The Beef Cattle Health and Nutrition Podcast

The Economics of Replacement Heifers with Kathy Larson

Dr. Kathy Larson is a researcher in the Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan.  She joins me to discuss the economics of raising replacement heifers and gives some tips on heifer selection as well.00:00 – 01:50   Introduction01:51– 03:15 Replacement rate for Canadian cow-calf herds03:16 – 04:14 Percentage of producers raising vs buying heifers04:15 – 05:38 Advantages of purchasing heifers05:39 – 06:58 Advantages of raising heifers06:59 – 08:16 Opportunity costs associated with raising heifers08:17 – 11:16   Costs of raising replacement heifers11:17 - 12:48 What is the lifetime calf production you need to pay for raising heifers?12:49 – 15:50 Selecting replacement heifers15:51 – 18:13 Heifers born in the first 21 days of the breeding season and lifetime productivity18:14 – 19:30 Development of a heifer raising calculator with Canfax and BCRC19:30 - 20:15 Closing commentsBCRC webinar on Managing Replacement Heifers  https://www.beefresearch.ca/webinars/managing-replacement-heifers/New Heifer Development Page on BCRC website  https://www.beefresearch.ca/topics/heifer-development/Bull Valuation Calculator  https://www.beefresearch.ca/tools/bull-valuation-calculator/

Vaccine handling and storage with Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed

Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed joins the podcast again this week to discuss proper vaccine handling, storage and administrationVaccinating Your Beef Herd unlisted playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL16s0XbcZVIurNHLqLLB58yc-cwdvush-Administering Vaccines: https://youtu.be/B4WlOlQffWwVaccination Protocols and Records: https://youtu.be/giOJsaQbEGA Cleaning Equipment: https://youtu.be/HspCXNlpizQTypes of Vaccines and Mixing: https://youtu.be/oETQ_UMAZ6UVaccine Transport and Storage: https://youtu.be/gH4FsfrXBGoVaccine Disposal: https://youtu.be/GNY0kjMLcOo 00:00 – 00:55   Introduction00:55– 03:24 Why is vaccine handling an important issue?03:25 – 6:59 Most common reasons for vaccine failure due to poor handling of vaccines7:00 – 9:59 Transporting and storage of vaccines10:00 – 13:03 Reconstituting modified live vaccines13:04 – 15:52 Vaccine administration Tips15:53 – 17:51   Avoiding Vaccine Wastage17:52 – 21:12   Needles and multi-dose syringe care21:13 – 21:49 Avoiding contamination of the vaccine bottle21:50 – 25:15 Vaccine record keeping25:16– 27:17 Vaccination handling resources for cow-calf producers27:18 -28:23 Closing comments 

Core and Risk Based Cow-Calf Herd Vaccines with Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed

Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed joins the podcast to discuss her latest project on working to improve the efficiency of vaccine usage in Canadian cow-calf herds.Link to Western Canadian Animal Health Network Resources (WeCAHN) https://www.wecahn.ca/wecahn-networks/beef-networkVaccination Video Resources:Vaccinating Your Beef Herd unlisted playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL16s0XbcZVIurNHLqLLB58yc-cwdvush-Administering Vaccines: https://youtu.be/B4WlOlQffWwVaccination Protocols and Records: https://youtu.be/giOJsaQbEGA Cleaning Equipment: https://youtu.be/HspCXNlpizQTypes of Vaccines and Mixing: https://youtu.be/oETQ_UMAZ6UVaccine Transport and Storage: https://youtu.be/gH4FsfrXBGoVaccine Disposal: https://youtu.be/GNY0kjMLcOo00:00 – 02:45   Introduction02:46 – 07:19 Improving vaccination success in Canadian cow-calf herds07:20 - 08:10 Reasons producers vaccinate08:11 – 9:47   Replacement Heifer vaccinations9:48 – 10:52 Breeding Cow Vaccinations10:53 - 11:56 Vaccinating Breeding Bulls11:57 – 12:58 Preweaned calf vaccinations12:59 – 14:46 Gaps in vaccine programs and reasons for not vaccinating14:47 – 18:37 Core vaccines for Canadian cow-calf herds18:38 – 21:10 Risk based vaccines for Canadian cow-calf herds21:11 – 25:01   Vaccination resources for cow-calf producers25:02 - 26:34   Improving vaccine success in your herd26:35 – 27:45 Closing comments

Johne’s Disease in Cow-Calf Herds with Dr. Cheryl Waldner

Dr. Cheryl Waldner from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss the challenges of controlling Johne's Disease on cow-calf herds and the results of some of her latest research.https://www.beefresearch.ca/tools/johnes-disease-calculator\0:00 – 2:25   Welcome and Introductions 2:26 – 3:02   What causes Johne’s Disease3:03 – 7:11  How does the MAP bacteria spread from animal to animal?7:12 – 10:02 Why is this disease so difficult to control in cow-calf herds?10:03 – 12:39 How commonly are cows and herds infected?12:40 – 16:21 What are the diagnostic tests that are available?16:23 – 22:22 Factors to consider before starting a control strategy?22:23 = 24:22 Differences in dairy herd control programs24:23- 29:23 Deciding on a testing strategy for your herd29:24 – 32:11 What else do we need to do beyond testing? 32:12 -  36:45 Biosecurity practices to prevent introducing Johnes into the herd 36:46 -  38:38 Johnes Testing Decision 38:39 – 39:50 Wrap up

