Welcome

The short days of winter are becoming longer, and the promises of a fresh start are showing up in the calving pastures. Cow-calf producers have spent countless hours planning, organizing records, evaluating body condition, feeding, fixing fence, fertility testing bulls, administering pre-breeding vaccinations, de-worming, putting up hay, preg checking, moving cows, putting out mineral, and did I mention fixing fence?

All of this hard work will be rewarded as we begin to see new baby calves nursing and playing on sun-warmed afternoons. Spring is a special time for all of us involved with agriculture; it is a new beginning and a reminder that miracles occur every day if we choose to recognize them. A few of my most vivid memories in practice involve spring calving and include those 2:00 am deliveries or assisting heifers giving birth for the first time. It is with this same excitement, diligence, and planning that the PAC team brings you this newest edition of Protein Producers.

This edition continues the theme of providing information pertaining to multiple disciplines of production by having educational sections related to cow-calf, swine, dairy, feedlot, research, facility design, and bilingual training. Our goal is to provide interesting educational material to our clients that can be used in the real world of production as they continue to grow their businesses.

If you have specific topics you would like included in the next edition of Protein Producers, please bring those to our attention by visiting our website at pacdvms.com and our contact information is listed.

One of the current and important topics in livestock production today is the implementation of Veterinary Feed Directives, or VFD’s. Dr. Pete Anderson will continue a series explaining how to appropriately add this documentation to various production systems.

As we prepare to implement VFD’s with the goal of improving the judicious use of feed grade antibiotics, it will be essential to have timely communication and education. These training sessions will need to involve veterinarians, nutritionists, management, and the people carrying out the directives. This is a great opportunity to work on improving communication within an organization.

The PAC team is excited to once again provide educational opportunities for our clients in 2016. Because we have more information than we can fit into a single event, we have decided to have an additional meeting.

There will be a stockmanship clinic in Kearney, Nebraska, on May 11th and our annual PAC summit in Oberlin, Kansas, on July 13th. We hope all of you can send team members to one or both meetings; we are excited to share with you new innovations and techniques to improve your businesses and educate your caregivers. Please consider joining us for two days of education and fellowship.

From all of us on the PAC team, we hope you enjoy this edition of Protein Producers and that it helps bring clarity to your business goals and provides inspiration.

Dr. Corbin Stevens