The Beef Cattle Health and Nutrition Podcast

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   Introduction 01:51– 03:15 Replacement rate for Canadian cow-calf herds 03:16 – 04:14 Percentage of producers raising vs buying heifers 04:15 – 05:38 Advantages of purchasing heifers 05:39 – 06:58 Advantages of raising heifers 06:59 – 08:16 Opportunity costs associated with raising heifers 08:17 – 11:16   Costs of raising replacement heifers 11:17 - 12:48 What is the lifetime calf production you need to pay for raising heifers? 12:49 – 15:50 Selecting replacement heifers 15:51 – 18:13 Heifers born in the first 21 days of the breeding season and lifetime productivity 18:14 – 19:30 Development of a heifer raising calculator with Canfax and BCRC 19:30 - 20:15 Closing comments BCRC 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/

Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed joins the podcast again this week to discuss proper vaccine handling, storage and administration Vaccinating Your Beef Herd unlisted playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL16s0XbcZVIurNHLqLLB58yc-cwdvush- Administering Vaccines: https://youtu.be/B4WlOlQffWw Vaccination Protocols and Records: https://youtu.be/giOJsaQbEGA  Cleaning Equipment: https://youtu.be/HspCXNlpizQ Types of Vaccines and Mixing: https://youtu.be/oETQ_UMAZ6U Vaccine Transport and Storage: https://youtu.be/gH4FsfrXBGo Vaccine Disposal: https://youtu.be/GNY0kjMLcOo  00:00 – 00:55   Introduction 00:55– 03:24 Why is vaccine handling an important issue? 03:25 – 6:59 Most common reasons for vaccine failure due to poor handling of vaccines 7:00 – 9:59 Transporting and storage of vaccines 10:00 – 13:03 Reconstituting modified live vaccines 13:04 – 15:52 Vaccine administration Tips 15:53 – 17:51   Avoiding Vaccine Wastage 17:52 – 21:12   Needles and multi-dose syringe care 21:13 – 21:49 Avoiding contamination of the vaccine bottle 21:50 – 25:15 Vaccine record keeping 25:16– 27:17 Vaccination handling resources for cow-calf producers 27:18 -28:23 Closing comments  

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-network Vaccination Video Resources: Vaccinating Your Beef Herd unlisted playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL16s0XbcZVIurNHLqLLB58yc-cwdvush- Administering Vaccines: https://youtu.be/B4WlOlQffWw Vaccination Protocols and Records: https://youtu.be/giOJsaQbEGA  Cleaning Equipment: https://youtu.be/HspCXNlpizQ Types of Vaccines and Mixing: https://youtu.be/oETQ_UMAZ6U Vaccine Transport and Storage: https://youtu.be/gH4FsfrXBGo Vaccine Disposal: https://youtu.be/GNY0kjMLcOo 00:00 – 02:45   Introduction 02:46 – 07:19 Improving vaccination success in Canadian cow-calf herds 07:20 - 08:10 Reasons producers vaccinate 08:11 – 9:47   Replacement Heifer vaccinations 9:48 – 10:52 Breeding Cow Vaccinations 10:53 - 11:56 Vaccinating Breeding Bulls 11:57 – 12:58 Preweaned calf vaccinations 12:59 – 14:46 Gaps in vaccine programs and reasons for not vaccinating 14:47 – 18:37 Core vaccines for Canadian cow-calf herds 18:38 – 21:10 Risk based vaccines for Canadian cow-calf herds 21:11 – 25:01   Vaccination resources for cow-calf producers 25:02 - 26:34   Improving vaccine success in your herd 26:35 – 27:45 Closing comments

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 Disease 3:03 – 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 programs 24:23- 29:23 Deciding on a testing strategy for your herd 29:24 – 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

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

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 cows 10:55 – 12:40 Factors affecting colostrum quality 12:41 – 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 immunity 20:43 – 24:55 When to intervene and supplement a calf 24:56 – 26:25 Best option for colostrum supplementation 26:26 – 28:11 The dangers of utilizing purchased dairy colostrum 28:12 - 30:55 What to look for when using colostrum replacers 30:56 – 32:38 Storing and using extra colostrum 32:39 –35:45 Bottle vs Tube Feeding Colostrum 35:30 – 38:20 Assessing colostrum management in a herd 38:21 – 39:30  Wrap up

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

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.ca 00:00 – 2:34   Welcome and Introductions  2:35 – 4:20   The importance of neonatal calf diarrhea 4:21 – 5:39 Pathogens involved in neonatal calf diarrhea 5:40 –7:37 Can you diagnose the cause of neonatal calf diarrhea clinically? 7:38 – 14:11 Coronavirus and Rotavirus as causes of calf diarrhea 14:12 - 16:29 Treating calves with viral diarrhea 16:30 - 22:23 Challenges with developing effective viral vaccines for neonatal calf diarrhea 22:24 – 26:50 Where do these viruses come from and the importance of booster vaccines 26:51- 31:39 Current field study on causes of calf diarrhea 31:40 – 32:48   Wrap up 

00:00 – 2:23   Welcome and Introductions  2:24 – 4:28   The difficulties associated with investigating fetal losses 4:29 – 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 losses 10:04 – 12:01 Percentage of abortion cases that are successfully diagnosed 12:02 -  13:25 What other diagnostic tests can we use? 13:26 -  16:44 Common causes of abortions 16:45 – 20:25 The importance of vaccines in preventing fetal losses 20:26 -  25:26  How to reduce the risk of fetal losses 25:27 – 26:30   Wrap up

00:00 – 02:00 Welcome and Introductions 02:01 - 03:28 Moisture and Dry Matter 03:29 - 05:44 Dry Matter Intake Estimates and factors that affect DMI 05:45 – 07:03 As Received vs Dry Matter 07:04 - 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 Protein 13:48 – 15:37   Rules of thumb for Crude Protein and TDN at different stages of gestation/lactation 15:38 – 17:35   Acid Detergent Fiber vs Neutral Detergent Fiber 17:36 - 20:26 Maximum NDF values for cow rations 20:27 – 23:21 Calcium and Phosphorus ratios 23:22 – 26:22 Magnesium and Potassium (Tetany ratios) 26:23 – 29:31 Sodium levels, Sulfur levels, body condition scoring 29:32 – 30:39 Where can producers get help? 30:40 – 31:35 Wrap up