We recently went to some Continuing Education on Nutrition for Beef Cattle and here are some highlights. We gained familiarity with the COWculator software, reviewing hay results and talked a lot about cows.

Have you heard that "the rules are changing" for purchasing antibiotics on June 11, 2023? While it's true that the rules are changing with the implementation of FDA's Guidance #263, here's what you really need to know and how it may (or may not) affect you.

Scours is a broad term to describe diarrhea and inflammation of the digestive tract in young calves. Most cases of scours occur between day 3 and 16 of life in calves. Scours can be caused by a number of things including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. 

Calves are born with a naive immune system because there is no transfer of antibodies across the placenta. Colostrum is essential for neonates, as it gives the calf immunity.

Rumen transfaunation is a valuable technique we use to support cattle dealing with indigestion. The process involves transferring rumen fluid from a healthy donor animal into a sick one, usually via an orogastric tube or directly into the rumen. The goal is to help restore healthy rumen function by repopulating the microbial community.

As part of an effort to improve our preconditioning program at the Loose Ranch, and based on recommendations from Dr. Tom Noffsinger, we introduced a behavioral training strategy aimed at reducing weaning stress and promoting better long-term outcomes in our calves.