While environmental conditions are always fluctuating, cow-calf producers often plan to experience drought. As the saying goes: It’s better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. Drought preparation follows the same advice.

Physical hazards – from swallowed wires to toxic plants – can be devastating, not only to the cow but in certain instances can cause late-term abortions or permanent birth defects in the calf crop.

Transitioning a heifer calf into a productive, long-term member of the breeding herd requires attention to many important factors, including nutrition, genetic and breeding decisions, and environmental management. Disease and health challenges, however, can undermine all that work.

With herd size looking toward growth, heifer development will continue to be increasingly important. Management, parasite control and herd immunity are key components of raising healthy heifers.

After a busy season of breeding, pulling bulls, pregnancy diagnosis and weaning, we’d like to hope cows can turn on autopilot for a few months during the winter. However, that’s not the case; cows are always working for us, whether that means lactating, raising a calf, preparing to become pregnant or gestating next year’s calf. It’s our responsibility to make sure they are in the proper body condition to do so.

It’s no secret that the cow herd is at an all-time low. As producers start to build herds back, creating and maintaining a herd health plan will be immensely important.

Veterinarians are concerned that anaplasmosis, a noninfectious disease in cattle, is reemerging throughout the U.S. The initial cause is the transmission of bacteria from ticks and horseflies, especially during heavy tick and fly seasons.

The ionophore, monensin, is a class of antibiotics that can improve animal health, maintain body condition and increase feed efficiency, yet limit feed intake. This supplement may be beneficial during dry spells when ranchers scramble for additional feedstuffs.

When lameness issues arise, there are many things we can do as producers, and veterinarians, to help these animals recover and get back to a high level of performance.

As cow-calf producers and veterinarians evaluate options for pre-breeding vaccinations on heifers and cows, it is critical to think about the long-term effects of the disease pathogens that you are protecting against.