Protein Producers Winter 2021

PROTEIN producers

TM

2021 Volume 9 Issue 4

EDITORIAL TEAM: Brandi Bain, Andrea Dietel, Darcy Howard, Lisa Taylor

SPONSORS Thank you to all sponsors for supporting PAC & Protein Producers.

Animal Health International Arm & Hammer Automated Dairy Specialists Bimeda, Inc. Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Daniels Manufacturing Co. DOCTalk Elanco Animal Health Lallemand Animal Nutrition Merck Animal Health Micro Technologies MS Biotec Neogen Newport Laboratories Norbrook Zinpro Corporation Zoetis FRONT COVER PHOTO CREDIT Thank you to Danny Herrmann and Nels Lindberg, DVM for the photo from Ford County Feed Yard in Ford, Kansas.

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Lynch, Nebraska

Photo Credit: Audry Wieman, DVM

We want to showcase unique photographs from our readers here!

Please submit your photographs to protein.producers@ pacdvms.com.

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WELCOME Hello to our loyal and go-getter readers!

As you read this, many of you have already faced some adverse winter weather conditions – some snow, maybe even ice, or worse yet a nasty cold rain making environmental conditions a challenge for God’s resilient creatures and also for everyone in the trenches working their tails off in our noble profession of producing beef to feed the world!

I am honored to write the opening for this issue of Protein Producers! It takes me back to the early days when we started with a simple newsletter of just a few pages, guided and produced by a very talented and passionate lady named Kelly Terrell. I enjoy marketing, so I spent a number of hours on the phone with Kelly, listening to her vision and plans. She is an incredible human being, let alone former Miss Nebraska, and our very own Dr. Shane Terrell must have put on a show for her to marry him!

I love history, especially the history of businesses. If it wasn’t for Kelly, I wouldn’t be typing this welcome today. We wouldn’t have a top-notch industry publication full of wisdom and relevant, practical information written by professionals who work in the trenches every day. Kelly’s vision was bold, and she had a desire to go big. And here we are today, with a publication born out of her vision and work, along with the work of Lisa Taylor, Brandi Bain, Darcy Howard, and Andrea Dietel. We are very thankful for these very fine professionals!

If you enjoy this publication, feel free to reach out to them and let them know!

In this issue, we are covering a variety of topics including preparing for calving, lice control in cattle, early BRD identification and treatment, training adolescent stock dogs, the Bud tub design, creating a legacy business, and more. We hope you enjoy the second issue of our newly expanded format. At the same time, we realize it isn’t perfect and we aren’t done listening to you, our readers, for topic or content recommendations, likes, dislikes, and any other feedback you have to offer. If you would like to share your input, please email us at protein.producers@pacdvms.com. We want to hear from you. Your thoughts and opinions matter.

Lastly, we give thanks for all of you. We wouldn’t be here without you, our readers. At PAC, we promise to remain a people-focused group of experts that offers protein producers all over the world a competitive advantage through the information and services we provide, and to fulfill our goal of improving your operation's efficiency and operating costs from conception to finish. Thank you for your loyalty! We greatly appreciate you!

Much gratitude and love, Dr. Nels Lindberg Production Animal Consultation Great Bend, Kansas

THANK YOU We want to thank the industry partners, publications and associations who have pro vided content to Protein Producers. Also, a big thank you to our readers for sup porting us, offering content and helping us improve each issue. We could not do any of this without all of you!

Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and information expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect Production Animal Consultation's policy or position.

contents WINTER 2021-2022 6 Welcome Dr. Nels Lindberg

31 Snapshot 2021: PAC Members and Their Influence

60

10

Parable: Cowboy Medicine 101

66-67 Newest PAC Members Chuckles from Down Under

74

28

Risa entre dientes desde Oz

80 The Pot Roast: Mississippi Pot Roast

82 PAC Intern Highlight: Mattie Holzmeister

82 Snapshot 2021: Protein Producers

❙ ANIMAL STEWARDSHIP

10 Caregiver Camp

14 As You Handle Cattle, It’s All About the Approach

❙ COW-CALF

18 Tips for Battling Cold Weather Stress

22 Preparing for Calving 8

contents

28 Taking Shape: Working with Adolescent Stock Dogs

❙ INDUSTRY

32

56

Great Ranches Tell Great Stories: The Brownotter Buffalo Ranch

❙ LEADERSHIP

36 Working to Replace Yourself: 4 Strategies to Creating a Legacy Business

42 Successful Employees, Successful Teams

68

❙ FEEDLOT

46 Thoughts and Designs Around the Bud Tub

50 Early BRD Detection and Treatment Equates to Better Outcomes

56 Lice Control in Cattle

❙ EN ESPAÑOL

68

32

– corrales de engorda

Ideas y Diseños Alrededor del “Bud Tub”

72

– liderazgo

Empleados Exitosos, Equipos Exitosos

76 42

– vaca-becerro

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CAREGIVER CAMP

By Andrea Dietel, Production Animal Consultation

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n a dirt road outside of Benkelman, Nebraska, you will see an irrigated crop field followed by miles of western Nebraska cow pasture filled with yucca, sand bluestem, and buffalo grass. As a signal of the oasis ahead, as you round the last bend, a small pond surrounded by cottonwood trees and rushes shows you the way to your destination: Caregiver Camp, held at the home of Dr. Tom and Diane Noffsinger.

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Caregiver Camp is the brainchild of Dr. Tom Noffsinger that came to fruition for the first time in September 2021. The intention was to give cattle handlers (caregivers) the opportunity to leave the feedyard, ranch, or processing crew and have access to uninterrupted time to learn how to better communicate with the animals from their daily life: cattle and horses. When caregivers leave their home environment, the opportunity to relax and have fun gives birth to learning and teambuilding.

The two-day camp is taught by Dr. Tom Noffsinger, Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz, and Ted Howard. Jose Valles and Dr. Jared Borek are also in attendance to provide English as a second language training.

The ideal students for Caregiver Camp are supervisors and team members who have the willingness to learn and then take that knowledge home to share with their teammates. “No matter where caregivers are in their career, they can learn, grow, and teach in the areas of stockmanship, horsemanship, and team building,” says Noffsinger. Dr. Tom also includes himself in those that benefit from time spent with others at the camp. “When caregivers come to camp, I am able to leave case fatality rates, pen conditions, and data at the feedyards and just concentrate on cattle handling with our caregivers.”

Students can expect to learn principles like stimulus and reward training, creating voluntary movement, generating honesty in cattle to increase disease detection, acclimating new cattle, working in partnership with your horse, and how to learn as an individual and as a team.

Travis Pitts with Irsik & Doll Feed Yard sees Caregiver Camp as both an opportunity and reward. Luis Santana, 12 animal stewardship

a two-year employee at Irsik & Doll Feed Yard, recently attended the camp. Pitts shared, “I wanted Luis to get out of the feedyard and out of the daily grind. He has the heart for the cattle, but he needed the knowledge to become a caregiver.” Since returning to the feedyard after Caregiver Camp, Pitts has noticed a change. “Dr. Tom has taken Luis to the next level. The animal-human connection that was made is above all of our heads.”

A student of the first session, Tavi Aragon from Imperial Beef, who has been a cattle handler for 5 years, decided to go to Caregiver Camp to improve already well-established skills. “I wanted to see if I could improve my understanding of the dynamics and movements of cattle. I knew it would provide myself and then cattle with a better experience.” Aragon also describes the atmosphere of Caregiver Camp as a friendly and relaxed place to learn. “The main thing I learned, since it was repeatedly demonstrated, was the value of applying and releasing pressure while moving cattle in a feedlot. We are always in a fenced environment and when you learn how to use the fence, you have 90% of the job mastered.

I’m ready to go back and do it again.”

To learn more about Caregiver Camp, email andrea.dietel@pacdvms.com, or visit www.pacdvms.com/ caregiver-camp. We’ll see you in Benkelman!

AS YOU HANDLE CATTLE, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE APPROACH

By Chad Engle, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

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here are moments in life that may not seem too big of a deal at the time, but years later a person realizes that they were actually very pivotal moments that changed the trajectory of lives and careers. I remember one such moment for me, sitting in a conference room in a hotel in Grand Island, Nebraska, at a feedyard management meeting back in 2010. At the time, I worked at the USDA-ARS’ U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), and I had been asked by the Director to be sure to keep up with the industry connections that I had, as well as to cultivate new ones.

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Change is hard. Almost anyone that has made a big change will admit that.

I would argue it is even harder when what is currently being done is working pretty well.

I had been with USMARC for a little over two years, and this meeting was one of many that I attended to make connections and hopefully learn a thing or two. Towards the end of the day, a charismatic speaker grabbed my attention. The speaker was veterinarian Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz, and the message was a fresh new take on cattle handling, stockmanship, and animal welfare. I left that day knowing that I wanted to get to know Dr. Kip, recruit him to our team, and see if we could implement some of the new ideas he presented on cattle handling.

Eleven years later, I could not be happier that he joined our team. What I truly did not grasp that day was that not only could we improve our cattle handling, but that in doing so, we would be embarking on a journey that would never end, a journey that would change the way we viewed our jobs and how we looked at cattle. Our approach has become one of constant improvement, always wanting better, always wanting more.

Change is hard. Almost anyone that has made a big change will admit that. I would argue it is even harder when what is currently being done is working pretty well.

In our industry, no one survives very long if they are not 16 animal stewardship

pretty good at what they do, as well as committed to doing it to such a level that is best described as stubborn.

When a group of people is good at what they do and have done it successfully for a long time, they will have some natural reluctance and skepticism towards anyone who walks in and tells them that we are going to change the way we do things and that those changes will make it better. This was the exact situation at USMARC. I knew we were good, actually really good, at handling large herds of animals efficiently and successfully. I had a crew of people that were proud of their skills and of their livestock, and a lot of them were pretty darn convinced that the way we did things was so good that it could not be improved upon. Today, I am sure that my crew would agree that there is always room for improvement.

Fast forward eleven years. Are we perfect? Absolutely not, and we never will be. We are, however, better every day. As we began to achieve new levels of success, we started to realize what was possible. This realization completely changed our approach. We no longer believe we cannot get better. We no longer assume what we are doing is the best. We have proven to ourselves that there

is better out there, and we should always be striving for it. Only time will tell how good we can get. What I can tell you for sure is that we will be striving for it.

I am not going to discuss the specific details of how we have improved handling and decreased morbidity and mortality, improved conception rates, cut down on injury accidents to both people and cattle, improved facilities, and increased revenues. I will let Dr. Kip and his team at PAC explain all that. Suffice to say that we have made great strides in all these areas, and we will continue to improve down the road.

As your operation moves towards the future, you should expect more scrutiny and requests for transparency from diverse stakeholders regarding your cattle handling and husbandry practices. Proactively inviting these interactions and allowing stakeholders to ask questions about your current practices provides them with a positive experience and an opportunity to understand and learn. Respecting their views and opinions and providing understanding on both sides of the animal handling and husbandry discussion connects you with your community and will help move your business and

the industry towards long-term success. There is always room to grow for your operation and for ours at USMARC. Decide now to embrace these opportunities and you will already have won the first battle.

Chad Engle grew up in a diversified cattle and farming operation in Nebraska.

He has spent the last 20 years in the cattle industry, working in a variety of capacities from sale barns and ranches to a 120,000 head Kansas feedyard before joining U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC) in 2008. He is currently the Livestock Manager at USMARC, where they have cow-calf, feedlot, sheep, swine, and horses. Chad also runs cows and operates a feedyard at home with his wife and two children.

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TIPS FOR BATTLING COLD WEATHER STRESS

By Clint Hilt, DVM, Hilt Veterinary Service, Production Animal Consultation

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attle producers in the Northern Plains of the United States are no strangers to battling cold weather conditions. While Mother Nature will continue to have a mind of her own, there are a variety of steps that producers can take to improve environmental conditions and their herd’s preparedness before and during cold weather spells.

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No matter where cows and calves are kept, they must have adequate access to water.

While cows can supplement water intake by licking snow (if the snow is not hard or crusty), they must also have access to drinkable water.

A fundamental concept when understanding how cold stress affects the cow is lower critical temperature, defined as “the lowest temperature a cow can be exposed to before she needs to have changes metabolically to help her cope with cold stress.”1 Lower critical temperature depends on body condition score (BCS), hair coat thickness, and whether the hair coat is wet or dry.

Any action that can influence either environment (temperature and wind chill) or lower critical temperature can help the cow conserve energy.

As a general rule, cows require 1 kilogram per day protein during the last trimester of pregnancy. While this protein intake does not change the quality of colostrum, it does improve the calf’s vigor and ability to get up and nurse earlier. As temperatures fall, cows will require additional feed, a concern in years like this when hay prices are high. Loose mineral supplementation is also important, no matter what time of year calving occurs.

