As we get ready to go to grass, many of us are starting to think about worming our cattle.  For those of us in the south waiting for summer time temperatures to return to reduce the viability of worms, those of us in the northern areas, the warmer temperatures is the right environment for these troublesome parasites.

When we deworm it all comes down to timing.  Improper timing lowers the efficacy of our treatments as well as increases the likelihood that a resistant population can form.  Therefore, the best time to deworm is going to depend on your region.  Again those to the south on intensively managed pastures should look at deworming in the fall and spring when temps are cool and moist.  Those to the north should look at deworming in the spring at turn out or depending on calving season at that time.  Another approach would be to select a drug to target dormant worms and hit them before they have a chance to mature and shed more eggs.

Time of deworming also varies with operation type.  Stockers are one of the more complex systems, since you must consider multiple types of worms.  Looking at which animals to deworm we must not forget our bulls, then first calf heifers.  These animals are being physiologically stressed thus more susceptible to worms.  The next class that would be most affected are our stockers. Finally our cow herd with calves at side would be the next group.

In reality though when dealing with worms, it’s all about numbers.  Any attempt to control worm populations is beneficial.  It is important to consult with your veterinarian to select the right drugs and develop a plan that works best for your operation.

With the signs of moisture on the horizon, we may begin to think about repairing our grazing sites, in particular those sites that we have seeded in the past to improve forage quality.  Traditionally alfalfa may have been the only plant that we have seeded into the pasture.  This choice may have been made from alfalfa’s increased protein content, or the due to the ease at which it sells.  However, alfalfa has some issues that we are all probably aware of.  Those would be that it can easily cause bloat when grazed alone, and the fact that it may not be as dense in energy.

Therefore, when we think about re-seeding this spring or maybe later this year; it may be beneficial to add a grass into the mix.  The addition of grass can increase the total digestible nutrients (TDN) of our improved pasture.  Couple that with alfalfa’s increased protein a great increase in quality can be had.  The addition of grass into the mix can also reduce the risk of bloat.  Having something in there that can interrupt the formation of protein froth is a big plus if you ask me.  Another benefit of adding grass to the mix would be that once cut the hay would cure faster and depending on the weather that can be a good thing.  However, adding grass may make the first two cuttings of the hay harder to sell, but the benefits for your own herd would be greater in my opinion.  So why not ask your local Coop about inserting some non-invasive cool season grasses into your legume mix.

Cryptosporidia more commonly referred to as “crypto” is one of the many germs that contributes to calf scours.  Cryptosporidia is a one celled protozoa (primitative bacterium) that is found within the digestive tracts of all living things.  It is spread through oral – fecal contact, through either consumption of contaminated pasture, water, or dirty udders.  When the numbers of cryptosporidia increase within the digestive tract causing an imbalance in the general fauna of the gut (normal bacteria levels) scours can present themselves.

Cryptospordial infections in calves generally occur soon after birth.  Signs of infection generally do not present until 7 days after infection (incubation period).  Once calves reach a month of age or so they are generally adapted to the protozoa and signs of infection cease.  But those animals are constantly shed of the protozoa, which leads to infections of others.  However, calves are not the only thing at risk of becoming contaminated with excess cryptosporidia.  Humans are at a high risk of contracting this pesky protozoa.  Once contracted the  disease causes diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting (humans).  Calves infected with crypto will exhibit pudding like stools and appear depressed and lethargic.

There are no effective vaccinations or treatments (aside from fluids) for crypto.  The best way to manage crytpo is through our calving management.  Try to calve in clean paddocks, and make sure to wash instrumentation and your hands.  The infection in humans will persist for life and thus good hygiene is the best tactic to reduce our risk of contraction and further spread.

It is important to note that crypto is a very hardy protozoa.  It can persist in soil for up to 6 months through the toughest of conditions.  It has the ability to persist in watersheds for even longer, so it is very important to make sure to calve away from a water source (pond, lake, stream) to minimize contamination.   Crypto is not only a profit robbing disease within our herd, but one that draws a lot of attention from a human health standpoint as well.  So remember was your hands before eating after working calves and mothers to help keep yourself safe.

