Divide & Conquer

Wes Ishmael, Contributing Editor

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) no longer poses the significant cattle and human health risks it did in 1917 when the nation's TB eradication program was developed....

When, Not If, Disaster Strikes

By Wes Ishmael

Finding dead cattle from time to time isn't exactly uncommon. Finding a bunch of them all at once is another heartbreaking matter. An Arizona rancher...

BSE Sanctions Costing U.S. Billions

Source: Rod Smith, Feedstuffs

The sanctions that countries around the world placed on U.S. beef following the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in the cattle herd in 2003 -- despite being inconsistent with international standards -- cost U.S. cattle ranchers and beef processors billions of dollars in export losses. ...

Experts Note Progress Against BSE Disease

Source: Angus e-List

Overreliance on meaningless testing and a lack of focus on documenting the effectiveness of steps that are making significant inroads against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) are hindering a hungry world’s access to protein, driving up food costs and harming local economies as well as the U.S. beef industry...

Eliminating PI Animals Makes Economic Sense

Montana cattle ranchers still have time to screen their herds for animals persistently infected (PI) with the bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus. And the managers of the Montana BVD-PI Herd Screening Project...

Persistently Infected Calves Cost

In a recent study of cattle herds in southern Oklahoma, nearly 17% of the ranches had at least one BVD persistently infected (PI) calf in the 2006 calf crop...

Tweaking calving season

Scott Laudert

Shortening the calving season is among the most effective practices a cow-calf producer can implement. Improving early calving frequency increases weaning...

Let's Keep It Clean, Boys

BY RON TORELL

Imagine becoming ill and requiring overnight hospitalization. What if the hospital staff didn't have time to clean and sanitize your assigned room or...

Texas Awarded Federal Grant To Fight Fever Ticks

By Burt Rutherford

USDA Secretary Ed Schafer says Texas animal health officials will have an extra $4.9 million to help fight cattle fever ticks from spreading into the U.S. ...

A Lousy Deal

By Burt Rutherford Senior Editor

Now you see 'em. But mostly you don't. And that makes diagnosing a lice problem in your cattle a bit challenging. However, says Jack Lloyd, professor...

Rating BVD vaccination programs

By Clint Peck

Relatively new resources for bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) control programs are within reach of nearly every cattle producer in the U.S. Successful and...

Spoiled Potential

By Wes Ishmael, Contributing Editor

Those cattle pharmaceuticals you stick in the ice box, just like the label says, may still be compromised or rendered useless if you're not monitoring...

We still need you

Mike Apley

In past columns we've established some points about the debate regarding the use of antibiotics in food animals, the anti-agriculture agenda of the Humane...

Beef industry animal welfare is under the microscope

Good animal welfare is no longer assumed. Back in the day, we (veterinarians, farmers and ranchers) were taken at our word that we had the best interests...

Weaning management

by Clint Peck contributing editor

Weaning time is harvest time in cow-calf country. This can be a stressful time for the cow, the calf and the rancher. Probably the most critical weaning...

Late Calving, Early Weaning Nets Higher Return

Kansas Livestock Association

Calving in April and weaning during August may produce a lighter calf, but with feed costs at record levels, cow-calf producers will see better returns under this production system...