Introduction

I am often asked by beef producers for my opinion about which vaccines they should use to improve their farms’ reproductive program. It’s not an easy question to answer because there is no ‘on-size-fits-all’ answer. The answer becomes, “it depends.” 

It depends on each farm’s unique production goals, biosecurity risks, experience and operational traditions about vaccines, animal handling capacity, and other factors. Also, I do not hold a veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR) with the producer asking the question. All farm-specific vaccination programs are best developed by the producer and the vet with whom they have a client/patient relationship.

Seek first to understand

My approach as an Extension Educator to vaccine questions is to first educate producers about the disease-causing agents. By increasing their knowledge, producers are better equipped to ask questions that are pertinent to their farms and make informed decisions with their trusted advisors. It was for those reasons that I wrote Vaccination to Improve Reproductive Health in Wisconsin Cow-Calf Herds in 2013. I have updated this publication for use in recent beef programs. 

Reproductive diseases of concern for Wisconsin’s cow-calf herds include those caused by bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. This factsheet provides a brief overview of these common agents:

• Brucella
• Leptospira
• Campylobacter (Vibrio) 
• Trichomonas
• Neospora 
• BVD
• IBR 

Citations are included for you to understand the content in more detail. Informational side-bars and a sprinkling of my experience as a practicing cattle doc are included. I encourage you to review its content with your veterinarian.

Operational tradition

I have coined the term ‘operational tradition’ to refer to how things have been done in the past on the operation. Producers have experience with vaccines that are often handed down to them from their parents, grandparents, or previous farm owners. Some producers are open to change, others not so much. I am also guilty of experiential ruts – stuck in the memories of how I practiced many years ago with products whose names have changed or no longer exist. Vaccine technology continues to evolve, as does our understanding of biosecurity measures, immunity, nutrition, and environmental factors that contribute to disease. As before, seek first to understand current knowledge to enable decision-making on your farm.

Reviewed by

Kim Kester
Regional Livestock Educator
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Division of Extension

Author