On-Call / Vet

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.

As I prepare this column, it would appear there is at least a small reprieve from some of the economic gloom and doom of the past 6 months.  Now I understand that this does not take away from the fact that everyone’s input costs have jumped drastically over the past couple of years.  But it should get you to thinking of ways to maximize your production and more efficiently use your resources.

Infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), more commonly known as pinkeye, is one of the most common diseases of cattle, especially during the summer months. It is a highly contagious disease that causes inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye.  It can lead to ulceration of the cornea, giving the classic appearance of the white depression or ulcer that many cattle producers describe. Pinkeye results in mild to severe disease, and can cause blindness in an affected eye.

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.

The wet weather we have been dealing with for most of this year has brought with it several challenges for livestock producers throughout southwest Missouri. Wet and cold weather led to increased calf losses early this year, and wet fields have not allowed farmers to harvest hay crops that appear plentiful to the average person driving down the road. But I have observed another problem this year affecting horses and cattle. While I don’t have scientific proof or hard statistics to prove my theory, it is my opinion that I have had a number of cases where the problem seemed to stem from access to tall fescue, and I am concerned that fescue toxicosis could be a significant problem this year.

Well, it has finally warmed up.  And with three to four days of warm weather I have already started seeing flies on many of the cattle I work on daily.  So what are your options to control flies and other parasites to minimize the damage done to your cattle’s production? Let’s take a look at several options for both external and internal parasites.

Someone I know recently became very sick with diarrhea, and was diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a protozoal parasite similar to coccidia.  This parasite causes diarrhea in calves that leads to untold millions in lost production in both the dairy and beef industries. Since this disease has zoonotic potential, that is, it can be transmitted from animals to people, I think a discussion of the disease and control measures is needed.

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.

Maybe, just maybe, spring is finally coming.  Most livestock owners are going to be very happy to leave this past winter behind.  With the...

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