Cattle Diseases

Stay informed about New World screwworm

harold.newcomb@merck.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Are you prepared for New World screwworm (NWS)? Originally eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, NWS (Cochliomyia hominivorax) larvae (myiasis) presents a challenge many cattle producers have never experienced firsthand.

Early warning signs of heat stress in cattle: What to watch and how to manage

emmahoman@cattlekrush.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Heat stress in cattle develops progressively, often beginning with subtle changes before more severe symptoms appear. By the time obvious signs such as open-mouth panting or lethargy are visible, performance losses may already be occurring.

West: Handling the summer heat

cwillmore@uidaho.edu — Thu, 21 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

While producers can’t change the weather, they can adjust management practices to help cattle stay cooler and maintain productivity.

Bacterial pneumonia: Delayed, not gone

jeff.okones@pharmgate.com — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Despite advances in vaccines, nutrition and management, bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains one of the most persistent and costly challenges in beef production. While the weather this fall has been off to an unseasonably mild start, producers shouldn’t mistake low rates of BRD in early months for a disease-free season.

Timing BRD vaccination for better outcomes

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is essentially pneumonia. Caused by specific bacteria and viruses, it is the most expensive disease in the beef industry.

Beat the heat: Novel nutritional support to keep cattle eating and breeding when temps climb

aimee.hafla@devenishna.com — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Heat stress remains a costly, persistent challenge in U.S. beef production. Annual losses exceed $370 million annually, and the economic impact often begins before producers see obvious clinical signs. What feels like mild heat and humidity to humans may still impact cattle comfort and performance.

Don’t miss the signs: Catch BRD before it catches up

nathan.meyer@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0400

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.

Strategies for working cattle in heat and humidity

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Successful beef producers work cattle with tried-and-true strategies during hot, muggy summers. Innovative methods, such as working early in the morning or at night, can prevent excessive heat loads in cattle.

USDA announces $8.5 million sterile facility to battle NWS

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins launched the construction of an $8.5 million sterile fly dispersal facility on June 18 at the Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, and announced a comprehensive five-pronged plan to bolster the USDA’s efforts to control New World screwworm (NWS).

Six ideas to help your cattle beat the summer heat

aliklatt@cattlekrush.com — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Open your weather app. Is it 80ºF, or do you see 80ºF in the forecast? Are nighttime temperatures staying above 70ºF? If so, your cattle are at risk for heat stress. Even if you didn’t answer “yes” to either, chances are high that your cattle will be exposed to heat stress conditions at some point this summer.

Answering digital dermatitis FAQs

zeb_gray@diamondv.com — Mon, 12 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Even though digital dermatitis is not exactly a new problem, questions still abound about proper prevention and control. Here are some tips for managing cattle and their environment that might help out your operation.

Guarding the herd: Preventing canine-transmitted neosporosis in cattle

lwaechter-mead13@unl.edu — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0500

As the calving season wraps up, breeding season is just around the corner. While the focus is on getting cows bred, it’s also an important time to review the causes of pregnancy loss.

Herd health and biosecurity were at the forefront of CattleCon presentations

abby@agproud.com — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

As we prepare to build back the U.S. beef herd and reduce the diseases threatening U.S. beef production, farmers and ranchers should consider how to protect their animals and operations before it is too late.

Cleaning up BRD, Part 2

dan@schaefer-beef.com — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

The challenge in controlling BRD is to identify and quantify the factors that account for the immunosuppression. This is easier said than done, since knowledge of biomarkers for quantification of stress is incomplete and chuteside implementation is not yet possible.

Why respiratory vaccines seem to fail

richard.linhart@vaxxinova.com — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), or pneumonia, is the most common cause of death in cattle over 4 months old. Many different commercial vaccines are available for protection against organisms that cause BRD, but sometimes cattle get BRD even when they are vaccinated.

Tips to manage stressors and minimize BRD

dl.step@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Summer can present a variety of challenges and stressors to beef cattle that can lead to bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Mitigating risk is a critical component of a larger BRD battle plan.

Don’t stress: Here’s how to handle the heat

abby@agproud.com — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Summertime brings in the warmer weather and, with it, a different set of stressors for cattle. A number of factors can lead to stress in cattle, including fluctuations in temperature or adverse weather conditions.

Foothill abortions: All from a little tick

jlstott@ucdavis.edu — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0400

For almost 100 years, cattle producers in the West experienced an awful phenomenon: large numbers of strange, late-term abortions in otherwise healthy cattle. What caused these abortions, and what can producers do to avoid this loss?

Timing is everything for BRD protection

jody.wade@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

From the moment a calf is born, the clock starts ticking in the battle against bovine respiratory disease (BRD). One of the things we try to promote as veterinarians is making sure that we stay ahead of it. BRD is the costliest disease in the cattle industry and can have serious impacts on an animal’s production potential.

Essential practices to build BRD resilience in your calf crop

christopher.schneider@merck.com — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In my 25 years as a cattle veterinarian, I’ve seen the impact of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) – the most prevalent and costly challenge facing North American cattle producers – in many operations.

What are you doing to prevent pinkeye?

jessica.newberry@virbacus.com — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Pinkeye is one of the most frustrating diseases we face, and it has a negative impact not just on the value of cattle but also on their production.

Bovine congestive heart failure in feedlot cattle

dpetrik@bullseyegx.com — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Travis Lutz, with his wife, Pam; and father, Jim, has been working on his family farm and ranch for more than 40 years. He is a fourth-generation owner of the operation in Dundy County, Nebraska, tucked in the corner of the state near the Kansas and Colorado borders.

Cross country migration of liver flukes: They’re not a regional problem anymore

abby@agproud.com — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Liver flukes, small, shale-covered pests found in the liver, are no longer a regional parasite problem.

[Podcast] NCBA Cattle Industry Convention 2024 – Part 1

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Welcome to the first of three episodes of our coverage of NCBA 2024. In this episode, Carrie Veselka visits with Rob Cook, president of the National Grazing Lands Coalition, on strategies to improve grazing, Abby George discusses the impact and management of BVDV with George Perry of Texas A&M University, and Tyrell Marchant talks prenatal cattle nutrition with Ted Perry from Purina Animal Health.

Heat wave havoc: 5 key tips to safe summer cattle handling

kaydence.michalsky@arrowquip.com — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Before the summer months arrive, it’s important to prepare for the potential havoc heat can cause to your cattle.

Signs and prevention of heat stress in cattle, horses and dogs

Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Review signs of heat stress and prevention methods for cattle, horses and pets.

Pinkeye: A cattle producer’s nemesis

jason.anderson@vaxxinova.com — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0400

Hate dealing with pinkeye? Isn’t it a summer issue? So why do outbreaks occur at unusual times of the year?

Zoonotic disease risks during calving season

lwaechter-mead13@unl.edu — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), zoonotic diseases are pathogens that can be spread from animals to humans, leading to illness.

Reducing disease risk on a cow-calf operation

lisa.pederson@ndsu.edu — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 12:49:01 -0500

Many diseases enter our herds when we acquire new animals and commingle them with our herd. In a cow-calf operation, this often occurs with the addition of new herd sires, replacement females or calves you intend to graft on a cow who lost her calf.

Should you re-treat that sick calf?

nathan.meyer@boehringer-ingelheim.com — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

When it comes to bovine respiratory disease, it can be extremely difficult to determine if a sick calf may need a second round of treatment or if the antibiotic should be allowed a few more days to help treat the infection.