Beef Herd Health and Quality Assurance

All Beef Herd Health and Quality Assurance Content

Labeled cooler and vaccines ready for anyone who is loading syringes.

Keeping Your Vaccines Viable

Vaccines are a vital part of keeping all livestock healthy. Vaccines help in the prevention of disease, which results in less utilization of antibiotics due to fewer sick animals. A valid vet-client-patient relationship will help you as you select the vaccine of choice for your livestock health program.

a dairy calf resting on a bed of straw

Ringworm: Don’t Let it Ruin Your Show Season

Ringworm is a common problem in animals that can bring a show season to a screeching halt.

A South Dakota Mesonet station in a snow-covered field.

SDSU Extension and South Dakota Mesonet team up to release the Livestock Stress Tool

November 18, 2021

Weather conditions in the Northern Plains can present many challenges for livestock producers. Farmers and ranchers need to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions to provide the best care for their livestock and minimize their risk of losses.

group of cattle resting in spring pasture. Courtesy: Krista Lundgren/USFWS

Parasite Control for Cow Calf Operations

Spring is coming and with calving season underway it is important to keep our eyes forward on to the next step in production.

black angus cow with green tag on ear

Getting Replacement Heifers Ready to Breed

Producers should take some time to evaluate replacement heifers’ health, nutrition and reproductive status to ensure high-quality females entering the cow herd.

A black calf nursing from a black and white cow with mixed cattle in the background.

Implanting Nursing Calves

Implanting nursing calves has consistently shown to be an effective way to post greater calf weights at weaning time. In fact, implanting has the greatest return on investment of any other technology, which ultimately makes the decision of which implant to use of lesser importance than the decision to implant.

A group of mixed cattle feeding in a feedlot.

Neospora-Positive Status: Impact on heifers/cows and their calves

Neospora caninum is a protozoal germ that has the potential to affect reproduction in beef and dairy herds. Neospora-related reproductive problems can arise from two different kinds of infected cattle: 1) cows or heifers that became infected by eating contaminated feed, and 2) cows or heifers that were born with Neospora and pass it on to their offspring in utero.

silage truck dispensing feed to dairy cattle at feed bunk

Mycotoxin Considerations for Weather-Damaged Feedstuffs

Whether your crops have been hit with drought or hail the odds are that we are going to see an increase potential for feed contaminants such nitrates or molds which cause mycotoxins.

Two dairy employees working with dairy cattle health supplies.

Prevention of Needlestick Injuries in Livestock Production

Within agricultural production a good share of livestock producers perform routine veterinary work themselves. This includes administering vaccinations or treatments for common disease or sickness. A result of performing this type of work there is increased risk for injury do to a needle stick injury.

Brown and white cow grazing on standing cornstalks

Considerations for Grazing Standing Corn

Grazing standing corn is a viable option to supply nutrients to livestock. However, mitigating risk is critical to ensure healthy animals and optimize crops.