Operations can utilize different types of shelter for cows and calves, including heated barns, open-face sheds, and bedded wind breaks, depending on availability and the extremity of weather conditions. For producers who have access to all three types during extreme cold spells, cows and newborn calves can be housed in a heated barn for the first 24 hours post20 cow-calf

partum, moved to an open-face shed for the next 24 hours, and then moved to bedded wind breaks. Straw is most commonly used for bedding; wood chips are another option. Regardless of bedding material, make sure to monitor its depth. If the bedding is too deep, calves may get laid on. Wind breaks help cut the wind chill factor. Angled wind breaks provide protected areas accessible to calves but not cows. Calf huts or calf shelters can also provide protection from wind but may create biosecurity and cleanliness concerns since they also block sunlight.

No matter where cows and calves are kept, they must have adequate access to water. While cows can supplement water intake by licking snow (if the snow is not hard or crusty), they must also have access to drinkable water. If necessary, chop ice regularly or haul water in, particularly in areas where reservoirs have dried out.

For calves, I must emphasize the importance of colostrum intake. Make sure calves get up to nurse; the sooner and more often, the better. If the calf cannot receive colostrum from its mother, provide the calf with colostrum from another cow (who does not need it for her own calf) or use a high-quality colostral-derived colostrum replacer (not a supplement).

Calf coats can also help improve calf comfort and energy preservation during cold weather. Calf coats come in both single use and reusable/washable varieties.

Recently, I have worked with some producers trying out the single-use Fit N Forget™ Beef Calf Covers from Woolover Limited.2 These calf coats can raise the temperature around the calf as much as 30 degrees F (as measured with a thermometer placed between the calf’s

skin and the calf coat). Calf identification numbers can be written on the coats, and the coats generally last two to four weeks, although I have seen some coats last up to two months. Occasionally, cows may perceive coatwearing calves as predators. Observe the cow’s behavior after fitting the calf and remove the calf coat if the bonding between the cow and calf is negatively affected.

In my experience, no matter the size of the operation or time constraints, it is worth the money, time, and effort to use these calf coats. They can also be utilized for highrisk and valuable calves in controlled environments.

If calving during the height of winter weather continues to challenge your operation, moving your calving date may be worth considering, depending on nutrition, facilities, manpower, and past experience. Remember, more inputs often yield bigger calves while less inputs yield smaller calves.

Whether you battle a single snowstorm each year or multiple cold spells lasting weeks to months, these practices can help improve cattle welfare and production.

Resources

__________________

1. Preparing the Cow Herd for Cold Weather. UNL Beef, November 2013. https://beef.unl.edu/cattleproduction/ preparing-cow-herd-cold-weather 2. Fit N Forget™ Beef Calf Cover, Woolover Limited. http://www.woolover.co.nz/fit_n_forget.html

Dr. Clint Hilt is a veterinarian and owner of Hilt Veterinary Service in Dutton, Montana. His practice is located in north-central Montana, extending from the Alpine Meadows to the Breaks. Dr. Hilt strives to be current, in both practices and procedures, and thorough for its clients. Dr. Hilt received his DVM from Washington State University in 1989.

This article has been translated to Spanish on page 76.

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PREPARING FOR CALVING

By David Rethorst, DVM, Beef Health Solutions, Veterinary Applied Systems Thinking, Production Animal Consultation

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s we think about preparing for the upcoming calving season, we must remember that calving is an important step in the creation of value in the beef industry. Creating value (profit) for beef producers is the art of managing the resources (land and cattle) that have been entrusted to our care in a manner that meets the wants and needs of the consumer (production of a product, beef, that they want and are willing to pay for). Today’s consumers, at least the vocal ones, are concerned about how we care for cattle, how we use antibiotics, and the impact beef production has on the environment. In other words, we need to practice good stewardship.

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Stewardship is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. What a powerful definition! In the conversion of cellulose to high quality red meat protein, aka, beef production, we have been entrusted with not only the careful and responsible management of our beef animals but also that of the air, water, soil, and grass that we utilize in the production of beef. Each time an animal in our care dies, not only is that animal’s life wasted, but the natural resources that were utilized in getting the animal raised to that point in its life are wasted. The grass and water it took to get the cow pregnant and to carry the calf to term are wasted along with the resources used during the calf’s life. A certain amount of sick and dead cattle are inevitable in the production of beef. However, each sick or dead animal should cause us to ask ourselves if we could improve our stewardship practices.

There is ample opportunity to reduce the death loss, reduce the waste, and put more steaks, roasts, and hamburgers in the meat counter without increasing the size of the cowherd in the United States. The weaned calf crop in this country averages in the eighty percent range and the opportunity exists to increase the beef supply through improving reproductive efficiency rather than increasing cow numbers. An even lower hanging fruit is reducing the weaning-associated sickness and death loss caused by respiratory disease.

The key for these changes is to make sure that we are performing basic animal husbandry practices very, very well rather than incorporating more vaccine and antibiotics. These practices include: Ample supply of clean water Optimal nutrition Colostrum Shelter Biosecurity Low stress management Parasite control Vaccination

“Because nutrition matters.” Those three words very appropriately summarize the importance of nutrition to the lifetime health and performance of beef cattle.

Gestational nutrition will serve as the foundation for this discussion as protein, energy, vitamins, and trace minerals during pregnancy are necessary on a timely basis in order for cattle to perform as expected.

As we think about energy in the pregnant cow, it is essential that the cows are maintained in a near optimal 24 cow-calf

▲

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

body condition score (BCS), 5-5.5 for cows and 5.5-6 for heifers, as they go into calving. These condition scores indicate that the dams have adequate energy intake during gestation. Cows whose energy is restricted in late gestation tend to give birth to calves with light birthweight, low vigor, and low ability to survive.1 These calves are more susceptible to neonatal scours and have a higher mortality from birth to slaughter. In another study, calves born to thin cows are slower to nurse, have lower IgG and IgM levels, and have reduced thermogenesis.2 Cows that are in adequate BCS going into calving have the necessary brown fat in the colostrum to serve as a neonatal energy source and will have the necessary condition for rebreeding in a timely manner.

Extensive fetal programming work has been done in the last twenty years demonstrating the importance of protein intake during the third trimester of pregnancy. A study at the University of Nebraska showed that the steer calves out of cows that were supplemented with protein while grazing dormant pastures outperformed steers born to unsupplemented cows in the feedyard.3 The same study demonstrated the yearling reproductive performance of heifer calves born to supplemented dams was significantly better than that of heifers whose dams were not supplemented. Two studies at New Mexico State University (NMSU) demonstrated that protein supplementation strategies during the third trimester of pregnancy impacts feedyard BRD morbidity and mortality.4,5 One set of cows received supplemental protein 3 times a week (3X), another group received free choice protein supplement (CONT), and the third received protein when inclement weather was anticipated (VAR). The trace mineral for the free choice group

Figure 1 Summary of New Mexico State University Studios4,5

3X

CONT

VAR

Morbidity %

48

16

37

Mortality %

4.1

4.6

3.3

Morbidity %

37

0

25

Mortality %

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0

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4-year study

1-year study

components of colostrum that are essential for the neonate. Colostral fat serves as a nutritional energy source to help the neonate thermo-regulate, especially in the first hours of life. Colostrum plays an integral role in supplying neonatal energy needs and this role has been described to be of equal importance to colostrum’s role in transferring passive immunity to the newborn.11 Calves born to prepartum protein restricted two-year-old beef heifers had lower heat production as a neonate than calves from heifers fed adequate protein prepartum.12 In a related study, body condition score (BCS) of two-yearold heifers was directly related to immunoglobulin absorption by their calves.12 ▲

was incorporated into the protein while the other two sets of cows were on free choice mineral. Figure 1 is a summary of the health performance of the steers from these studies in the feedyard.

Given the transfer of trace minerals from dam to fetus that occurs in the third trimester and the importance of this transfer to immunocompetence,6,7 the question that bears asking in these two studies should be, “Are the differences seen in these studies due to protein supplementation, trace mineral supplementation, or a combination of the two?” The cows in the free choice protein group received both the protein and trace mineral they were supposed to since the trace mineral was incorporated into the protein supplement while the cows in the other two groups were offered free choice mineral.

The levels of trace minerals that are fed during gestation do not have the impact on calf vigor that protein and energy do.2 However, there is evidence that the trace minerals will impact immune system function.8 Copper, zinc, and selenium are the primary trace minerals of interest when immune function is discussed. When reproduction is considered, manganese should be evaluated. Trace minerals are transferred from the dam to the fetus during late gestation to provide the very high fetal liver stores of trace minerals that are required for proper immune function the first 50-60 days of life.

Nearly all discussions of colostrum focus on the antibodies that are transferred from the dam to the newborn calf via colostrum as this is an important factor in determining the pre-weaning health and performance of beef calves. Calves in a study at Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) that did not receive adequate colostrum were 6.4 times likely to experience neonatal illness, 3.2 times more likely to become ill prior to weaning, and 5.4 times more likely to die prior to weaning when compared to calves receiving adequate colostrum.9 Calves that became ill in the first 28 days of life were 35 pounds lighter at weaning than the healthy calves. In the feedyard, calves receiving adequate colostrum were 3 times less likely to become ill and 3.1 less likely to experience respiratory disease than the calves receiving inadequate colostrum. In a second MARC study, calves receiving inadequate colostrum were 1.6 times likely to become ill and 2.7 times more likely to die prior to weaning.10 Calves receiving adequate colostrum were 7 pounds heavier at weaning. No differences were seen in the feedyard in this study.

Fat and leukocytes (primarily lymphocytes) are other

Figure 2 Effect of body condition score on serum immunoglobulin G levels of calves.12

Colostral leukocytes are absorbed by the neonatal gastrointestinal tract and can influence the immune function of the calf.13 The impact on neonatal morbidity and mortality associated with this leukocyte absorption has not been studied. However, one could hypothesize that if the lymphocytes of the dam are primed with viral vaccine antigens prior to colostrogenesis, the viral immunity of the calf could be enhanced early in life by the colostral lymphocytes.

Calves are born with very low Vitamin A and Vitamin E and thus rely on colostrum as the primary source of these fat-soluble vitamins. Both of these vitamins are necessary for optimum immune function as well as other tissue functions. Vitamin A deficiency has been shown to impair the viral immune response in neonatal calves.14 Deficiency of this vitamin causes damage to the epithelium and allows viruses and bacteria to invade.15 Vitamin A deficiency has become more prevalent in recent years primarily due to a fire in Germany that destroyed the only plant that manufactures feed grade Vitamin A, the increased use of distillers grain that is winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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relatively low in Vitamin A content, and ongoing droughts which affect forage quality.

In an older study at the University of Idaho looking at weak calf syndrome, protein supplementation in late pregnancy was shown to increase the amount of colostrum that was absorbed by calves born to two-yearold heifers.16 A closing thought on colostrum management is to encourage producers to, if at all possible, wait until the newborn calf is dry before tagging, weighing, or giving vaccines. This allows for better bonding between the dam and the neonate, which in turn encourages improved intake of colostrum. Discussions about colostrum focus on the immunoglobulin transfer that occurs, but it is essential that fat content, vitamin content, and leukocyte content are considered as well.

Environmental management includes windbreaks for cows during pregnancy, bedding and windbreaks during calving, and timing of calving season. Windbreaks will aid in maintaining body condition by reducing calories needed for basic maintenance. Bedding will keep calves warmer, reducing stress and keeping the immune system more functional. One reason some producers move to late spring calving is to reduce stress on calves, thus a healthier calf. Another example of environmental management is the use of the Sandhills Calving System in order to reduce the occurrence of calf scours. The basic premise of this system is to move the cows that have not calved to a new calving area approximately every two weeks allowing the newest calves to be born on clean ground.

Now is a good time to make sure your calving 26 cow-calf

equipment is where you think it is and in good working order.

Remember that calf jack that did not work correctly on the last calf you pulled last spring? Now is the time to fix it rather than when that first heifer OB is in the headgate. Is that the same headgate that would not consistently hold a heifer last spring? Let’s get those repaired or replaced now. Make sure the OB straps or chains are clean and where they are supposed to be. Disinfectant, soap, OB lube, towels, and OB sleeves should be checked on now also. Spending some time checking on these now will save a great deal of anxiety once calving starts.

During stage I of labor, uterine contractions begin that rotate the calf to an upright position, dilate the cervix, and allow the water bag to appear. Once the water bag breaks, stage I is complete. This usually takes 2-6 hours.

Once the water bag breaks, stage II of labor or the actual delivery of the calf has begun. Mature cows should complete this stage within an hour while heifers may take 12 hours. If they are not progressing within an hour, the time to intervene is now. Catch them, get them in a headgate, and get an arm in them to determine what is going on. Once the calf is delivered, stage III of labor, the passing of the placenta, begins. This should be completed in a matter of 2-8 hours.

Please do not try to “look a calf” out of a cow. One of my pet peeves when I was in practice was when a client would call at 5:30 PM as I was leaving for the day and say they had noticed a heifer calving at 7:00 AM that morning but she still hadn’t calved and ask if they could bring her in right away. Invariably, the result was a dead calf and I went from the asset side of the ledger sheet to the liability side when I did not have any control of the situation.

