Disease risks on the dairy farm constantly change. Therefore, it’s important to evaluate and update vaccination protocols regularly with your veterinarian to protect heifers and cows against the challenges they face as they enter the breeding herd.

The changing animal health field presents both challenges and opportunities for producers and those who serve them. While companies are in the process of bringing new technologies forward to improve dairy herd health, they are also thoroughly researching and monitoring potential health threats. 

Calves are the future of your dairy. Using the tools available to build a calf’s immunity within the first days and weeks of life can help set them up for a lifetime of production. Building an effective vaccination protocol can help calves through times of stress and help them be more resistant to the harmful pathogens encountered throughout life.

Vaccines are one of the best investments dairy producers can use to protect the health and profitability of a herd. A disease prevention program is often a better approach than treatment for a multitude of reasons. Treatment is costly and not always effective. Production losses often occur before diagnosis, especially when diseases exist at subclinical levels.

When making the decision to use a modified-live vaccine (MLV) or a killed vaccine specifically for infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), it’s important to balance risk with achieving the greatest benefit from a vaccination protocol.