Learn common pathogenic and nonpathogenic causes of late-term abortions and how dairy producers, their herd veterinarian and veterinary diagnostic laboratories can work together to help find the cause of late-term abortions.

Nitrate is a naturally occurring compound in plants. Nitrate accumulation in the plant can be compounded by conditions of plant stress, such as drought, heavy fertilization or young plants.

Noxious plants are a part of life in the mountain West and commonly occur in our high-elevation pastures. Properly identifying plants is crucial to understanding their life cycle, including periods of toxicity to livestock, and when it is safer to put cows onto the pasture.

Summer heat is inevitable and when the days start to heat up, it is nice to have a cool drink, right? As high temperatures set in, ensure that your cattle have access to plenty of water and that it is good quality.

Along with soluble proteins, amino acids, peptides and nitrate nitrogen, ammonia is part of the soluble protein (or ‘A’ fraction) of routine protein analysis and is generated by the deamination (removal of nitrogen-containing amino groups) of proteins, which reduces the overall quality of the protein.

Cattle consuming plants experiencing drought stress or plants harvested during drought conditions can be at higher health risks. So what risks are there with feedstuffs during a drought?