With weaned calves being worth $900 to $1100, it just makes sense to intervene early so the result is a live calf.

Healthy calves are the result of doing even the small details extraordinarily well. This creates value for the cow-calf producer because the cattle have a more functional immune system which is something the feedyard industry wants and is becoming more willing to pay for.

All segments of the beef industry are able to create value by reducing labor costs involved in treating sick

animals, improved performance, and reduced death loss.

This reduction in use of antibiotics and corresponding reduction in the chance of antibiotic resistance are both good in the eyes of our consumers. This approach reduces waste and allows for more efficient use of our natural resources. It is good stewardship. It is sustainable. It creates value for the producer and the consumer.

9. Wittum TE, et al. Passive immune status at postpartum hour 24 and long-term health and performance of calves. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 1995; 56:1149-1154.

10. Dewell RD, et al. Association of neonatal serum immunoglobulin G1 concentration with health and performance in beef calves. Journal American Veterinary Medical Association, 2006; 228:914-921.

11. Carsten GE. Cold thermoregulation in the newborn calf.

Portions of this article are excerpted from:

Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 1994; 10:69-106.

• Rethorst, D. Creating Value for Producers, Consumers.

Joplin Regional Stockyards Cattlemen’s News, 2016; October: 8-9.

12. Odde KG. Survival of the neonatal calf. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 1988; 4:501-508.

• Rethorst, D. Flippin’ the iceberg: A systems thinking approach to immunology and vaccination protocols in beef cow-calf systems. American Association of Bovine Practitioners Proceedings of the Annual Conference, 2021; 90-97.

13. Perino LJ, et al. Immunization of the beef cow and its influence on fetal and neonatal calf health. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 1994; 10:15-34.

Resources __________________

14. McGill, J. Vitamin A deficiency impairs the immune response to intranasal vaccination and RSV infection in neonatal calves. Scientific Reports, 2019; 9:15157.

1. Corah LR. Understanding basic mineral and vitamin nutrition, in Proceedings: The Range Beef Cow Symposium XIV, 1995.

15. Carroll, JA, et al. Influence of stress and nutrition on cattle immunity. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Food Animal Practice, 2007; 23:105-149.

2. Corah, LR. Effect of pre-calving energy, protein and trace minerals on calf vigor and survival. Agri-Practice, 1994; 15:9.

16. Blecha, F, et al. Effects of prepartum protein restriction in the beef cow on immunoglobulin content in the blood and colostral whey and subsequent immunoglobulin absorption by the neonatal calf. Journal of Animal Science, 1981; 53(5):1174-1180.

3. Funston, R, et al. Effects of maternal nutrition on conceptus growth and offspring performance: Implications for beef cattle production. Journal of Animal Science, 2010; 88:E205-E215.

4. Mulliniks, JT, et al. Supplementation strategy during late gestation alters steer progeny health in the feedlot without affecting cow performance. Journal of Animal Feed Science and Technology, 2013; 185:126-132.

5. Mulliniks, JT, et al. Winter protein management during late gestation alters range cow and steer progeny performance. Journal of Animal Science, 2012; 90:5099-5106.

6. Van Saun, RJ. Fetal mineral metabolism and its impact on neonatal health and performance. Proceedings: American College Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2003.

7. Van Saun, RJ. Importance of transition cow mineral and vitamin nutrition for calf development and survival.

Proceedings: Danish Bovine Practitioner Seminar, 2007.

8. Marques, RS, et al. Effects of organic or inorganic Co, Cu, Mn, and Zn supplementation to late-gestating beef cows on productive and physiological responses of the offspring. Journal of Animal Science, 2016; 94(3):1215-1226.

A native of southwest Kansas, Dr. David Rethorst attended Kansas State University where he received his DVM in 1978. He spent 35 years in primarily beef cattle practice in south central Nebraska and northwest Kansas before accepting a position as the Director of Outreach for the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University in 2013. Returning to private practice in 2017, he is currently mentoring young veterinarians in three practices in addition to serving a clientele of beef producers. His preventative approach focuses on basic animal husbandry, especially nutrition in the cow herd, rather than more vaccine and more antibiotic. winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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TAKING SHAPE: WORKING WITH ADOLESCENT STOCK DOGS

By Audry Wieman, DVM, Ridgeline Vet Services, Production Animal Consultation

W

hile they do not walk around with acne and braces, the teenage phase for dogs can be just as awkward as that of their human counterparts. Between the ages of 5 months and 18 months, a dog undergoes asynchronous physical development and mental development. Having traded their puppy fluff and waddle for a shiny coat and gangly legs, young dogs often have the appearance of an adult animal but lack experience and confidence that come with age. This dichotomy can often create consternation for their owners but also opportunities to develop a reliable companion. Understanding what is happening to an adolescent animal can help train an effective and adaptable dog around a stock operation.

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It can be difficult to reconcile a dog that looks fully grown but lacks the ability to regulate their emotions and instinctive behavior. While many dogs have grown into their adult frame by 9 months of age, they exhibit behaviors that are inappropriate and sometimes inexplicable. One of the most common behaviors that occurs is chasing. A significant trigger from the stalk is tracking lateral motion. This action is where something moves across the eyeline of the dog from left to right or vice versa. A swishing tail, a child running, or a vehicle tire rolling by are all primers for an instinctive reaction.

Common targets include moving vehicle tires, horse tails, children, or cattle. In the adolescent timeframe, dogs are honing their predatory chase techniques, also known as impulse control. Dogs practice rating the risk of a scenario, gauging the distance to prey, and calibrating the timing of the attack with the dispersal of a large reserve of physical energy.

The results of these early encounters take root in the immature brain and help to determine how to handle their next experience. The lessons a dog learns from their early exposures often drive their behaviors for a lifetime.

By noticing the stalking motion of dogs, this behavior can be harnessed and directed towards a mutually beneficial function. Young dogs need opportunities to allow their developing mind to catch up with the physicality of their bodies. While it would be nice to think that a dog would ‘get it’ without intervening with training, the reality is that it takes many mistakes to develop skills.

Arranging the environment for a young dog will help streamline the learning process, minimize collateral damage to others and the dog itself, and create desired behaviors.

Know what action you want to see. Before training your dog, you must know what behavior you want to see.

Decide if you want the dog to sit or lie down. Decide what 30 cow-calf

you want to see when you release the dog from the cue. If your dog lays down as the cattle goes by, when do they get up and where do they go next?

Think through the entire scenario before you ask your dog for behavior.

Manage the environment. Rather than trying to limit the dog’s actions, manage the environment in which they can learn to appropriately use their instinct. It follows the adage of “make the right things easy.” Start with your dog in a small space without many distractions. This situation allows control over the environment that the dog can focus on while training. Many horse trainers start colts a round pen. It is safe, just enough space, and entering it is a cue that they are going into a learning environment. Create a similar focused location to work with your young dog.

Engage connection. Begin by engaging the dog with something that gains their attention. This could be some skills they already know – something that promotes focus and a little motion like recalls or a game of retrieve.

With cattle, when we gather, we approach the herd and allow them time to get up, stretch, find their calf, and orient to the situation before asking them to move. For dogs, engagement orients them to a training session and increases the focus on you.

Start small and get it right. When developing understanding for your dog, start with a slow-moving target for a short distance. An old rope, a horsehair drag, or simply a person walking across the eyeline can be a good place to gauge a starting point. Once they respond with the correct behavior, then the difficulty can be graduated to varying intensity, duration, or targets. Progressions in this manner of reinforcement build confidence, resilience, and the ability to delay gratification throughout the working session.

Reinforce what behavior the dog should do. If your dog accomplishes the behavior, the reinforcement should be well-timed. Rewards can be praise, petting, permission to get the target, treats, or a play session away from the target. In the case of impulse control, asking a dog to restrain their physical energy is best rewarded with allowing them to disperse it on an appropriate mark. Once the dog understands the basics, then the reinforcement can be the next cue or command that you want them to perform. If a dog breaks their behavior, simply reset your dog and adjust the environment by slowing the movement or reinforcing earlier to create a correlation with what your dog is supposed to

be doing, rather than correcting inappropriate behavior.

Test the understanding. Integrate the training into the daily routine. Start the day with a quick reminder or warm up, then continue with your routine. Two to three minutes to start the day and acclimate expectations is often enough. Think about the distance from the dog to the target and the dog to you. Observe where the criterion for the behavior deteriorates. If they overstretch a boundary, work a little further away from the cattle until the dog attends to you. Remember that verbal cues are not a dog’s first language, so repeating a cue more than twice is probably indicative of a training limit.

Young dogs have great potential, which often carries great expectations. In addition to testing their limits, an adolescent dog’s brain is still growing which means that its memory may be inconsistent. What is true for them one day may not be repeated the next morning. Practicing a short time every day in different situations can

strengthen the memory of a dog’s behavior. Young dogs learn quickly and advance their abilities daily. What they learn is up to those they interact with and the responses the dog receives for the behavior they exhibit.

Audry Wieman, DVM lives in northeast Nebraska and has integrated behavior consulting into her mixed animal private practice. She has consulted across the nation and enjoys exploring the why and how-to in partnering animal behavior with owner lifestyles. For more information, questions, or topic suggestions, visit her website at www.ridgelinebehaviorvet.com or email her at audry.wieman@pacdvms.com.

SNAPSHOT: PAC MEMBERS and Their Influence

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GREAT RANCHES TELL GREAT STORIES: THE BROWNOTTER BUFFALO RANCH

By Darla Dwyer, DVM

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reat ranches can tell great stories; you just have to ask someone that knows them well. In the early 1900s, Ron Brownotter’s grandmother received an allotment of 320 acres from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The land was on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation near Bullhead, South Dakota. Unlike much of the surrounding land it was never sold but passed down through the family. This land is the origin of the Brownotter Buffalo Ranch, home to the largest Native-American owned buffalo herd in the United States. The journey for the Brownotter family from raising cattle on the original 320 acres of land to a herd of buffalo that utilizes over 20,000 acres is this chapter of the ranch’s story.

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Ron Brownotter always knew he would become a rancher. At the age of twelve, he was enrolled in the Johnson O’Malley Program and educated at a boarding school. Even then, he began using everything he had to work toward his dream, buying axes, shovels, fencing pliers, and other tools whenever he could. After graduation, Ron joined the military. His family had a legacy of military service, serving in both World Wars, Vietnam, and Korea. He even had ancestors that fought for their sovereignty at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Ron wanted the type of life they had, and military service was something they all had in common. Originally, he aspired to be an Army Ranger, but the Marine Corps would take him more quickly and his struggle with direction and alcoholism was becoming urgent. “The Marines saved my life with God’s help,” he said. Shortly after joining, he was placed in inpatient alcohol rehabilitation, and after went on to serve 10 years.

After finishing his military service in July of 1992, Ron enrolled in Cal Poly, and started studying Animal Science and Agronomy in August of that year. He chose the area because he could stay with his wife’s family, about 45 minutes away. Ron and his wife, Carol, had already started a family, and owned cattle in South Dakota. Ron commuted from California to the family ranch in South Dakota as often as he could before graduating in 1998.

The winter of 1996-1997 proved to be especially challenging, bringing the type of blizzards that are only seen every 100 years or so. That year, Ron spent some 34 industry

Ron Brownotter extra time on the ranch in addition to his winter break to attempt to save their cow herd. At the time, he only had a two-wheel drive truck and a tractor not well suited for the snow. He fed bags of range cubes by hand in the draws, attempting to pull the herd through the weather before he had to return to Cal Poly for the spring semester. That year his family lost half of his cows to the cold, and they knew they knew something had to change.

While in college, Ron took part in a business class that worked on livestock industry business planning.

His group made their plan on how to raise buffalo in South Dakota, but it wasn’t until a few years after the blizzard in the late 90s that his family started to add buffalo to their operation. They started with six buffalo and have gradually phased the cattle out over the last 21 years. In Brownotter’s experience, buffalo are hardier and more suited to the environment in South Dakota because they evolved to fit the environment.

Compared to the cattle he previously raised, Ron said they are smarter, travel a lot farther, and are more efficient with native grass. They even have more hair follicles than cattle with a coat that is more like wool, one of their main adaptations. While that hard winter was the obvious driver of the transition, culture and heritage also played a huge role. As a Native American,

Ron knew the importance of buffalo to his people, and this was further demonstrated by research published at that time. Research by Richard Steckel and Joseph M. Prince1 analyzed data collected in the late 1800s by Franz Boaz. This data indicated that bison dependent tribes were among the tallest humans on earth at the time, an indicator of both physical and societal health.

According to Ron, the buffalo are not only a huge part of maintaining Native American culture but are also a crucial part of restoring their health. Buffalo are a central part of tribal ceremonies, but some Native American families have started to add it back into their regular diet in efforts to eat and live healthier. Despite efforts by Indian Health Services, Native Americans still have a greater risk for diabetes than any other ethnic group in the United States.2 Ron lamented the toll he has seen that take on Native American people through complications, including amputations and kidney disease.