A Case from the Disease Investigation Unit Files

This weeks episode is a bit different from usual.  I don't have a guest this week, but I'll be presenting an outbreak from our Disease Investigation Unit case files.  This case was also presented as part of a series of cases in a webinar organized by the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System:  “ Beef Cattle Vaccines: the Good, the Bad, and The Ugly” webinar with Drs. John Campbell, Tim Nickel, Bruce Kostelansky, and Eugene Janzen.  You can access that webinar here for more information about core vaccines and vaccination issues:  https://youtu.be/nRYHzysFHtE

Colostrum Management with Dr. Claire Windeyer

Dr. Claire Windeyer from the University of Calgary School of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss the importance of colostrum in neonatal beef calves and gives advice on how and when to intervene.  She also discusses the pros and cons of various methods of colostrum supplementation.BCRC Calving Management Link with Resources on Colostrum:  https://www.beefresearch.ca/topics/calving-calf-management/00:00 – 2:10   Welcome and Introductions 2:11 – 5:02   Why is colostrum important for newborns?5:03 – 5:49 How long can calves effectively absorb antibodies after birth?5:50 – 8:25 How much colostrum does a calf require?8:26 – 10:54 Assessing colostrum quality in beef cows10:55 – 12:40 Factors affecting colostrum quality12:41 – 15:00 What are the consequences in calves getting inadequate colostrum?15:01 – 16:32 How common is less than adequate colostral intake occurring?16:33 - 20:42 Risk factors for inadequate transfer of immunity20:43 – 24:55 When to intervene and supplement a calf24:56 – 26:25 Best option for colostrum supplementation26:26 – 28:11 The dangers of utilizing purchased dairy colostrum28:12 - 30:55 What to look for when using colostrum replacers30:56 – 32:38 Storing and using extra colostrum32:39 –35:45 Bottle vs Tube Feeding Colostrum35:30 – 38:20 Assessing colostrum management in a herd38:21 – 39:30  Wrap up

Assisting cows at calving with Dr. Jennifer Pearson

Dr. Jennifer Pearson from the University of Calgary joins the podcast to discuss when to intervene in calvings and the consequences of dystocia in beef cows and calves.BCRC Web Link:  Calving 911:  When and How to Assist with a Difficult Birth  https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/calf-911-calving-decision-tree/00:00 – 2:42   Welcome and Introductions 2:43 – 4:25   What does the term dystocia mean?4:26 – 7:08 What should a normal calving look like?7:09 – 8:30 What signs should we look for to identify cows that need assistance?8:31  – 10:20 How common are dystocias in beef cows currently in Canada?10:21 – 14:35 What are the consequences to the calf and cow of experiencing calving difficulty?14:36 – 16:44 How to decide when to intervene in a calving?16:45 – 21:15 When do we need to call for assistance?21:16- 24:45 What can we do to ensure better outcomes once the calf is delivered?24:46 – 27:09   Preventing dystocias from occurring 27:10 – 28:00 Wrap up

Viruses that cause Calf Diarrhea with Dr. Frank van der Meer

Dr. Van der Meer's contact information if you are a Western Canadian cow-calf producer interested in participating in his field study on causes of calf diarrhea:     frank.vandermeer@ucalgary.ca00:00 – 2:34   Welcome and Introductions 2:35 – 4:20   The importance of neonatal calf diarrhea4:21 – 5:39 Pathogens involved in neonatal calf diarrhea5:40 –7:37 Can you diagnose the cause of neonatal calf diarrhea clinically?7:38 – 14:11 Coronavirus and Rotavirus as causes of calf diarrhea14:12 - 16:29 Treating calves with viral diarrhea16:30 - 22:23 Challenges with developing effective viral vaccines for neonatal calf diarrhea22:24 – 26:50 Where do these viruses come from and the importance of booster vaccines26:51- 31:39 Current field study on causes of calf diarrhea31:40 – 32:48   Wrap up 

Preventing fetal losses in the cow-calf herd with Dr. Trent Wennekamp

00:00 – 2:23   Welcome and Introductions 2:24 – 4:28   The difficulties associated with investigating fetal losses4:29 – 7:25 What amount of fetal loss would be expected as normal?7:26 – 10:03 What should you do when your herd starts to experience fetal losses10:04 – 12:01 Percentage of abortion cases that are successfully diagnosed12:02 -  13:25 What other diagnostic tests can we use?13:26 -  16:44 Common causes of abortions16:45 – 20:25 The importance of vaccines in preventing fetal losses20:26 -  25:26  How to reduce the risk of fetal losses25:27 – 26:30   Wrap up

Interpreting a Feed Analysis Report with Jenifer Heyden

00:00 – 02:00 Welcome and Introductions02:01 - 03:28 Moisture and Dry Matter03:29 - 05:44 Dry Matter Intake Estimates and factors that affect DMI05:45 – 07:03 As Received vs Dry Matter07:04 - 09:50 Energy Estimates: TDN, Net Energy (maintenance, gain and lactation)09:51 – 13:47 Protein Estimates:  Crude Protein, DIP, UIP, ADFCP, NDFCP, Adjusted Crude Protein13:48 – 15:37   Rules of thumb for Crude Protein and TDN at different stages of gestation/lactation15:38 – 17:35   Acid Detergent Fiber vs Neutral Detergent Fiber17:36 - 20:26 Maximum NDF values for cow rations20:27 – 23:21 Calcium and Phosphorus ratios23:22 – 26:22 Magnesium and Potassium (Tetany ratios)26:23 – 29:31 Sodium levels, Sulfur levels, body condition scoring29:32 – 30:39 Where can producers get help?30:40 – 31:35 Wrap up