Herd Health

There are few diseases to cross headlines that equally capture the attention of cattle producers and the general public like bovine tuberculosis (TB).

The mysterious foothill abortion disease in cattle was first seen in the foothill regions of coastal and central California – and recognized in the 1940s as different from brucellosis. It also occurs in southern Oregon and Nevada.

We have all quoted, or at least heard, the age-old adage: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, the old saying is the go-to phrase for opening discussions everywhere regarding biosecurity.

If bovine respiratory disease (BRD) prevention measures have failed and you need to treat BRD with an antibiotic, the price on the bottle is easy to see. You’re likely not excited to make this purchase, which costs a pretty penny.

Have you ever heard a cattle producer say, “I’m in the cattle business for the money”? I can’t recall ever hearing those words out of a producer’s mouth. Through the years, I have heard:

I’ve lived and worked all over the West, and I never thought I could get too hot until I moved to Texas. Sometimes it would be so torrid there the horses would come up to the water trough looking like Appaloosas.