A tremendous amount of research has been published and continues to be performed related to colostrum management of dairy cattle. Much less research has addressed colostrum management in beef cattle and their calves.

Injectable minerals rapidly restore levels, supporting fertility, healthy calves and timely breedback, ensuring economic stability for cow-calf operations.

While disease prevention remains the primary purpose of vaccine programs, a well-designed vaccination protocol is now an essential marketing strategy for producers selling calves into value-added and graded feeder sales.

Most calves are born without intervention, typically nursing on their own without significant attention from caretakers. They often adapt to their environment quickly, becoming productive members of the herd.

Technology intersects many segments of agriculture with applications extending into animal health for prevention, detection and treatment of illness. Many of the newer tools are aimed at blending data collection, analysis and specialized interventions.

Cattle prices are at historic highs, making management of the cow herd investment more critical than ever. A lot of focus is put on developing heifers, rebreeding the 2- and 3-year-old cows, delivering a uniform, healthy calf crop to the next segment of the industry, or managing cull cows. Rightly so, as all these topics are important to the overall financial success of the beef cattle operation.

When done correctly, early-life vaccination helps calves handle the stressors of branding, weaning, transport and feedlot entry with resilience.

The earlier BRD is detected and treated, the better the opportunity to minimize lung damage. If it’s not caught quickly, cattle will be less likely to respond to antibiotic treatment and will be at a greater risk for relapse or mortality.