You may have guessed that Ron has a great deal of care for and involvement in his community. He has been involved in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Government and the Sitting Bull College Board of Trustees, among other roles. As we discussed challenges in his community, many of them mirrored our challenges in rural America: access to fresh and healthy foods, healthcare, education, and jobs. Ron said that jobs in agriculture, casinos, Indian Health Services, and Bureau of Indian Affairs are available on the reservation, but most other opportunities and education for them is something you must leave the reservation for. Although this is a significant barrier, the most pressing challenge and urgent need in his opinion is the need for an inpatient drug and alcohol treatment center. These treatment centers throughout the country are notoriously difficult to be admitted to, and even more difficult to pay for.

The location of these centers in combination with restrictions from the state and Medicaid resources that often provide healthcare to people on the reservation have made them almost completely inaccessible to people there. Unfortunately, the need there is still very real. As we discussed this further, Ron described drug and alcohol addiction by comparing it to the parable of the blind men and the elephant in the room.

As each person silently identifies the piece they’re touching, the one touching the trunk will suspect a snake while another touching the tusks imagines a spear. He believes the elephant in the room emanated from trauma dating back to relations between settlers

and Native Americans, trauma that has been passed down via habits and coping mechanisms for generations. In his experience, when the seed is planted that the elephant is a family problem, only then can people finally start to understand it and work together to heal. He is actively looking for anyone willing to help with or fund local resources for this and hopes for a day when this resource that helped him early in life is available to other Native Americans.

The legacy of the Brownotter Buffalo Ranch is rich with history, dating back before the time of Sitting Bull, who lived less than a mile from the eastern part of the ranch. It tells of conflict between people and how they adapted and overcame through time. The Brownotter family's chapter of the ranch’s history tells of many challenges and lean seasons, but also of triumph, innovation, and growth. It’s part of a larger story in the area of grassroots movements back toward foundational culture and health; one the Brownotters like to share with people who visit for a guided buffalo hunt.

Like a true rancher, Ron spoke with great gratitude of the most rewarding things from his part in the tale: God, family, friends, clean and sober living, the importance of integrity, and the many wonderful people in his life. “Do what you love, and never quit,” he said.

Resources __________________

1. Steckel, Richard, H., and Joseph M. Prince. 2001. "Tallest in the World: Native Americans of the Great Plains in the Nineteenth Century." American Economic Review, 91 (1): 287-294.

2. https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aian-diabetes/index.html

Dr. Darla Dwyer grew up on a farm in rural northeast Kansas. She graduated with her DVM from Kansas State University in 2013.

Darla has spent her career in mixed animal practice in rural Kansas and Nebraska.

She enjoys the variety that mixed practice brings, but especially enjoys herd work with cattle and swine. She and her husband currently practice in the panhandle of Nebraska at Pioneer Animal Clinic in Scottsbluff. winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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WORKING TO REPLACE YOURSELF: 4 STRATEGIES TO CREATING A LEGACY BUSINESS Dr. Nels Lindberg, Production Animal Consultation

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f you are reading this, you are likely involved in or working in some sort of business. It could be a feedyard, ranch, backgrounder, or farming operation, or some combination of all of these. The business you are in is a living breathing thing. It has a life of its own that has ups and downs with good years and tough years.

Just like your life, a business is either growing or dying, and there isn’t a lot in between.

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Over time, we often get comfortable, as we love the work we do, we like that we have full control, our souls are fulfilled, and so we don’t look beyond that. However, if we are to create a legacy business, we must be able to humbly look forward and let our ego go to work to replace ourselves.

Growing may not be rapid growth or even the slow accumulation of ground, cows, or bunk space. It may be that you have a mindset for growth and stewardship of your blessings. Each year you make decisions to ensure facilities are continually upgraded so that in 20 years you do not have a dilapidated, worn-out physical operation.

We often think about the hard assets of the business and making sure they are operational for the future, but are we also thinking about the human capital operational future or legacy?

I would like to focus on the growth mindset of creating a legacy operation. To me it is, “How am I going to continue the legacy of this business, so it can go on past me when I am gone?” I hope you have the same mindset for your feedyard, farm, or ranch, because there are real, living, breathing people that depend on that operation to be there beyond you! A veterinary clinic is no different than any agriculture operation. When I bought a veterinary clinic in 2005, my goal was to grow it and ensure that it survived and thrived so it could provide best-in-class veterinary care for years beyond me. What I did not know at that point was truly what it would take and the sacrifices it would require of me to achieve my goal. Through trials and tribulations, failures and successes, I began and continue to learn the process of creating a legacy business.

The following are four strategies to replacing yourself and creating a legacy business. I have learned these strategies over many years as the practice grew and I spent less time at the practice from day to day. It has been a high-speed crash course in creating a legacy, and it could still fail but the pieces are in place. Only time will tell.

1. Creating a culture of “It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about the business.” I remember the first time I said this in a meeting with our clinic team quite a few years ago. I wanted to convey to our team that what we were working towards was not for my personal benefit, but it 38 leadership

was for the sustainability of the clinic. It was about deciding to change how we did things for the good of the clinic.

If we do not communicate to our team, they can routinely have the mindset of, “Well, that’s fine. I will do it, but he (or she) is just all about himself (or herself).” To end that line of thinking, just let your people know, “It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about the operation.” Doing this also begins to build a mindset that is less selfcentered and more outward-centered. People begin to think less of what they think is best and instead ask, “What do we all think is best?”

2. Working to replace yourself as you lead an operation will be difficult in the beginning, as you must first understand your role. Over time, you get pretty good at what you are doing by making enough mistakes. You begin to understand how the different seasons go, the ebbs and flows, and the do’s and don’ts of your operation. Your mindset will move from being reactive to anticipating. Then as time goes on, you can share that with your team to help them anticipate what is coming next.

Over time, we often get comfortable, as we love the work we do, we like that we have full control, our souls are fulfilled, and so we don’t look beyond that. However, if we are to create a legacy business, we must be able to humbly look forward and let our ego go to work to replace ourselves. Letting go of the control and letting go of our ego, my friends, is the toughest part of the process. If we do not do it, we are writing a recipe for some sort of failure or at least limiting the full capacity of success that could be seen after we are gone. We have to be looking to replace ourselves and grooming the next person in line, similar to the “next man up” mentality of any successful football team.

3. Intentionally turning the reins over to our successor is the next step. This isn’t a one-time grand event, where you say, “Now it’s yours.

You’ve been named the leader. Take it and run!” Successfully turning over the reins is a methodical process that can take years. You may not have years, but for best long-term sustainable outcomes, years is best. You led an operation for 10, 20, or 30 years, and you cannot expect to pass over all that knowledge on in a month, 6 months, or even a year. Your knowledge was built up over decades, through repeated seasonal events and screw-ups, and then more screw-ups.

The true goal is to take a person that meets your behavioral value set, personal code of conduct, and core values, and coach them into a legacy leader over time. Metaphorically, we start by showing them how to brush the horse before saddling the horse. As more time passes, we show them how to successfully pad the horse, saddle

the horse, ride the horse, and so on. You get the picture. It is a process of slowly but surely giving them more responsibility and decision-making authority. We coach them every step of the way, talking to them and asking them, “What do you think?” We ask them to be patient, humble, and respectful and to ask us the same question, “What do you think?”

Our biggest challenge in this process, as the leader, is letting go of the control and letting go of our ego. We have been successful at what we have done so we sometimes think “I don’t need their input!” or We know what we are doing!” or “They just need to do what they are told and stop asking questions!”. But we must remember they have great ideas, and some of them may be better than ours! The key is for both parties to be open minded, able to communicate through difficult or crucial decisions, and focused on doing what is best for the operation rather than fulfilling personal agendas, ideas, or biases.

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board. Your job is to be there some, sit back and absorb what is going on (sometimes up close, sometimes from a distance), offer advice as you see big waves coming, be counsel when called upon, give crucial advice if you see it is needed, and be the cheerleader.

The biggest challenge for the “next man up” is patience and respect. They must relax and be patient in the long process because replacing a leader takes time. It is an emotional journey for the leader because they are “giving up their baby”.

They can show respect by asking the leader, “What do you think?” when they face difficult decisions or new challenges.

This article does not do this whole process justice but provides a glimpse into an area of opportunity I see for many operations and businesses. As I went through this process of replacing myself at my clinic, I made a lot of mistakes and experienced a wide range of emotions.

Throughout the process, I continued to reflect on and then verbalize it.

Again, the toughest challenge for a leader replacing himself or herself is giving up the ego and the control.

This can eat a person alive, but if you truly have the mindset of creating a legacy operation that goes on after you are gone, you must do this over time. We can all think of operations that did not do this and did not survive. This is a brutal question, but is that what you want? I don’t think so! If it is not what you want, then please take these steps! If you want to dig more into the process, please reach out to me. I would be glad to help you because we need your operation to be a legacy operation!

Ultimately, successful transitions require the leader to lose their ego and be willing to give up pieces of control over time and the successor to be patient and respectful by routinely asking the leader for their thoughts and input.

4. Being an advisor is the final step after you have accomplished the prior steps in this journey. By this point in the process of replacing yourself, you have done your homework, you have done the work, and you can be 100% absent. The operation not only goes on successfully but often more successfully than when you were in charge! The reins have been completely handed over and the operation is running like they are competing at the Kentucky Derby. You are simply the cheerleader, the consultant, or the chair of the 40 leadership

Dr. Nels Lindberg is a people coach, team coach, business coach, and keynote speaker, all virtually or in person. If you have any interest in these opportunities, please reach out to his office at 620-792-1265 and visit with his right-hand lady, Jill.

SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYEES, SUCCESSFUL TEAMS

By Quint Finney, Midwest PMS

We have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of those we lead.

It is the right thing to do from a human perspective. And, it will more than likely have a positive impact on the success of the business.

I

n today’s environment, finding and retaining solid employees to fill feed yard positions is tough, to say the least. Turnover is a problem.

Properly executed interviewing, hiring, and onboarding processes are expensive and time consuming. Loss of productivity and efficiency directly (and negatively) impact the bottom of line. No new news here.

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Considering these particular difficulties, the industry has somewhat recently decided to put forth more effort towards developing procedures and processes to deal with what most consider an employee crisis. Buzzwords like culture, teambuilding, and development are all the rage. But, while there are some organizations that are very effective in these areas, are we really doing enough?

I believe the cattle feeding industry is indeed in a crisis situation relative to adequately staffing feed yards. Many industries are. For example, consider the current number of job openings in construction, the food service industry, manufacturing, and the list goes on. I also believe there is a need for effectively executed processes that deal with positive cultural and personnel development, leadership skills, teamwork, and communication, all of which contribute to higher productivity and efficiency, and all of which, obviously, revolve around people.

I started my career in the Cactus organization 36 years ago. When I was a twenty-something-year-old bunk reader, Paul Engler told me: “These feed yards are only concrete and steel without the right people working in them.” It was true then and it is true now. Currently, tech companies are spending millions in research and development to create technology to effectively eliminate people in the workforce. “Eliminating people” is actually their sales pitch, which is counterintuitive to what many believe to be an important part of the foundation of the 44 leadership

cattle feeding industry: people and passion. I am a fan of technology and the undeniable potential that it provides relative to accuracy, production, and efficiency, but I think we are missing opportunities if we put all our eggs in the technology basket.

I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Pete Anderson and Dr. Nels Lindberg during the last couple of years to develop and present seminars that focus on effective cultural development, leadership, and education relative to the cattle feeding industry. Pete is a colleague at Midwest PMS, and Nels is part of the PAC veterinary group. It is an effective collaboration because we share a passion for the industry. More importantly, we share a passion for the people in the industry. We agree that people are our most important asset. We also agree that people are our biggest opportunity and that any leader, in any organization, should truly want those they lead to be successful.

So, what defines successful employees? It probably depends upon who you ask. Feed yard managers and department supervisors may have very different answers than the members of the production teams. As managers and supervisors, we have a tendency to focus on the tangibles when evaluating employee success. Punctuality, dependability, honesty, work output, and job skills are some of the ways we define employee success.

But what about the definition of success from the viewpoint of the production folks? How do they define their

As managers and supervisors, we have a tendency to focus on the tangibles when evaluating employee success.

Punctuality, dependability, honesty, work output, and job skills are some of the ways we define employee success.

personal success? It is our job as leaders to know the answer. It means getting to know the teams and working to develop effective professional relationships with those we lead.

I would guess there are similarities in how people define personal success. The ability to pay the bills, pay for college, make and/or pay off the mortgage or rent, pay off the car, and still have a little to put away for retirement are certainly all measures of success. But I would suggest that most people have little true passion for these things. I would also suggest that these things have little to do with how people identify themselves.

I believe that most people on this earth want to be involved with something bigger than themselves. I also believe the cattle feeding industry and its leaders have opportunities and the responsibility to make that happen and help people be successful. If we can effectively motivate people and help them understand the value of their contributions, we increase our ability to be more productive, efficient, and effective, and we help them realize success in their professional lives. If we are serious about their professional success, we go deeper and help them make the connection to personal success.

