Animal drugs by a different name
Shopping for deals and managing inventory are two ways to lower livestock drug costs. Have you ever been confused by the different brands available? How do you know which is the better buy?
Beef
Information about raising all types of beef in Wisconsin: production and business management, beef quality assurance, housing, well-being, nutrition, and reproduction.
Articles
Managing worms at spring turnout
Green is my favorite color. Green tree buds, lawns, and pastures signal that winter is finally over. It’s very tempting to turn young stock out onto newly green pasture. We are tired of indoor feeding and cleaning, and we have fieldwork and other chores to attend to. However, tempting as it is to open the pasture gate, first remember these worm management steps.
Up your colostrum game
The importance of colostrum is no secret to dairy and livestock producers. Unlike many other species, the placenta of cattle prevents the transfer of antibodies from the dam to the calf in the uterus. Instead, calves must rely on colostrum, the cow’s first milk, to pass antibodies from dam to calf.
Evaluating the calving season
As spring calving season wraps up for some cow-calf producers throughout the state, now is the time to take a few minutes to evaluate how the calving season shook out.
Spring pasture weed management
Many beef and small ruminant producers are looking forward to pastures greening up in Wisconsin. In some pastures that will include troublesome weeds. Management timing for weed control is narrow for some species and can be the difference between success and a waste of time and money.
Manage feeding to help cattle handle cold stress
Good winter management practices contribute to healthy cattle, reasonable feed costs, and long-term productivity of the beef cow herd. There will be times during the winter when it will be necessary to adjust the ration to help cows through cold conditions.
Maintain beef bulls through winter
As the cold weather sets in and winter feeding begins, many bulls have already been removed from the cows to wait for the next breeding season. During this time away from the cows, bulls may be expected to require minimal maintenance to thrive through winter, but it is important to understand the significance of meeting bulls’ needs to ensure their dependability for the next breeding season.
Biosecurity: Start with small steps
Producers can take steps to minimize the risk of a disease outbreak on their livestock premises. When beef producers increase biosecurity measures to decrease the likelihood of foreign animal diseases, they are also taking steps to reduce exposure to and disease losses from more common endemic diseases such as bovine viral diarrhea, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, mycoplasma, Johne’s disease, shipping fever, trichomoniasis, warts and ringworm.
Are you ready? Antibiotics for livestock will be prescription only in 2023
The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) plan for supporting veterinary antimicrobial stewardship will be fully implemented in 2023 when all remaining over-the-counter (OTC) antibiotics are switched to prescription-only status. The medically important antibiotics (used by humans and animals) becoming prescription only include injectable tylosin, injectable and intramammary penicillin, injectable and oral tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethazine, and cephapirin and cephapirin benzathine intramammary tubes.
Work with vet to establish heifer vaccination plan
Veterinarians are a great resource when establishing a vaccination plan on your farm. A heifer’s destination might lead to different immunity goals depending on if they become replacements or head to a feedlot.
