by Terri Queck-Matzie

Tracking the Heridity of BRD

According to Iowa State University research published in the Journal of Animal Science, cattle treated one time for Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) weighed 24 pounds less at slaughter than healthy cattle, amounting to an average loss of $23.23 per head. With an estimated occurrence rate of more than eight percent, those numbers are staggering when applied industry wide.

That’s why new research being conducted at Colorado State University is attempting to identify animals that are genetically more susceptible to BRD.

by Terri Queck-Matzie

Tales from the Dead -- Performing necropsies on cattle

“Just because an animal’s dead doesn’t mean that’s the end of the road,” says Dr. Larry Hollis, D.V.M., M.Ag., an extension beef veterinarian at Kansas State University, where he specializes in beef production medicine. “It might be dead, but it can still hold secrets.” For Hollis, performing a necropsy, or post-mortem exam, on any animal that has died unexpectedly can yield valuable information that can prevent further spread of disease and even greater financial loss for the producer.

“Too many times the producer says, ‘Why spend another $100 on an animal that has already cost me money?’” says Hollis, “but information gained through a necropsy may prevent others from getting sick, and ultimately save the producer thousands of dollars.”

by Clint Peck

How do you treat your beer?

Try leaving your beer sitting in your truck in the hot sun for a few hours before consuming it. Likely, even after it’s cooled down the beer’s already gone “skunky.” Your friends are mad at you and you’ll have to make another trip to town to get more refreshments.

Same thing can happen with livestock vaccines. We can completely destroy a vaccine by storing and handling it poorly. It might look okay, and we might have administered it properly and think it’s doing a good job. But, we may very well have just wasted our money and done little or nothing to protect our herd from disease.

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