have shown beneficial results assisting building the animal’s immune system, such as probiotics and mineral programs. Working with a qualified nutritionist can improve the economic bottom line and improve the value realized from a herd health program.

Lastly, remember to comply with all product labels pertaining to dosage, administration, storage and withdrawal times, and to keep good health records. Beef Quality Assurance (BQA), Animal Health and Antimicrobial Stewardship guideline should be follow on all cattle operations to build consumer confidence with beef.

A comprehensive dry cow mastitis management program can help reduce the number of new infections, as well as successfully treat existing infections. Management includes vaccination, hygiene and treatment. Work with your veterinarian to help identify problem areas. Maintain clean, dry freestalls and corrals with inorganic bedding. I decided to try out some new software I saw linked to on Showsteers.com last week, Cow-Calf 2007. My first impressions is the user interface isn't nearly as refined as the interface of a program like Cattlemax but it's more intuitive for a no-frills person like myself. The sheer amount of options makes up for that. All cattle are handled humanely during their lifetime. They are transported over the highways of the Midwest in trucks equipped with air ride suspension for the comfort of the animal. Harvesting is done at O’Neill Packing Company in Omaha, Nebraska which is a.

For more information about Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance or to get BQA certification, contact Rob Eirich, Nebraska Extension Educator and Nebraska Director of BQA at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center 308-632-1230 or reirich2@unl.edu. Additional BQA resources can be found at http://www.bqa.org.

Beef Quality Assurance is a nationally coordinated, state implemented program that provides systematic information to U.S. beef producers and beef consumers of how common sense husbandry techniques can be coupled with accepted scientific knowledge to raise cattle under optimum management and environmental conditions. Eirich directs the program in the state of Nebraska, in a partnership between UNL Extension, Nebraska Cattlemen, and the Nebraska Beef Council.

Reference

Rob Eirich, Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance, Nebraska Extension
University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Kentucky has the largest beef cow herd east of the Mississippi and the eighth largest nationally, with approximately 1 million beef cows. Beef cattle provide our primary means of converting Kentucky's 7 million acres of pasture and forage into useful products.

Mdi Cow Calf Program Danas

Tremendous potential exists to expand income opportunities from beef cattle to help replace lost tobacco income and sustain Kentucky's agricultural base. The state-of-the-art facilities at the Animal Science Research Center Beef Unit will allow us to move into this new century with renewed emphasis on development (Research) and transfer (Extension) of knowledge and technologies to ensure that Kentucky's beef industry is competitive in a changing and demanding marketplace.