It was shaping up to be a good spring day. The snow was pretty much gone, and the mud was drying up. It was one of the first days of the year that dared me to attack it without the aid of muck boots or snow packs on my feet.

Traceability is coming. It’s an inevitability – but also an exciting change for the industry. However, it’s a daunting and ambiguous subject when you think about it.

The South is known for its high heat units, mild winters and abundance of land. While this may sound like a cattle producer’s dream, the key to success is found in the efficiency of a producer’s grazing system.

“Wow, I finally understand the problem a few persistently infected (PI) calves can have on my cattle. More than 60 percent of the cattle in all my pens and pastures were exposed to BVD because 30 percent of the loads I received had one or more BVD-PI calves on them.” This is a typical statement a cattleman makes after experiencing a BVD-PI herd health problem.