When we think of the word pox, we may generally think of a disease such as chicken pox or small pox; but cow pox are definitely not that.  Cow pox have been deemed those dark green patches that we see in our wheat fields where the cattle have relieved themselves.  Now we may wonder what these areas are telling us.  Well it is actually quite simple, these areas where the cattle have relieved themselves are nutrient rich (in particular with nitrogen)  so as we see these areas emerge they serve as an indicator that our fields are in need of nitrogen.  Now with Spring upon us and the time ever so slipping away it is critical that we get our nitrogen fertilizers applied to our fields (especially wheat) soon to maximize nitrogen’s efficacy.

So as we look into our fields and see these rich green spots it may be beneficial to get out and fertilize, that is if Mother Nature is cooperative.

Interspersing legumes such as alfalfa or field peas into our tamed paddocks can benefit us as producers drastically.  Not only do these plants actively fixate nitrates into the soil; thus reducing our dependency on fertilizer, they are also highly palatable feeds.

Recent data from NDSU, suggests that using field-peas as a cover crop or fully as a forage crop can yield extra pounds on our calves.  Field-peas can be grown alone of with together with a cereal crop, to be harvested either for hay or silage.  Looking into their versatility really expands on how we as producers might be able to fit them into our production cycles.  Field-peas are also very hardy and can continue to grow to temperatures within the 20′s.  The real benefit is seen when fed to freshly weaned calves.  Calves fed peas in their weaning ration tended to eat more total diet, thus their gains were greater than those not consuming peas.

Now if field-peas may be a little foreign to you, think about interseeding alfalfa into your paddocks. Alfalfa can lead to similar results as peas, since it a high quality forage.  The following steps can help with the interseeding process:

1. Make sure seeding site has adequate drainage
2. Test your soil for adequate pH, phosphorus, and potassium
3. make sure complimentary forage is mowed or grazed to 2″ height and run a chemical burn down
4. Plant on 7-9″ rows no deeper the 1/2″
5. Post emergence spray for insects
6. Check planting zone for proper timing to ensure best results.

Understanding an animals forage requirements can lead into some discussion on how to effectively calculate what ‘actual’ consumption values are.  Through my reading this past week I came across an article in The Professional Animal Scientist, discussing just animal intake demand.   Looking at our production systems and the substantial component that not only grazing, but forage alone plays into these systems is vital to our survival.  So that brings to discussion what are the methods which we can determine how best to estimate forage intake of our herds.

Within the article there are many ways to estimate intakes,  the first and probably the most widely used is the concept of animal units (AU).  What is an AU, we may ask, this is where things begin to get a little convoluted.  The first is described by Scarnecchia and Kothmann (1982), where an AU is the demand of an animal (26 lb/d on a DM basis) with a total animal unit month (AUM) being the total amount of forage consumed in 1 month (781 lb/mo).  Others define an AU as a 1000 lb cow (of above average milking ability) and her calf  less than 4 months old (Meyer et al., 2012) .  Some don’t even consider the calf to be a factor at all in the equation.  Thus when we are inundated with all the choices; it is hard for use to choose which is the most correct path.

Through further reading of this article things began to become more clear (clear being relative compared to mud).  However, one emerging fact became evident that when we look at our herds we must asses not only body weight, but physiological status of our animals and forage quality as well.

Are they rapidly growing young animals on lush grass, are the cows maintaining through winter, or are they lactating cows on deep winter pastures?

Once we respond to these questions we can look into what it all means.  A big portion of intake control is passage rate.  Animals with high growth or outputs (milk) tend to have higher passage rates than those maintaining.  Likewise, if our forages are poor in quality (winter range) our animals east to a constant gut fill.

Therefore the take home message here, is that when working with your nutritional consultant on management strategies the more information that is provided can allow for a greater opportunity to finding a successful solution to the current constraints we all are facing.  Remember we are all here working together to continue the rich legacy of the cattle industry.

Have a happy weekend.

