On-Call / Vet

You’ve been training the cows to come into the catch pen for the past couple of weeks. You got your help all lined up. You’ve got the vet scheduled for the exact time you wanted to work cows. Everything appears ready to go work your herd. But wait-have you taken time to give your facilities an inspection? This may not be the first thing you think about when planning fall herd work, but it may be the most critical and important thing you can do to ensure an efficient and safe working day for your cattle, your help and yourself.

Testing for persistent infected bovine viral diarrhea in cattle can be beneficial.

May is just around the corner. Are you ready for spring bull turnout? Many of you are in the middle of calving and some may have just started. Don’t let the hustle and bustle of this calving season derail your next calf crop. The star(s) of your operation are the bulls, which are often ignored and forgotten most of the year. However, it is critical to have a plan prior to turnout as too how much bull power you will need versus how much you have. Simple questions to start the decision making process are: How many cows will need bred? How many groups are those cows divided into? How many heifers, and do you have a bull designated for your heifers? Are you going to synchronize the herd or heifers? Do you have a backup plan if your bull fails the Breeding Soundness Evaluation? What condition are your bulls in?

We are currently seeing an increase in rabies cases in our state. For several years we have been told by health officials that we should expect an increase in rabies cases as the virus moves north from Mexico. Since there is a significant health risk to humans, we need to be aware of what is happening. Rabies in humans is close to 100 percent fatal.

Spring is the classic time of year for booster vaccinations on horses.

Spring calving season is just around the corner. This also means calving problems and the need to intervene and assist in the delivery of the calf. While this may seem a straightforward procedure, many things can make for a more difficult and less successful outcome. Here are several mistakes made before, during and after calving that can lead to problems for the calf and the cow.

Animal agriculture is becoming more and more advanced each and every year and unfortunately, even though dairy producers are more efficient and producing a higher quality product than ever before, remaining profitable has become even more challenging. Therefore, in order to maximize cow health and milk production and to minimize treatment cost and milk discard, I encourage producers to consider implementing a pre-planned mastitis treatment protocol.