So, it all sounds good, right? But how do we go about truly helping people achieve success in our industry?

In my opinion, it is all about people understanding why we do what we do and communicating the purpose of the organization. It starts with a basic understanding of cattle performance measurements and how their respective responsibilities impact them. We communicate results and coach to performance. Teach them that we are in the food production business. We feed people, and that is a big responsibility. These are the initial steps in creating accountability and instilling ownership

mentality into the culture. When people possess an ownership mentality, they will likely experience success.

In the Midwest PMS-PAC seminars that I have been involved with, Dr. Anderson speaks about the importance of engaging employees and suggests that this process is a “every employee, every day event”. It is the responsibility of leadership to make it happen. Making people feel valued is key. In addition, he makes the point that we accept that responsibility when we accept a management position. Dr. Nels supports those theories in his coaching presentations and makes some points that should resonate. He explains that when you take care of your people, they will take care of you. When we fail to serve our employees, customers and companies suffer. He also provokes us with the Simon Sinek quote, “Average companies give their people something to work on. The most innovative organizations give their people something to work toward.”

Our jobs and careers, at least partially, define who we are. But, at the end of our lives, what we did professionally will not be emphasized nearly as much as how we did it. We have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of those we lead. It is the right thing to do from a human perspective. And, it will more than likely have a positive impact on the success of the business.

Quint Finney is a management and operations consultant with Midwest PMS. He works with multiple cattle feeding organizations across the country, focusing on productivity and efficiency through effective personnel development. Contact him at qfinney@mwpms.com or 620-655-6138.

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THOUGHTS AND DESIGNS AROUND THE BUD TUB

By Kip Lukasiewicz, DVM, Production Animal Consultation

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have been designing feedlot, ranch, and research/ university facilities for several years. My experience and passion for designs arose once I studied the natural behavior of cattle from the late Bud Williams and from my current partner, Dr. Tom Noffsinger.

I studied the behavior of cows and calves in their normal pasture environment during my sophomore year at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. During that time, I discovered the social behavior of cattle in terms of how they interact with each other within the herd, their movements and timing of those movements, and their eating and drinking tendencies. However, it was not until I met Dr. Tom Noffsinger and Bud Williams that I truly learned the intricacies of bovine behavior.

I continue to learn the importance of the cattle’s vision.

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48 feedlot

Figure 1 Bud box design

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Over the years, some producers have asked me to design a tub for them. Initially, I was opposed to doing this because of my training and also due to the lack of confidence in traditional tub designs. The traditional tub designs were forceful in their approach in terms of guiding cattle toward the destination. Therefore, I was reluctant to go against my principles. Additionally, tubs are more difficult to design and build compared to square pen designs.

Then my current partner, Dr. Corbin Stevens, came up with a design that made a lot of sense to me. It resembled a box design but with a quarter tub, as illustrated in figure 2a. This design allows cattle to come into the tub and go past the processing alley, stop, and turn to come back around only to be led into the processing alley in a voluntary motion. I like to put in a safety walkthrough between the inside corner of the alley and tub.

This allows the handler to shut the gate and walk through the tub/alley. They are also outside the tub so they can move the sweep gate if needed. The sweep gate can also be placed on an electric or hydraulic remote.

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Cattle want to see what is pressuring them when moving and reaching a stopping point. They will stop and return where they came from. Our position as handlers matters in how we ask for forward movement as well as how we ask an animal to back up. For all this to happen, we must have open sides of alleys so that the animal’s vision is not impaired.

When I first started to design facilities, all of them had Bud boxes, as illustrated in figure 1. In this design concept, cattle come in and go past the processing alley. They use their natural instinct to reach a stopping point and return where they came from. At this point, the handler is positioned near the processing alley so they can guide the cattle to come around them and enter the alley going toward the chute. This is truly voluntary movement on the animal’s behalf and is not forced but utilizes the concepts of natural behavior. This improves the safety of the animal and handler in the box. Because the box has open sides, pending the behavior of the cattle, the handler can work from outside of the box, allowing the animals to visualize and interact with the handler. This design has had great success but does require some level of skill for the system to work as it was designed.

Figure 2a Quarter Bud tub design

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This design made me evaluate the traditional halfcircle tub to determine if we could create voluntary flow of cattle into and out of the tub. To accomplish this, we changed the entry point, as shown in figures 2a and 2b, pending the tub design and size. This allowed the cattle to now enter near the processing alley instead of the previous forced sweeping action.

In the traditional tub design, shown in figure 3, cattle were forced into a solid-sided tub and made to flow around toward the processing alley via a sweeping gate. Due to their vision being taken away from them, cattle would get near the enclosed processing alley and turn back.

Figure 3 Traditional quarter-tub design

Today, we utilize very little sheeting on traditional tubs so that cattle can easily observe what is pressuring them. This creates more confident interaction between the handler and animal. My preference is to only sheet 60 to 75% of the tub and to remove the catwalk from the tub. The catwalk is no longer needed because the animal can easily see the handler when less sheeting is used.

There are many engineers and designers now designing and building their version of the Bud tub. It is important for anyone designing a Bud tub to fully understand and apply all the concepts of bovine behavior. If not, the tub may have errors in the design or entrance point.

Facilities cost a lot to build. They are even more expensive if built incorrectly. If you are interested in the Bud tub, please contact me to create or evaluate your design. You can reach me via email at kip.lukasiewicz@pacdvms.com or call me at 402-760-3939.

▲

Figure 2b Half Bud tub design

Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1999 from Kansas State University. He is the owner of Sandhills Cattle Consultants, Inc. and a partner with Production Animal Consultation, LLC. Dr. Kip’s primary focus is feedlot consulting, animal handling, and facility design. Dr. Kip trained under the late Bud Williams and has worked and trained extensively with Dr. Tom Noffsinger utilizing Bud’s thoughts on lowstress cattle handling and caregiving. Dr. Kip along with Dr. Tom works and trains with over 20% of the US fed cattle industry and also travels to Canada training feedlot clients on low-stress cattle handling and caregiving. Dr. Kip resides in Grand Island, Nebraska, with his wife and two children. He is an active member of the Academy of Veterinary Consultants, Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association and American Association of Bovine Practitioners

This article has been translated to Spanish on page 68. winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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EARLY BRD DETECTION AND TREATMENT EQUATES TO BETTER OUTCOMES

By Jacques Fuselier, DVM, DACT, DABVP, Technical Services Manager, Merck Animal Health

E

arly detection of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is critical. There is a greater chance of success with the first treatment, which means cattle will feel better quicker and get back to healthy behaviors sooner. You also have a chance to reduce lung damage and consolidation, which if they occur, can linger with the calf for the rest of the feeding period.

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Because cattle are prey animals, early disease detection is challenging. They are wired to hide any signs of weakness or sickness, until the point when they cannot hide it anymore. When you start noticing signs of disease, the animal likely already is a couple days into the disease process.

Where do assessment and treatment of cattle fit in the overall order of operations? Involve your veterinarian in determining what time of day animals should be evaluated and treated. When labor is limited or operations are extra busy, it can be easy to postpone evaluating or treating sick animals. Waiting until tomorrow adds at least another 24 hours to disease progression that could have been avoided. The result? Treatment costs are greater. Treatment success and long-term outcome are negatively impacted.

Signs to look for

Should an NSAID be used We typically do not know if BRD is caused by a virus or bacteria. If a virus is involved, a secondary bacterial infection often is on board. We talk a lot about the “bug” and “drug” when selecting a treatment protocol. However, the third component is the “host”, which in the case of BRD, is the calf, specifically their lungs.

Different bacteria release different toxins that cause the calf to release certain enzymes and proteins to try to fight the disease. This causes inflammation to make the environment hostile for the virus or bacteria. When inflammation occurs, it is non-specific, so damage occurs to all cells. In the case of BRD, the innocent bystanders are cells that make up the healthy lung tissue.

Fever and inflammatory response are important at the very beginning of the infection. They create an environment that is harmful to the virus or bacteria.

After a couple hours, these responses can become damaging to healthy tissue.

Using a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) – which is called an ancillary medication – with an antibiotic at first treatment can be helpful. An NSAID often is given to help reduce fever caused by BRD. A study evaluated three NSAIDS – flunixin, ketoprofen, and carprofen – each used in conjunction with an antibiotic (ceftiofur) in the treatment of naturally occurring BRD.1 All three NSAIDS reduced fever more than the antibiotic alone.

However, flunixin and ketoprofen reduced it more quickly and to a greater extent than carprofen. Flunixin reduced the extent of lung consolidation more than the other two NSAIDS, and by significantly more than the antibiotic alone.

There are antibiotics that come in combination with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, so antibiotic and ancillary medication can be given in a single SubQ dose.

Being able to use a product that is proven effective early in the process can help decrease disease and improve the comfort and welfare of the animal. A veterinarian can

Being able to use a product that is proven effective early in the process can help decrease disease and improve the comfort and welfare of the animal. A veterinarian can help determine which antibiotic is best based on the stage of the disease.

The typical but subtle signs that an animal is sick and/or needs to be further evaluated include lowered head or drooping ears, slowness to get to the bunk, and/or less movement than its counterparts. During feeding, you can more easily assess activity and monitor which animals may not be feeling as well. Different phases of the animal’s life impact how much movement typically is seen – with animals closer to the end of the feeding period spending more time lying down.

Operations should have protocols for assessing and treating sick animals. It is important to evaluate each animal and not work on assumptions. Watching the calf move and looking for signs of pain or inflammation in the joints are important. Is it a foot or leg problem, or is the issue higher up? Conduct an overall exam when the animal is in the chute and use a consistent evaluation pattern. For example, start by looking at the calf’s eyes and nose – do they have discharge, what does the discharge look like? Then move to the neck, down the front legs, and so forth.

As the disease progresses, it becomes evident what they are dealing with; it is more challenging to diagnose the problem in the early stages. Is it a gastrointestinal issue? Is it a respiratory issue? A joint issue? Using a 52 feedlot

consistent method to evaluate animals helps to institute the right treatment at the right time.

help determine which antibiotic is best based on the stage of the disease.

New technology for managing BRD There are new tools being created and others becoming more widely available to help with BRD as it relates to disease prediction, detection, and confirmation. The Quantified Ag® technology is used to monitor activity and body temperature to detect sick animals earlier and more accurately. Whisper® On Arrival is the first technology of its kind with the goal of optimizing metaphylaxis use. Ultimately, these tools will help us advance the way we manage BRD.

Getting calves pulled, evaluated and treated at the first signs of disease gives the best opportunity to minimize lung damage or consolidation due to the effects of the pathogen, and the calf’s over response to the disease. Work with your veterinarian to determine the best evaluation methods and antibiotic and ancillary medications to help improve the calf’s treatment outcome and overall wellbeing. __________________

1. Lockwood, P. W., Johnson, J. C., & Katz, T. L. (2003).

Clinical efficacy of flunixin, carprofen and ketoprofen as adjuncts to the antibacterial treatment of bovine respiratory disease. The Veterinary record, 152(13), 392–394. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.152.13.392

Dr. Jacques Fuselier is a technical services manager in the cattle group of Merck Animal Health. He consults on beef production management topics both to cattlemen and veterinarians. Dr. Fuselier owned and worked in a mixed animal practice for several years before teaching at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and LSU School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Fuselier earned a DVM from LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and is Board Certified in Food Animal Practice and Board Certified in Theriogenology.

54 feedlot

LICE CONTROL IN CATTLE

By Dan Thomson, PhD, DVM, Production Animal Consultation, Iowa State University

L

ice continue to cause issues in beef cattle production.

Most lice problems in cattle occur in the winter months due to the decrease in sunlight during the days and the longer hair coat in cattle. The longer hair coat also makes it more difficult for cattle to groom themselves, contributing to more lice issues. Lice do not live very long away from the host animal. Therefore, we begin using lice products starting in the fall when day length gets shorter and cattle begin growing their winter coats. We stop lice product application in the spring as our days get longer and warmer, causing cattle to shed hair coats.

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The life cycle of lice is 20 to 30 days in the dense winter hair coat of cattle. The entire life cycle occurs on cattle which makes lice easier to kill than many other vector species. The adult female lice attach nits (eggs) to the cattle hair. A week or two later, the nits hatch lice nymphs. The nymphs go through molting processes until they advance to the adult stage around two weeks after hatching.

There are two main types of lice: chewing lice and sucking lice. Of the five lice species in North America, four of the species are sucking lice and one species is a chewing type of lice. It is important to know which type of lice you have infesting cattle when treating. Injectable

endectocide products are effective at killing sucking lice but will not kill chewing lice. Topical or pour-on endectocide products are effective in killing both biting and chewing lice.

