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Saturday, February 21, 2026

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Spring is here (or maybe multiple springs from all the rain many of us have had) and you have your calf crop on the ground and are thinking maybe you should be going over the farm equipment before hay season starts. Something else you should be thinking about is getting ready for breeding season so that you have a new calf crop for next year.  Some planning now on your part can go a long way to making next year’s calf crop successful.

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It is showering and cool as I write this column, but as all Southwest Missouri natives know, we are only “two weeks away from a drought."  It is summertime, and with rising temperatures combined with rising humidity, heat stress will play an important factor in all cattle operations for the next couple of months.  I would like to give an overview of heat stress and some recommendations for control of this profit robber.

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Bloat is a condition that occurs when an excess amount of fermentation gasses become trapped within the rumen of an animal. This condition can occur in any ruminant species including beef and dairy cattle, sheep and goats. Bloat can occur very rapidly and can quickly become a life-threatening condition if not treated. There can be many different causes for bloat and the appropriate treatment is based on determining the underlying cause.

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Recent weather conditions have raised several health problems for cattle producers. One of the most dramatic changes has been an increase in mastitis cases on dairy farms. Mastitis can be devastating to the economic well-being of a dairy operation, and successful treatment and control measures are needed to ensure financial stability, especially in the current economic environment.

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If you own a horse, you are likely familiar with Coggins testing.  Numerous horses come by our clinic each year for this annual ritual. I find that while many owners know that the test is required and have had it performed on their horses numerous times, they still have questions about what the test is really for and why it is necessary.

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With the weather cooling as I write this article, I have seen a noticeable increase in scheduling for calf processing.  So I thought this might be a good time to discuss pre-conditioning programs and what I believe is their value to the cow-calf producer.

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This past week I was asked to necropsy a 1-week-old calf found dead. The owner had seen no evidence of sickness and the calf was with its mother all the time. The necropsy revealed an extremely emaciated body with no internal body fat present. The second client was a dairy client who was having trouble with calves dying between 1-2 weeks of age, with minimal clinical diarrhea or respiratory symptoms. While these cases are quite different, they got me to thinking about the reasons I see similar cases every year during this winter season.

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It is breeding season once again and we often get the question, “will heat synchronization work in heifers?” Heat synchronization will work, but before we say yes, I like to look at each individual case and see if the producer has the time and facilities to do so. Some producers want to do large numbers, other may only have a few cows, and so each case must be assessed differently.

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Getting young stock off to a good start is critical to the success of any livestock operation. For most livestock species, the successful transfer of maternal immunity from a dam to her offspring is the first step and also the cornerstone of neonatal health. Whether we are discussing foals, calves or goat kids, all rely heavily on the ‘passive transfer’ of immunity by means of the first milk or colostrum to provide protection from disease.

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It should come as no surprise that the farm population is aging. I have seen this phenomenon develop over the past 15 years I have been in the veterinary practice, and it shows little sign of change. There has also been a decrease in the number of large animal veterinarians in rural areas of not only Missouri, but throughout the nation. One way you and I can help slow these trends is to mentor young people that have an interest in agriculture and livestock production.
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