The Beef Cattle Health and Nutrition Podcast

Dr. Joe Stookey, professor emeritus from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast this week.  Joe has spent his career researching various aspects of animal behavior with a focus on beef cattle.  He joins me to discuss the problem of mis-mothering in calving cows.  It can be a frustrating situation and Joe gives some practical tips on how to deal with these situations.  Just a...

Dr. Karin Orsel from the University of Calgary School of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss an emerging cause of lameness in beef cattle herds and feedlots known as digital dermatitis.  She explains the importance of this disease as a cause of lameness in cattle, how to recognize it, and the challenges with treatment and prevention. 00:00 – 01:46   Introduction 01:47 – 3:45 Digital d...

Dr. Emily Snyder is a veterinary clinician and professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.  She has expertise in bovine respiratory disease, preventive medicine and antimicrobial resistance.  This week, she joins the show to discuss the risk factors of pre-weaning respiratory disease in calves and some tips on how to prevent it from occurring in your...

Dr. Roy Lewis joins the podcast to discuss breeding soundness evaluations of bulls.  Dr. Lewis is an experienced bovine practitioner who has practiced for many years in the Westlock, Alberta area.  He has also worked as a technical service veterinarian for the pharmaceutical industry and he writes extensively for many producer publications.  Roy has a special interest in bovine preventive medicine...

Dr. Chris Clark joins the podcast to discuss foot rot and sole abscesses.  Dr. Clark is a faculty member and large animal medicine clinician at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.  He has a special interest in lameness and discusses two of the common causes of lameness in cattle:  foot rot and sole abscesses.  We'll discuss the differences in how they develop and how they have to be treate...

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...

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/HspCXN...

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=PL16s0XbcZVIurNHLq...

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 fr...

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...

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-ca...

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?...

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 c...

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...

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...

00:00 – 2:18   Welcome and Introductions  2:19 – 4:09   The importance of feed efficiency 4:10 – 6:17 Explaining Residual Feed intake 6:18 – 8:04 Measuring feed efficiency in research trials 8:05 – 9:28 Limitations of feed efficiency measurements in beef cow systems 9:29 – 12:27 Describing an alternative system for ranking beef cow efficiency 12:28 – 15:18 Variability in the indicators of efficien...

00:00 – 2:51   Welcome and Introductions  2:52 – 4:02 Importance of neonatal calf diarrhea in cow-calf herds 4:03 – 6:48 What are the pathogens that are associated with calf diarrhea? 6:49 – 7:29 When are diagnostics important? 7:30 – 8:42 Strategies to employ to minimize risk of diarrhea 8:43 - 11:00 Sandhills calving system effectiveness 11:01 - 13:15 How do you implement the Sandhill’s calving...

00:00 – 1:37   Welcome and Introductions  1:38 – 3:32 Who is Animal Health Canada 3:33 – 6:14 What is emergency health management mean? 6: 15 – 10:21 Why is it important to be prepared for emergencies in livestock operations? 10:22 – 12:37   The consequences of a serious disease outbreak 12:38 - 14:38 What to do if you suspect an unusual disease outbreak 14:39 - 16:31 What are the clinical signs o...

00:00 – 1:57   Welcome and Introductions  1:58 – 3:24 Defining a low quality forage 3:25 – 4:57 Common characteristics of low quality forages 4:58- 7:05 How do they impact animal health and performance? 7:06 - 9:57   Management issues to consider when utilizing lower quality forages 9:58 - 14:04 The importance of identifying animal classes that can utilize these feeds 14:05 - 16:03 Fiber levels im...

00:00 – 02:08  Welcome and Introductions  1:50 - 3:30  What role does copper play in the body 3:31 - 4:56  How commonly Is copper deficiency diagnosed? 4:57 -   6:29  How does copper deficiency occur? 6:30 – 9:37  Primary vs secondary copper deficiency (effects of molybdenum and sulphates) 9:38 - 13:32  Clinical signs of mild to moderate copper deficiency 13:33 – 16:40  How is severe copper defici...

00:00 – 01:50  Welcome and Introductions  1:50 -  2:53   Age categories for young calf vaccinations 2:53 – 5:07  What diseases can we vaccinate young calves for? 5:07 – 9:03  Immune system development in the calf 9:03 -  11:33 The effect of maternal immunity on vaccine response 11:33 - 17:45     Intranasal vs Injectable Vaccines: What’s the difference? 17:45 – 19:30 Evidence of vaccine protection...

Link to BCRC website where Dr. Bart Lardner describes 7 tips for grazing corn   https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/seven-tips-for-grazing-corn/?utm_source=BCRC+Blog+Subscribers&utm_campaign=2b9ff72122-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_15_10_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8c6acbd1df-2b9ff72122-88320359 Link to BCRC website page with extended grazing resources https://www.beefresearch.ca/topics/exten...

00:00 - 01:45  Welcome and introductions 01:46 - 02:54  Stressors in weaned calves 2:55 -  04:29  Definition of Preconditioning 04:30 - 05:50 Components of a preconditioning program 05:51 - 09:43 Evidence associated with improved health in preconditioned calves 09:44 -12:29  Average daily gain  in preconditioned calves 12:30 - 14:49 Ranch staff thoughts on low stress weaning 14:50 - 16:53 How comm...

00:00 -  01:07 Welcome and introductions 01:08 -  4:47  Importance of feed testing - 3 main reasons 4:48 - 06:28  How to collect samples from bales 0:6:29 - 11:04  How to collect sileage samples 11:05 - 12:43  Collecting grain samples 12:44 - 14:26  Collecting samples from extended grazing forages 14:27 - 17:03 Pooling feed samples - Disadvantages 17:04 - 21:30  Wet Chemistry vs NIR analysis 21:31...