Cattle infested with lice will begin rubbing or scratching on fences or posts. As this behavior continues, some cattle will begin to lose large patches of hair. Studies have shown that rubbing on fences can permanently damage the leather produced by liceinfested feeder cattle. Lice infestation is uncomfortable to animals, creating stress and increased activity to relieve symptoms. Heavy infestations can lead to poor performance in feedlot cattle. Stress not only leads to

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Table 1: Topical lice control products for beef cattle Ingredients

Number of administrations requireda

Boss®

5% permethrin

1

3 ml/100 lb BW or maximum of 30 ml

0

Clean-Up IITM

3% diflubenzuron + 5% permethrin

1

3 ml/100 lb BW or maximum of 30 ml

0

CyLence®

1% cyfulthrin

2

24 mlc

0

Permectrin® CDS

7.4% permethrin + 7.4% piperonyl butoxide (PBO)

2

2 ml/100 lb BW or maximum of 20 ml

0

SaberTM

1% lambdacyhalothrin

1

15 mld

0

Ultra Boss®

5% permethrin + 5% piperonyl butoxide (PBO)

1

3 ml/100 lb BW or maximum of 30 ml

0

Ultra SaberTM

1% lambdacyhalothrin + 5% piperonyl butoxide (PBO)

1

15 mld

0

Y-Tex® Brute®

10% permethrin

2

2.5 ml/200 lb BW or maximum of 15 ml

0

Product name

Dosage

Meat withdrawal

Rain fast timeb

Not rain fast

Rain resistant

aProducts requiring more than one treatment, the second dose should be administered 2 weeks after the first dose. bRain fast time is the time needed for product to be on the animal before rain occurs. cDosage for cattle over 800 lbs. dDosage for cattle over 600 lbs.

58 feedlot

decreased intakes but can decrease the immune response of cattle. Lastly, lice are vectors that have been found to spread blood-borne diseases within and between cattle herds.

One should work with a veterinarian to determine the type of lice control that is right for your herd. Things to consider include rain fastness of product, withdrawal days of product, number of times a product must be administered, and cost. Remember that injectable products do not kill chewing lice. Therefore, the tables included only represent pour-on or topical products.

There are basically two types of pour-on products used to control lice in cattle: systemic or topical products. Systemic products are absorbed into the skin or licked off the animal during grooming which then presents back to the skin to control lice. These would be the avermectin pour-on products. The second type,

pyrethroids or permethrin pour-on products, are not absorbed and to not have lateral transport in the skin system. This is why proper administration of pour-on products is very important to the success of treatment or control of lice in cattle. When pouring the product on the cattle, you should administer 1/3 of the product at the withers and then administer the remaining 2/3 of the dose from the withers to the tail head. Lastly, some topical pour-on products require two doses to be effective.

Controlling lice is an important component to your feedlot and cow herd health program. The further north your operation is located, the earlier in the year lice control begins and the longer the lice season continues. Products differ in mechanism of action, number of applications, and duration of activity. Work with your veterinarian to develop the right program for your cattle herd.

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Table 2: Systemic pour-on lice control products for beef cattle

Product name

Ingredients

Dosage

Meat Withdrawal

Rain fast timea

Cydectin®

5 mg/ml moxidectin

1ml/22 lb BW

None

Rain resistant

Dectomax®

5 mg/ml doramectin

1ml/22 lb BW

45 days

Rain resistant

Eprinex®

5 mg/ml eprinomectin

1ml/22 lb BW

None

Administer 6 hours prior to rain

Ivomec®

5 mg/ml ivermectin

1ml/22 lb BW

48 days

Administer 6 hours prior to rain

aRain fast time is the time needed for product to be on the animal before rain occurs.

Dr. Dan U. Thomson is a third-generation bovine veterinarian from Clearfield, IA. Thomson is an owner/partner in PAC veterinary and research services which oversees the veterinary care, health and well-being for 20% of the U.S. cattle of feed. He is recognized internationally as a leader in animal welfare, beef cattle production, and cattle health management. Dr. Thomson’s research program has been granted over $35.3 million with $16.0 million of those funds coming with him as the primary investigator. Thomson is the founder and host of Doc Talk, a nationally aired beef cattle health veterinary show on television. He has hosted nearly 500 episodes of the show in its ninth season that reaches over 45 million homes world-wide. Dr. Dan is married to his wife Cindy.

They have four daughters: Kelly, Katelyn, Tory, and Sarah. They enjoy basketball, fishing in southwest Iowa, and traveling together. winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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COWBOY MEDICINE 101

By Dr. Doug Ford, Production Animal Consultation, & Dr. Greg Quakenbush, Geissler Corp.

I

t has been my honor to work with some of the greatest people on the face of the earth for over 40 years.

I am always amazed at how dedicated, disciplined, and tough country folk are. In rural America, it is easy to make new friends and most of the time you hardly know a stranger. That’s because a stranger becomes an acquaintance, an acquaintance becomes a friend, and a friend becomes a brother or sister.

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Dedication comes from being wholeheartedly devoted. In a recent conversation with my favorite retired doctor friend, he asked me, “When are you going to retire?” After his 10-minute comical rant about how I need to start enjoying life, he asked, “Do you suppose on your death bed you’ll wish you could have gone on one more vet call?” Without hesitation I replied, “Heck yeah, absolutely!” His abrupt reply was “There’s definitely something wrong with you people.” Personally, I can’t think of any old cowboy asked that same question who wouldn’t want to ride one more set of cows or pull another frozen calf out of a snowbank in a March blizzard.

Discipline is a code of behavior. The example that sticks in my mind is the way Dr. Tom describes farm and ranch kids on Christmas morning. They get up early, before breakfast, and march right past the Christmas tree to address all their critters’ needs and chores before there is any thought of bacon, eggs, and presents. So many people in today’s society lack discipline in their personal, professional, and spiritual lives.

Toughness is described as mental, moral, and physical firmness, grit, determination, and standing firm in the face of adversity. “Be watchful, stand firm, act like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13) Toughness is the hallmark of the people I get to work with every day. The golden rule of toughness: you can never show weakness in the presence of difficulty. The top hands I know never show open signs of weakness, under any circumstances. This has often put me in compromising situations as most cowpokes are way too stubborn and tough to see a “real” doctor. This translates into “call the vet.”

I had to laugh the other night as my wife Jan and I were watching the number one rated TV series about a 5th generation Montana ranch and its struggles in the 21st century. In one of the scenes, several of the ranch hands were badly injured, beaten, and maimed, needing immediate medical attention. The triage team (made up of more cowboys) assessed the situation and boldly exclaimed, “Call the vet!” I have personally been asked to suture lacerations, freeze warts, treat sore throats, X-ray broken bones, and prescribe DMSO for a 90-year-old man’s lame mare. I am always honored and humbled when my clients have this kind of confidence in my medical and surgical skills. However, I always refer them to their “real” doctor. I can only think of one time I might have stepped over the line. One of my rough and rugged buckaroo buddies asked me to check a sample to see if his vasectomy reversal was successful. My question, what would Dr. Pol do?

After all, we do fertility work on hundreds of bulls, right? That microscope slide sat at my desk for weeks. In a weak Days of Our Lives moment, I was tempted to take a peek under the microscope. I would never admit to impropriety, but I don’t think they were blessed with more children.

Just when I thought I had heard it all, our community now perceives me to be the local authority on Covid prevention and treatment. At least once a day, I am asked about ivermectin and coronavirus. All kidding aside, it is serious business. It is interesting to me that many of my leathery, hardheaded cowpoke compadres are more than willing to self-medicate with an assortment of various horse pills. This includes self-treatment of such maladies as shin splints, snake bite, chiggers, beaver fever (Giardia), jock itch, and poison ivy. The latest cure-all remedy is vet-shack ivermectin, giving little thought to adverse consequences, confident of an instant sure cure. In winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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today’s world there is a known cure for most physical ailments. What about the human spiritual condition?

Let me clarify. I remember well my sophomore year at junior college and my roommate from Albin, Wyoming.

To say the least, he was a holy rollin’, Bible thumpin’ Jesus freak on a mission. That mission was to see me and every other soul on campus saved from burning eternity in hell. Usually my best defense was to break out a Carling Black Label or Mickey’s Big Mouth while listening to one of his many sermons on the mount. He was very dedicated, very disciplined, and spiritually way tougher than me. Like a pit bull with his jaws on the foundation of my salvation, he would not be distracted. To make matters even more intense, he was Master Sergeant in command with the local Campus Crusade for Christ entourage. That meant relentless preaching at home, daily dodging of the Bible-toting hit squad, all with gospel tracts raining down from heaven.

These boys were daunting to say the least. I would have gladly taken anything, including Ivomec injectable, paste, and pour-on at the same time, to stop their constant torment much like Covid. Unlike Covid’s preventive measures and treatment, the “squad” knew the absolute truth, had data, and had the sure cure for my human spiritual condition. I can’t honestly say my life turned around

64 parable

and I took the cure that sophomore year, but I am thankful for their dedication, discipline, and persistence which established the beachhead for my salvation, peace, and joy in my life.

Christ gave his life so I could have it all here on earth and in eternity. In contrast to ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, or vaccination, why would anyone think twice about a 100% sure cure with only positive side effects, no social distancing, immediate healing, permanent immunity, and no cost? And you don’t even have to wear a mask!

Digging Deeper What about the human spiritual condition? Why do dedicated, disciplined and tough country folk often reject or take the bailing wire and duct tape approach to the offer of healing provided by Jesus and His instruction?

There are many answers to this question but two come readily to mind.

First, much like certain cancer afflictions, many do not even realize that they are sick until it is too late. Things seemed fine until some unexpected symptom springs up at the last moment. Jesus healed the sick, lame, paralyzed, deaf, and blind, but He understood that healing these physical conditions was only a temporary fix.

To sign on with Jesus might look like “weakness” to some, but that could not be further from the truth. Standing for truth and righteousness is not popular these days and in some parts of the world it may cost you your head.

Temporary because the cancer of “sin” was what was going to take their joy and their life... both spiritually and physically. Sin is present at birth, an inherited lethal condition found in every human. Only through Jesus will one find the remedy for this “cancer”. Amazing that even with a cure rate of 100% and an easily accessible treatment, folks either go for the barnyard solution (“I’ve been good”) or skip it all together.

Number two on the list of reasons to reject is rooted in the very toughness and self-reliant spirit that runs in our veins (i.e., pride). To accept Christ means that we need help and will now be under “new management”.

Most do not take orders well and want to do things their way. The problem is, “our way” often leaves a lot of pain and damage in its wake. A little humility can go a long way in progression to a “cure”.

To sign on with Jesus might look like “weakness” to some, but that could not be further from the truth.

Standing for truth and righteousness is not popular these days and in some parts of the world it may cost you your head.

According to history, all of Jesus’ disciples died as martyrs with the possible exception of John. What would compel a group of everyday fishermen, a tax collector, and assorted rural workers to willingly give up their lives?

I suspect dedication, discipline, and toughness, but how and why? What did they possibly stand to gain by signing on with Jesus? The physical price was great but the spiritual benefits for now and eternity were greater.

Why would anyone push back from receiving a lifesaving or lifegiving treatment that is readily available?

Maybe it is because they are unaware of, or okay with, their illness. Maybe it is because they are too stubborn to seek out the real ‘Doc’. Below are a few nuggets from the Great Physician’s formulary. All His prescriptions are safe and there have been no recorded overdoses. Give them a read. Here’s to your eternal health.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Peter 2:24 (NLT) He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

Dr. Doug & Dr. Q Doug Ford DVM is the owner of Beaver Creek Veterinary Clinic in Brush, Colorado. Doug earned his DVM degree from Colorado State University. Brush, Colorado has been his home since graduating from Colorado State. Doug’s practice has been remarkably diverse over 40 years of veterinary medicine.

Dogs, cats, cow/calf, feedlot, two sale barns, and spaying thousands of heifers for grass. The last 20 years of practice has been 50% large western dairies and 50% beef cattle (spaying, cow/calf, and feedlots). In 2005, Doug was given the privilege to become one of the six founding members of PAC. Doug and his wife Jan ranch in their “spare” time. They are also heavily involved in a wetland’s development project on the South Platte River near Snyder, Colorado. Doug’s dad used to say, “Get your grades up. Do you want to grow up to be a ditch digger?” Doug had no idea how much fun it is to play in the dirt with dozers and track hoes. He feels truly blessed and believes that the best days are yet to come.

Greg Quakenbush DVM is a 1978 graduate of Colorado State University and spent 16 years in large animal practice in Porterville, California. For 19 years, Dr. Q worked for Zoetis (Pfizer) and was Director of the US Cattle Technical Services team. Since 2013, Dr. Q has worked with the Geissler Corporation assisting in the development of new veterinary diagnostic technologies. Dr. Q enjoys Bible study, shooting sports, fly-fishing, and being a part-time farmer growing citrus and nuts in the central valley of California. winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

65

66 newest PAC members

CHUCKLES FROM DOWN UNDER....

An elderly man wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work as the ground was hard.

His only son, Vincent, who used to help him was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son.

