Over the past decade, bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) has emerged as one of the biggest threats to the health and productivity of cattle on feed.

When Kee Jim talks, people in the cattle world listen. He has spent a decades-long career refuting the notion that a jack of all trades is the master of none, offering his extensive expertise to help feedlot operators become as efficient and profitable as possible.

Recent research suggests that beef-on-dairy steers fed a low-starch total mixed ration at a younger age will continue to increase in feed intake and growth longer than those receiving different diets. 

Many useful pharmaceutical products have been developed to treat BRD; however, effective implementation of a preventive strategy has been elusive. A further complication is the absence of an experimental model that replicates the most common clinical symptoms.

Shipwheel Cattle Feeders, under the stewardship of Andrea Stroeve-Sawa, exemplifies a modern approach to cattle farming that successfully integrates custom cattle feeding with flexible grazing strategies and continuously improves.

Heifers remain a significant part of fed cattle population, indicating producers are not yet rebuilding herds.

Stress on cattle is inevitable, but producers know the goal is to manage and mitigate the stresses animals experience, including transportation, weaning, parturition, dietary and nutritional changes, predation, commingling, vaccination, diseases and infections. 

The journey from pasture to plate is fraught with challenges, particularly during the initial receiving period when cattle are most vulnerable. The receiving phase, typically encompassing the first 45 days after cattle arrive at a feedlot, is critical for ensuring their health, well-being and subsequent productivity.