Most veterinarians recommend vaccinating nursing calves against clostridial, respiratory and digestive pathogens at 2 months old to bolster immunity against those pathogens.

As we near the feedlot fall run and cow-calf producers market their calves at the highest prices received to date, every additional pound of gain has greater profit potential.

Producers across the varying sectors of agriculture have been forced to find ways to generate revenue and cut costs. In the heart of the Gulf Coast Rice Belt, innovation took the form of rice-based feeds.

Since the purchase price of calves is currently high, there can be a wide price spread between the purchase price of cattle that came from a good vaccination and health program versus cattle that have not.

Preconditioning calves includes giving dewormers and vaccinations, castrating bulls and teaching them to eat at the bunk. Although this management style costs money upfront, producers can make their investment back and then some.

Sire overconditioning is a prevalent issue in the beef industry. While “fat sells” when it comes to selling bulls, research has shown that excessive conditioning can negatively affect semen quality.

One of the beef industry’s greatest strengths is its diversity. However, this segmentation often results in a calf being transported as many as four to six times prior to harvest, with each transit event inducing stress.

“Shrink, the unpaid loss of weight, is essentially an important cost of marketing,” says Chris Bastian, a professor in the department of agricultural and applied economics at the University of Wyoming.

A new tool for ranchers could be a game-changer when preconditioning calves.