Dear Vincent, I’m feeling sad ‘cos it looks like I won’t be able to have a tomato garden this year as it’s too hard for me to dig.

Love, Papa A few days later he got a letter from his son.

Dear Pop, Don’t dig up that garden; that’s where the bodies are buried.

Love, Vincent At 4:00 am the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. The next day the old man got another letter from his son.

Dear Pop, Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now; that’s the best I could do under the circumstances.

Love You, Vinnie Courtesy of Jenny Fairall and Bell Veterinary Services An enthusiastic young collector for a charity organization was going door to door asking for donations.

He came to the house of a very elderly woman and was telling her how she could make donations for varying periods of time – 6 months, 1 year, 5 years.

The elderly woman replied, “That’s all very well, sonny, but at my age, I don’t even buy green bananas.”

Courtesy of Bell Veterinary Services winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

67

IDEAS Y DISEÑOS ALREDEDOR DEL “BUD TUB” Escrito por Kip Lukasiewicz, DVM, Production Animal Consultation Traducido por Jose Valles, Production Animal Consultation

H

e estado diseñando instalaciones para operaciones de corrales de engorda, ranchos e investigaciones/universidades durante varios años. Mi experiencia y mi pasión por los diseños surgieron una vez que estudie el comportamiento natural del ganado del difunto Bud Williams y de mi socio actual, el Dr. Tom Noffsinger. Estudié el comportamiento de vacas y becerros en su entorno de pasto normal durante mi segundo año en la Universidad de Nebraska en Kearney. Durante ese tiempo, descubrí el com portamiento social del ganado en términos de cómo interactúan entre si dentro del hato, sus movimientos y los tiempos de esos movimientos, y sus tendencias de comer y beber. Sin embargo, no fue hasta que conocí al Dr. Tom Noffsinger y Bud Williams que realmente aprendí las complejidades del comportamiento bovino.

▲

Figura 1

Diseño “Bud box” Continúo aprendiendo la importancia de la visión del ganado. El ganado quiere ver qué lo está presionando cuando esta en movimiento y llega a un punto de parada. El ganado se detendrá y regresará de donde vino. Nuestra posición como manejadores es importante en la forma de cómo pedimos el movimiento hacia delante, así como también en la forma de cómo le pedimos a un animal que retroceda. Para que todo esto suceda, debemos tener los lados abiertos de las mangas para que la visión del animal no se vea afectada.

Cuando comencé a diseñar instalaciones, todas tenían “Bud boxes”, tal como se ilustra en la figura 1. En este concepto de diseño, el ganado entra y pasa por la manga de procesamiento. Usan su instinto natural para llegar a un punto de parada y regresar de donde vinieron. A este punto, el manejador se posiciona cerca de la manga de procesamiento para que pueda guiar al ganado para que lo rodee y entre a la manga que va en dirección a la prensa. Este es movimiento verdaderamente voluntario por parte del animal y no es forzado, sino que utiliza los conceptos del comportamiento natural. Esto mejora la seguridad del animal y del manejador dentro de la caja. Debido a que la caja tiene lados abiertos, según el comportamiento del ganado, el manejador puede trabajar desde afuera de la caja, permitiendo que los animales visualicen e interactúen con el manejador. El diseño ha tenido un gran éxito, pero si requiere de cierto nivel de habilidad para que el sistema funcione como fue diseñado.

70 corrales de engorda

▲

A través de los años, algunos productores me han pedido que les diseñe un embudo. Inicialmente, estaba opuesto a hacer esto debido a mi capacitación y también debido a la falta de confianza en los diseños de embudos tradicionales.

Los diseños de embudos tradicionales eran contundentes en su enfoque en términos de guiar el ganado hacia el destino. Por tal motivo, yo era reacio a ir en contra de mis principios. Además, los embudos son más difíciles de diseñar y construir en comparación a los diseños de corrales cuadrados.

Luego, mi socio actual, el Dr. Corbin Stevens, elaboro un diseño que hacia mucho sentido para mi. Parecía un diseño de caja, pero con un cuarto de embudo, tal como se ilustra en la figura 2a. Este diseño le permite al ganado ingresar al embudo e ir de paso por la manga de procesamiento, detenerse, y girar para regresar solamente para ser conducido hacia la manga de procesamiento con un movimiento voluntario. Me gusta colocar una pequeña puerta de seguridad entre la esquina interior de la manga y el embudo.

Esto le permite al manejador cerrar la puerta y caminar por el embudo/manga. Así estar afuera del embudo para que pueda mover la puerta de reducción si es necesario. La puerta de reducción también se puede colocar en un control remoto eléctrico o hidráulico.

Figura 2a

Diseño con un cuarto “Bud tub”

▲

Figura 3

Diseño tradicional con un cuarto embudo Este diseño me hizo evaluar el embudo de medio circulo tradicional para determinar si podríamos crear un flujo voluntario de ganado hacia dentro y hacia fuera del embudo.

Para lograr esto, cambiamos el punto de entrada, como se muestra en las figuras 2a y 2b, dependiendo del diseño y del tamaño del embudo. Esto le permitió al ganado que ahora entrara pasando cerca de la manga de procesamiento en lugar de la acción de reducción forzada previa. En el diseño del embudo tradicional, como se muestra en la figura 3, el ganado era forzado a entrar a un embudo con lados solidos y hecho a fluir alrededor hacia la manga de procesamiento mediante una puerta de reducción. Debido a que se les quitaba su visión, el ganado se acercaba a la manga de procesamiento cubierta y se regresaba.

Hoy en día, utilizamos muy poca lamina en los embudos tradicionales para que el ganado pueda observar con facilidad lo que los está presionando. Esto crea una interacción más confiable entre el manejador y el animal. Mi preferencia es cubrir solamente entre el 60 y el 75% del embudo y remover el escalón adherido al exterior del embudo. El escalón adherido al exterior del embudo ya no seria necesario porque el animal puede ver fácilmente al manejador cuando se utiliza menos lamina.

Hay muchos ingenieros y diseñadores que ahora están diseñando y construyendo su propia versión del “Bud tub”. Es importante que cualquiera que esté diseñando un “Bud tub” entienda y aplique completamente todos los conceptos del comportamiento bovino. De lo contrario, el embudo puede tener errores en el diseño o en el punto de entrada.

Las instalaciones cuestan mucho construirlas. Son incluso más costosas si se construyen incorrectamente. Si está interesado en un “Bud tub”, por favor comuníquese conmigo para crear o evaluar su diseño. Puede comunicarse conmigo por correo electrónico a kip.lukasiewicz@pacdvms.com o llamarme al 402-760-3939.

▲

Figura 2b

Diseño con mitad “Bud tub”

El Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz recibió su Doctorado en Medicina Veterinaria en 1999 de la Universidad Estatal de Kansas. Es el propietario de Sandhills Cattle Consultants, Inc. y socio de Production Animal Consultation, LLC. El enfoque primario del Dr. Kip es la consultoría de operaciones de corrales de engorda, el manejo de ganado y el diseño de instalaciones. El Dr. Kip se formó con el difunto Bud Williams y ha trabajado y capacitado extensamente con el Dr. Tom Noffsinger utilizando las ideas de Bud sobre el manejo y el cuidado de ganado de bajo estrés. El Dr. Kip junto con el Dr. Tom capacitan y trabajan con más del 20% de la industria de ganado en alimentación en los EE. UU. y también viajas a Canadá para capacitar a clientes de operaciones de corrales de engorda sobre el manejo y el cuidado de ganado de bajo estrés. El Dr. Kip reside en Grand Island, Nebraska, con su esposa y sus dos hijos. Es miembro activo de la Academy of Veterinary Consultants, Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association y American Association of Bovine Practitioners.

Este artículo está disponible en Inglés en la página 46. winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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EMPLEADOS EXITOSOS, EQUIPOS EXITOSOS Escrito por Quint Finney, Midwest PMS Traducido por Jose Valles, Production Animal Consultation

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n el entorno actual, encontrar y retener empleados solidos para cubrir puestos en las operaciones de corrales de engorda es difícil, por decir lo menos. La rotación de personal es un problema. Los procesos de entrevista, contratación, e incorporación son costosos y requieren de mucho tiempo. La perdida de productividad y eficiencia impacta directamente (y negativamente) el resultado final.

No hay ninguna novedad aquí.

Considerando estas dificultades particulares, la industria ha decidido recientemente hacer más esfuerzos para desarrollar procedimientos y procesos para hacer frente a lo que la mayoría considera una crisis de empleados. Las palabras de moda como cultura, creación de equipo, y desarrollo son el furor. Pero, aunque existen algunas organizaciones que son muy efectivas en estas áreas, ¿realmente estamos haciendo lo suficiente?

Creo que la industria de alimentación de ganado se encuentra de hecho en una situación de crisis en relación con la dotación de personal adecuada en las operaciones de corrales de engorda. Muchas industrias lo están. Por ejemplo, considere el numero de puestos vacantes en la construcción, la industria de servicios de alimentos, manufacturación y la lista continua. También creo que existe la necesidad de procesos ejecutados de manera efectiva que aborden el desarrollo positivo cultural y personal, las habilidades de liderazgo, el trabajo en equipo y la comunicación, todo lo que contribuye a una mayor productividad y eficiencia, y todo lo que, obviamente, gira en torno a las personas.

Comencé mi carrera en la organización de Cactus hace 36 años. Cuando era un lector de comederos de veintitantos años, Paul Engler me dijo: “Estas operaciones de corrales de engorda son solamente concreto y acero sin las personas adecuadas que trabajan en ellas.”

Era verdad en ese entonces y es verdad hoy en día.

Actualmente, las empresas de tecnología están gastando millones en investigación y desarrollo para crear tecnología que elimine efectivamente a las personas en la fuerza laboral. “Eliminar personas” es en realidad su propuesta de ventas, cual es lo contrario a lo que muchos creen que es una parte importante de la fundación de la industria de alimentación de ganado: la gente y la pasión. Soy un fanático de la tecnología y del innegable potencial que brinda en relación con la precisión, la producción, y la eficiencia, pero creo que

estamos perdiendo oportunidades si ponemos todos nuestros huevos en la canasta de la tecnología.

He tenido el placer de trabajar con el Dr. Pete Anderson y el Dr. Nels Lindberg durante los últimos años para desarrollar y presentar seminarios que se enfocan en el desarrollo cultural efectivo, el liderazgo, y la educación en relación con la industria de alimentación de ganado. Pete es un colega en Midwest PMS, y Nels es parte del grupo veterinario de PAC. Es una colaboración efectiva porque compartimos la pasión por la industria.

Más importante aún, compartimos la pasión por las personas en la industria. Coincidimos en que las personas son nuestro activo más importante. También estamos de acuerdo en que las personas son nuestra mayor oportunidad y que cualquier líder, en cualquier organización, debería realmente querer que aquellos a quienes lidera tengan éxito.

Entonces, ¿que define a los empleados exitosos?

Probablemente depende de a quién le pregunte. Los gerentes y los supervisores de departamentos de operaciones de corrales de engorda pueden tener respuestas muy diferentes a las de los miembros de los equipos de producción. Como gerentes y supervisores, tenemos una tendencia a enfocarnos en lo tangible cuando evaluamos el éxito de los empleados. La puntualidad, la fiabilidad, la honestidad, el rendimiento laboral y las habilidades laborales son algunas de las formas en que definimos el éxito de los empleados. Pero ¿qué tal la definición de éxito desde el punto de vista de la gente de producción? ¿Cómo definen su éxito personal? Es nuestro trabajo como líderes conocer la respuesta. Significa conocer a los equipos y trabajar para desarrollar relaciones profesionales efectivas con aquellos a quienes lideramos.

Supongo que hay similitudes en cómo la gente define el éxito personal. La habilidad para pagar las facturas, pagar la universidad, hacer el pago y/o saldar la hipoteca o la renta, pagar el auto, y aún tener un poco para winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

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ahorrar para la jubilación son, sin duda, medidas del éxito. Pero yo sugeriría que la mayoría de la gente tiene poca pasión verdadera por estas cosas. También sugeriría que estas cosas tienen poco que ver con la forma en que las personas se identifican.

Creo que la mayoría de la gente en este mundo quiere involucrarse con algo más grande que ellos mismos.

También creo que la industria de alimentación de ganado y sus líderes tienen oportunidades y la responsabilidad de hacer que eso suceda y ayudar a las personas a ser exitosas. Si podemos motivar a las personas de manera efectiva y ayudarlas a entender el valor de sus contribuciones, aumentamos nuestra capacidad para ser más productivos, eficientes, y efectivos, y les ayudamos a alcanzar el éxito en sus vidas profesionales. Si hablamos en serio sobre su éxito profesional, profundizamos y les ayudamos a establecer la conexión con el éxito personal.

