Herd Health

Body condition score (BCS) is a visual assessment of the amount of fat in a cow’s body. Therefore, BCS is both a good indicator of the past nutritional status of the cow and a way to determine future nutritional needs.

Clostridial vaccines (often referred to as “7-way,” “8-way” or “9-way” vaccines) are some of the most frequently used products in beef cattle production today.

Properly timed and administered vaccines are a key component of any cattle producer’s disease prevention program. But vaccines can’t do the job alone.

Chelates are strange creatures. They are synthetic hybrids of metals and proteins or parts of proteins, and we can include them in cattle feeds.

Eliminating spores that cause clostridial disease from a cattle herd’s environment is virtually impossible. Successful treatment of an infected animal is rare, and the first sign is usually death. However, with proper management and vaccination, producers can prevent losses associated with clostridial diseases.

When Lynn Cooper’s veterinarian told her she should start using pain relief during castration and dehorning, Cooper’s first reaction was to roll her eyes.