Animal Health

Dealing With Storm Debris in Pastures and Hay Fields

Storm debris in pastures and forage-producing fields can pose a significant health risks to livestock. Learns some expert tips for mitigating risks and protecting your animals.

Feed Additives Can Modulate the Swine Gut Microbiome in Weaned Pigs

Recent research at the SDSU Commercial Wean-to-Finish Research Facility found that a combination of feed additives provided benefits to the performance of weaned pigs and also modulated the swine gut microbiome.

Phytobiotics-based Product Found to Impact Bacterial Populations in Gut of Weaned Pigs

As additions to feed or water, phytobiotics have shown promise in alleviating some of the negative effects of weaning on piglet health and growth performance.

Herd Management: Keep or Cull During a Drought?

Drought forces unexpected changes so it’s critical to have a strategy to keep only the “right” females that will benefit the operation.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Training Set for March 2

February 15, 2022

An environmental training session for operators of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations will be held Wednesday, March 2, in Huron at the Crossroads Convention Center.

Small Ruminant Abortions: Cleanup and facility considerations

Sheep and goat producers in the upper Midwest rely on annual lamb or kid crops to maintain economic viability. Reduction in the lamb or kid crop due to abortion (premature birth) and stillbirths are a common occurrence on many farms. Some of these problems have implications for human health as well as animal health.

Importance of Lamb Nutrition Management to Avoid Acidosis

Acidosis (also known as lactic acidosis, grain overload, over-eating or grain poisoning) is a metabolic condition that most commonly occurs with lambs offered grain based diets, but can affect mature sheep.

Does Crown Rust in Oats Cause Problems for Livestock?

When wet, cool conditions predominate in the spring, crop producers may have to deal with crown rust in oats. When this crop disease is abundant, questions from livestock producers arise. Could crown rust in oats harm livestock if it’s present on pasture or in hay?

Newborn Lamb Care Management

Proper newborn lamb care is a critical component of flock profitability. In the U.S. lamb mortality from all causes is approximately 20% with more than 80% of those losses occurring in the first two-weeks following lambing.

Livestock Stress Tool

Weather conditions in the Northern Plains can present more than a few challenges for livestock producers. From below zero or blizzard conditions during winter or even spring, to heat waves in the summer months, farmers and ranchers need to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions to provide the best care for their livestock and minimize their risks of losses.