*I would like to thank Myers et al. (2012) for the work that they have published.

Bovine viral diarrhea or BVD, is one of the most costly cattle disease that we as producers face.  BVD develops within pregnant mothers (if exposed) and transfers to the calf between days 40 and 125 of gestation.  This resulting transfer yields a PI (persistently infected) calf.  These calves are then lifelong carriers of the disease, constantly shedding it into their environment.  These calves are less thrifty than their non-PI counterparts.  Profit reduction from PI and BVD infected cattle range from $15 – $25 per cow-calf pair and $42 – $93 dollars in a feedyard.  These costs are indicative of added treatment and labor costs that PI calves generate.

Thus, NCBA is offering a way to entice producers to test their cattle for BVD.  They are starting a new program where tests for BVD only cost $2.25 per head with no minimum of animals tested.  The results when then be used to form demographic data for regions (maintaining strict confidentiality) to highlight areas where BVD efforts need to be ramped up.  Included in the cost of testing is unlimited access to BVD experts.  Moreover, reports from auction where BVD tested calves have been sold report premiums of $2.42/cwt being paid.  This more than covers the cost of testing as well as supplies our buyers with added confidence and comfort in the products that we are selling.

For more information visit BVDinfo.org

With the changing weather we are beginning to see warmer day time temperatures.  However, the night time lows we are experiencing are below freezing.  That could pose a serious threat to calves born overnight.  Thus, warming a newborn calf born in freezing temperatures (day or night) is pivotal to their survival.  Especially with the time, effort, and money that has gone into this years calf crop.

Data has indicated that warming calves in a warm water bath (100 degrees) is more effective than warming them with insulation and heat lamps.  The water raises the body temperature of the calf in a manner that keeps the calf from burning through their stores of brown fat.  Brown fat is the fat that newborns possess that is more dense than regular fat allowing for greater metabolic (heat) output that is crucial for survival.  However, it may not be a practical way to warm calves in a water bath, due to facilities.  This biggest factor to keep calves health and vigorous is to get them dried off, warmed and suckling before returning to the nighttime chill.

With most of our spring cow herds nearing the end of gestation, it is now a pivotal time in our management strategy to put weight on cattle.  However, the drought of 2012 has forced many of us to become more resourceful in how we are managing our cow herds this winter.  With the limited availability of good quality forage coupled with their high price tags; many of us have turned to alternative feeding strategies to get us through this winter.

Knowing that many of these “poorer” quality forages vary greatly in their nutrient composition, it is strongly recommended to have these feedstuffs tested.  Especially when the price of these feeds and everything else carry a economic ramifications that can affect our bottom lines.

Feeding the cow herd can lead us to believe that we must feed all the cow will consume to maintain body weight or even gain.  When in reality we can effectively limit intakes feeding a more nutrient dense ration to conserve our resources.  Moreover, the price of corn when compared to forages is easier to pencil into rations, since we are paying less per unit of TDN in corn than we are with forages.  Using this knowledge we can effectively formulate rations that will utilize a by-product of sorts to meet the protein requirements of our cows, coupled with an ample amount of corn, followed by a complimentary amount of forage to maximize efficiency and save on our feed stores (if limited).  It is also recommended that an ionophore (Rumensin) be added to the diet to capture all the efficiency that we can.

If you have any questions or would like to know more, please contact your Suther’s representative and we will gladly assist you.

As a follow up to last weeks blog, discussing the management of calves born through more difficult births is the topic for the week.  Generally calves that have a prolonged or hard birth tend to be acidotic.  These calves are less efficient at absorbing nutrients from  their mothers, thus leaving weaker and frail.  Therefore, it may be necessary to feed these calves with a bottle or through a tube.  When feeding these calves make sure a high quality colostrum supplement is used.  Calves should be fed 5-6% of their body weight within the first 6 hours after birth and again when the calf is 12 hours old.

Thus for an 80 lb. calf, approximately 2 quarts of colostrum would be fed per feeding.  And by extension a 100 lb. calf would recieve 2.5 quarts per feeding.