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A combination of high temperatures and humidity can cause dangerous heat indexes for people and cattle. For livestock, the high heat index can dramatically reduce performance. The annual economic impact of heat stress on livestock is estimated to be between $1.69-$2.36 billion.
Cattle have been coined “upcyclers” due to their ability to turn natural resources and byproducts inedible to humans into higher-value, high-quality protein source in the form of beef.
The full force of summer months and hot temperatures are almost upon us. With it will come heat stress, a major concern in the beef industry. Heat stress can cause countless problems in cattle, such as a decrease in feed intake, changes in the rumen which lead to diminished digestibility and a significant negative impact on performance.
Most would agree, an ounce prevention is worth a pound of cure. This statement is spot-on when considering newborn calf health. Calf scours is defined as diarrhea occurring within the first three weeks of life.
If you have a favorite sports team, it is likely that at some point you have thought a certain player either needed to make major improvements or be replaced in order to fix a weakness and win more games.
It was the second dead cow that really got our attention.
Earlier that week, I had received a call from a rancher who had found one of his cows dead in a pasture.
The optimization of feed efficiency and animal health is critical to the success and profitability of the beef industry. In feedlots, one of the biggest challenges is the nutritional management of newly received cattle, who enter the feedlot with a wide range of different nutritional and health backgrounds.
In the first article of this two-part series, we discussed specific mold and mycotoxin issues derived from feedstuffs and also highlighted several symptoms directly correlated with the presence of mycotoxins in cattle.
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