Can We Program Fertility?
Research indicates nutrition in developing heifers influences follicle count.
Shelby Rosasco was not talking about fetal programming, sometimes called developmental programming. Most cow-calf producers have heard how environmental effects experienced by a pregnant cow can have long-term ramifications on the calf she is carrying. For example, a heifer’s own reproductive performance can be affected by the nutrition her gestating dam received. Yet Rosasco talked about a different kind of developmental programming and how it affects a heifer calf’s reproductive potential.
Rangeland Soil Health
How to assess the health of your soil.
A lot of damage has been done already. In the 12,000 years that human beings have practiced agriculture, close to 128 billion tons of carbon have been lost from the soil. According to University of Wyoming soil specialist Jay Norton, the loss of carbon represents a loss of soil health, most of which has occurred in the last 200 years. Land long under cultivation has suffered most from soil degradation and loss of productivity, but grazing lands have not gone unscathed.
BRD Pen-side Test Developed
On-farm detection of three main strains of BRD will be a game changer in cattle health.
Sous vide cooking — where food is sealed in an airtight container and immersed in a temperature-controlled water bath to cook — inspired an idea that took promising technology out of the lab and into the barn. Researchers at Purdue University successfully developed an on-site bovine respiratory disease (BRD) test that provides results within an hour.
January 4, 2022 | Vol. 15 : No. 1
Winter Health Hacks
Winter cattle management for optimum herd health.
Cattle health is influenced by many factors, including nutrition, environment, stress, exposure to pathogens, etc. Going into winter, which in many regions necessitates more feed to generate body heat and alleviate effects of cold stress, cattle need to be in good body condition and have adequate forage.
Newborn Calf Health Strategies
Three steps to focus on in first few weeks.
Newborn calf health — and survival — can be improved with three important strategies, according to veterinarian Halden Clark with the University of Nebraska’s Great Plains Veterinary Education Center. While addressing attendees at the 2021 Range Beef Cow Symposium this past November in Rapid City, S.D., Clark noted that calf death loss is highest in the first three weeks of age. Typically, scours are the biggest culprit.
Recordkeeping Priorities
Experts offer up the most important records to keep on the herd.
Deciding what to keep or get rid of can be a challenge when sorting out clothes in a closet or clearing out relics from childhood, because often there is an emotional factor influencing the decision. Emotional decision-making can also influence the beef cattle herd. Oftentimes there is that one favorite cow a producer may find hard to sell. In such cases, the experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute agree that analyzing farm records can help inform herd decisions.
