Beef Herd Health and Quality Assurance

All Beef Herd Health and Quality Assurance Content

Cattle using a fabricated windbreak in north western South Dakota.

Guidelines for Livestock Windbreaks

Livestock grazing open crop residue fields or large pastures can be left exposed during extreme bouts of cold. Ensuring that cattle and any other livestock being pastured in exposed areas have adequate access to shelter to escape the wind and cold is especially important.

A female food scientist in a white lab coat and blue gloves conducting a test on a food sample.

Looking for Foodborne Germs and Their Resistance to Antibiotics

How often do the meat products we buy in the store contain germs that might cause illness in people? Can we learn anything about antibiotic resistance with that information? Those are just two of the questions that SDSU is examining as part of their work with the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS).

Sealed packages of ground beef stacked inside a meat cooler at a grocery store.

Looking for Foodborne Germs and Their Resistance to Antibiotics: Ground Beef

This report analyzes the NARMS results for ground beef for the period of June 2018 through May 2019.

a herd of cattle laying on straw

Cattle Bedding and Food Safety

When most people think of farm animals, a picture of Old MacDonald’s Farm likely comes to mind with fluffy, bright yellow piles of straw in and around a barn. Cattlemen may look at bedding as just another chore along with feeding, watering, and doing health checks that promotes the well-being of the animals to grow and produce high quality food.

FDA-approved sharps disposal containers.

Where Do the Sharps Go?

Sharps used in livestock husbandry practices are considered medical or infectious waste. Regardless of why an animal received a shot, it is important to dispose of the needle in a safe way.

Two producers observing an in-field cattle watering unit.

Water Monitoring Systems for Livestock

Depending on animal locations, checking water tanks can require hours of labor and significant fuel costs for remote pastures. Water monitoring systems offer producers a convenient way to check the status of the water sources remotely.

Black angus cow drinking from a waterer.

Weather and Water Intake in Beef Cattle

Water is a vital nutrient for beef cattle health and performance, and it is important to understand how weather can influence water intake during periods of warmer and cooler weather.

Group of mixed cattle cooling off in a stock pond.

Indicators of Heat Stress

All cattle experience heat stress, whether they are in the feedlot or out on pasture. Learn some key indicators to watch for when herds are faced with extreme heat events.

Rancher cleaning a cow's hear before applying an implant.

Getting Implant Application Correct

How would you like to make a few thousand dollars per hour? When cattle backgrounders and feeders use growth promoting implants correctly, those returns are not a pipe dream. The key is administering the implant correctly.

A large, yellow automatic cattle waterer installed in a feedlot.

Water: The Unappreciated Nutrient

Water intake is strongly linked to feed intake, so any factors that cause cattle to drink less will lead to reduced feed intake and consequently reduced performance.