Entonces, todo suena bien, ¿verdad? Pero ¿como podemos ayudar realmente a las personas a lograr el éxito en nuestra industria? En mi opinión, se trata de que las personas entiendan el porque hacemos lo que hacemos y que comuniquemos el propósito de la organización. Comienza con un entendimiento básico de las medidas de rendimiento del ganado y cómo sus respectivas responsabilidades los impactan. Comuniquemos los resultados y capacitemos para el desempeño. Hay que enseñarles que estamos en el negocio de la producción de alimentos. Alimentamos a la gente, y eso es una gran responsabilidad. Estos son los pasos iniciales para crear responsabilidad e inculcar la mentalidad de propiedad en la cultura. Cuando las personas poseen una mentalidad de propiedad, es probable que experimenten el éxito.

En los seminarios de Midwest PMS-PAC en los que he estado involucrado, el Dr. Anderson habla sobre la importancia de involucrar a los empleados y sugiere que este proceso sea un “evento para todos los empleados, todos los días”. Es la responsabilidad del liderazgo hacer que eso suceda. Hacer que las personas se sientan valoradas es clave. Además, señala que aceptamos esa responsabilidad cuando aceptamos un puesto gerencial. El Dr. Nels apoya esas teorías en sus presentaciones de coaching y hace algunos puntos que deberían resonar.

El explica que cuando usted cuida a su gente, ellos lo cuidarán a usted. Cuando fallamos a servir a nuestros empleados, los clientes y las empresas sufren. También nos provoca con la cita de Simon Sinek, “Las empresas promedio le dan a su gente algo en que trabajar. Las organizaciones más innovadoras le dan a su gente algo por lo que trabajar.”

Nuestros trabajos y carreras, al menos parcialmente, definen quiénes somos. Pero, al final de nuestras vidas, lo que hicimos profesionalmente no se enfatizará tanto como lo hicimos nosotros. Tenemos la oportunidad de tener un impacto positivo en la vida de quienes lideramos. Es lo correcto de hacer desde una perspectiva humana. Y es muy probable que tenga un impacto positivo en el éxito del negocio.

Quint Finney es consultor de gestión y operaciones con Midwest PMS. Trabaja con varias organizaciones de alimentación de ganado por todo el país, enfocándose en la productividad y la eficiencia a través del desarrollo efectivo de personal. Comuníquese con el a su correo electrónico qfinney@mwpms.com o vía telefónica al 620-655-6138.

Este artículo está disponible en Inglés en la página 42.

RISA ENTRE DIENTES DESDE OZ Un joven coleccionista entusiasta de una organización caritativa iba de puerta en puerta pidiendo donaciones.

Llego a la casa de una mujer anciana y le estaba diciendo cómo podía hacer donaciones por periodos de tiempos variables – 6 meses, 1 año, 5 años.

La mujer anciana respondió, “Todo eso esta muy bien, hijo, pero a mi edad, ni siquiera compro plátanos verdes.”

Cortesía de Bell Veterinary Services

Traducido por Jose Valles, Production Animal Consultation 74 liderazgo

CONSEJOS PARA COMBATIR EL ESTRÉS DEL CLIMA FRÍO Escrito por Clint Hilt, DVM, Hilt Veterinary Service, Production Animal Cunsultation Traducido por Jose Valles, Production Animal Consultation

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os productores de ganado en las llanuras del norte de los Estados Unidos no son ajenos a combatir las condiciones climáticas frías. Mientras la madre naturaleza siga teniendo una mente propia, hay una variedad de pasos que los productores pueden tomar para mejorar las condiciones ambientales y la preparación de su hato antes y durante los periodos de clima frío.

Un concepto fundamental para entender cómo el estrés causado por clima frío afecta a la vaca es la temperatura crítica inferior, definida como “la temperatura más baja a la que puede estar expuesta una vaca antes de que necesite tener cambios metabólicos para ayudarla a sobrellevar el estrés causado por clima frío.”1 La temperatura crítica inferior depende de la puntuación de la condición corporal (BCS, por sus siglas en ingles), el grosor del pelaje, y si el pelaje está húmedo o seco. Cualquier acción que pueda influir cualquier medio ambiente (temperatura y sensación térmica) o la temperatura crítica inferior puede ayudar a la vaca a conservar energía.

Como regla general, las vacas requieren de 1 kilogramo de proteína por día durante el último trimestre de gestación. Aunque esta ingesta de proteína no cambia la calidad del calostro, sí mejora el vigor y la capacidad del ternero para levantarse y amamantar más temprano. A medida que bajan las temperaturas, las vacas requerirán alimento adicional, lo cual es una preocupación en años como este, cuando los precios del heno son altos. La suplementación de minerales sueltos también es importante, sin importar la época del año en la que se lleva acabo el parto.

Las operaciones pueden utilizar diferentes tipos de refugios para vacas y terneros, incluyendo establos con calefacción, cobertizos abiertos y rompevientos con camas, dependiendo en la disponibilidad y la severidad de las condiciones climáticas. Para los productores que tienen acceso a los tres tipos de refugios durante los períodos de frío extremo, las vacas y los terneros recién nacidos pueden ser alojados en un establo con calefacción durante las primeras 24 horas después del parto, luego pueden ser trasladados a un cobertizo abierto durante las próximas 24 horas y después trasladados a los rompevientos con cama. La paja es lo que se utiliza más comúnmente para camas; virutas de madera pueden ser otra opción. Independientemente del material para cama, asegúrese de monitorear la profundidad.

Si la cama es demasiado profunda, los terneros pueden estancarse y las vacas pueden acostarse encima de ellos.

Los rompevientos ayudan a reducir el factor de la sensación térmica. Los rompevientos angulados proporcionan áreas protegidas accesibles a los terneros, pero no a las vacas. Las casetas o refugios para terneros también pueden brindar protección contra el viento, pero pueden crear problemas de bioseguridad y limpieza, ya que también bloquean la luz solar.

No importa donde se mantengan las vacas y los terneros, aun así, deben tener un acceso adecuado al agua. Aunque las vacas pueden complementar el consumo de agua lamiendo la nieve (si la nieve no esta dura o crujiente), también deben tener acceso a agua potable.

Si es necesario, rompa el hielo con regularidad o acarre agua, especialmente en áreas donde los depósitos se hayan secado.

Para los terneros, debo enfatizar la importancia del consumo de calostro. Asegúrese de que los terneros se levanten para amamantar; entre más pronto y con más frecuencia, mejor. Si el ternero no puede recibir calostro de su madre, proporcione al ternero calostro de otra vaca (que no lo necesite para su propio ternero) o use un sustituto de calostro derivado de calostro de alta calidad (no un suplemento).

Los chalecos para los terneros también pueden ayudar a mejorar la comodidad de los terneros y la preservación de energía durante el clima frio. Los chalecos para terneros vienen en variedades de un solo uso y reutilizables y/o lavables. Recientemente, he trabajado con algunos productores probando chalecos para terneros de un solo uso de nombre Fit N Forget™ Beef Calf Covers de Woolover Limited.2 Estos chalecos para terneros pueden elevar la temperatura alrededor del ternero hasta 30 grados F (medición tomada con un termómetro colocado entre la piel del ternero y el chaleco). Los números de identificación de los terneros se pueden escribir en los chalecos, y los chalecos generalmente duran de dos a cuatro semanas, aunque winter 2021-2022 | pacdvms.com

77

he visto que algunos chalecos han durado hasta dos meses. Ocasionalmente, las vacas pueden percibir a los terneros con chaleco como depredadores. Observe el comportamiento de la vaca después de vestir al ternero y remueva el chaleco del ternero si el vínculo entre la vaca y el ternero se ve afectado negativamente. En mi experiencia, sin importar el tamaño de la operación o las limitaciones de tiempo, vale la pena el dinero, el tiempo, y el esfuerzo para usar estos chalecos para terneros.

También se pueden utilizar para terneros de alto riesgo y terneros valiosos en entornos controlados.

Si la etapa de parición durante el apogeo del clima invernal continúa desafiando su operación, puede valer la pena considerar cambiar la fecha de parición, dependiendo de la nutrición, las instalaciones, la mano de obra, y la experiencia pasada. Recuerde, más insumos a menudo producen becerros más grandes, mientras que menos insumos producen becerros más pequeños.

Ya sea que luche contra una sola tormenta de nieve cada año o múltiples oleadas de frio que duran de semanas a meses, estas practicas pueden ayudar a mejorar el bienestar y la producción del ganado.

78 vaca-becerro

Recursos

__________________

1. Preparing the Cow Herd for Cold Weather. UNL Beef, November 2013. https://beef.unl.edu/cattleproduction/ preparing-cow-herd-cold-weather 2. Fit N Forget™ Beef Calf Cover, Woolover Limited. http://www.woolover.co.nz/fit_n_forget.html El Dr. Clint Hilt es veterinario y propietario de Hilt Veterinary Service en Dutton, Montana.

Su practica se encuentra en el centro-norte de Montana, que se extiende desde los Alpine Meadows hasta los Breaks. El Dr. Hilt se esfuerza para estar al día, tanto en las practicas como en los procedimientos, y ser minucioso para sus clientes. El Dr. Hilt recibió su doctorado en medicina veterinaria (DVM por sus siglas en ingles) de la Universidad Estatal de Washington en 1989.

Este artículo está disponible en Inglés en la página 18.

MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST Ingredients

Instructions

•

3-4 lb. chuck roast

•

1 packet dry ranch seasoning

•

1 packet au jus gravy mix

•

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)*

•

6-8 pepperoncini peppers

• Place chuck roast in your Crockpot and sprinkle the top with the ranch seasoning and au jus gravy mix.

• Scatter the peppers around the top of the roast and finish with the butter placed on the very top.

• Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

*You can cut the butter in the roast to

• Shred and return to Crockpot until ready to serve.

1/4 c. for a lower calorie version.

• Serve over mashed potatoes and enjoy!

MISSISSIPPI POT ROAST My family of 5 usually only eats 1/3 of this recipe at a time. I make the entire recipe, divide into three servings, and freeze two to be used at a later time.

Thank you to Shelby Herrick and The Gingham Apron for sharing your recipe! The Gingham Apron is comprised of five women from one Midwest farm family whose passion is cultivating relationships in their everyday lives. Denise Herrick, center, is the mother and mother-in-law of the other four members of the group. Herrick has been an Iowa farm wife for 46 years. Jenny Herrick, Molly Herrick, and Shelby Herrick (left to right) currently live on their own farms, while, Annie Boyd, Denise’s oldest daughter, lives in California where she homeschools her five children. They love to find new ways to celebrate everyday life together.

They have a blog and website, theginghamapron.com, where they share how to plan family gatherings, try new recipes, take care of their homes, and educate kids. They cherish their beautiful family farm, time spent with their family, and most of all – their faith in Jesus Christ.

You can find additional recipies and more in their book The Gathering Table.

MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATOES Ingredients • 5 lb. potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed • 8 oz. block of cream cheese • 1/2 c. of butter (1 stick) • 1 tsp. onion salt • 1 tsp. seasoned salt • 1 c. milk or half-and-half

Instructions • Using a mixer, mix all ingredients together until well blended and fluffy. Place in a 9x13 baking dish and cover with foil. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours until ready to bake and serve, or cover tightly and freeze for up to 6 months.

• Warm potatoes to room temperature before baking.

If frozen, place them in refrigerator overnight to thaw.

• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Stir before serving.

If you have a recipe that you would like to feature in The Pot Roast section of Protein Producers, email us at protein.producers@pacdvms.com.

Filled with beautiful photography and inspirational writing, The Gathering Table follows this Iowa farm family through a year of gatherings that strengthen relationships, establish and deepen family traditions, and showcase God's gift of great food. With complete menus, easy-to-follow recipes, devotional readings, prayers, and plenty of inspiring and customizable ideas for everything from intimate family gatherings to larger community events, this book will become your go-to resource for entertaining and enjoying life – together!

This wondeful book can be bought online anywhere books are sold or by visiting their website: https://www.theginghamapron.com/ the-gathering-table-book/

PAC INTERN HIGHLIGHT•••••••••

MATTIE HOLZMEISTER

Fort Hays State University

12,490 issues printed

5,820 emails sent

Subscribers in 44 states and 11 international countries 82

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SNAPSHOT: PROTEIN PRODUCERS

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Mattie Holzmeister is a senior studying animal science and ag business at Fort Hays State University. After graduating in May 2022, she plans to attend graduate school, specializing in ruminant nutrition. Ultimately, her goal is a career in feedlot nutrition consultation, a field she was drawn to because of her desire to help producers produce great quality beef animals.

Mattie thoroughly enjoyed her summer 2021 internship with PAC. One highlight was seeing feedlots of different sizes and how each feedlot is different from another. Another highlight was meeting great people in the feedlot industry and building connections with several PAC veterinarians.

She shared, “My experience with PAC is one I will never forget. The veterinarians were all so kind and willing to help me gain experience and learn about feedlot management as well as nutrition.”

Raised in Oakley, Kansas, Mattie has always been connected to agriculture. She grew up around horses and cattle, both at home and while assisting farmers and ranchers with feedlots and cow-calf herds.

She enjoys team roping with her dad when she has time, as well as playing golf and spending time with her four nieces and one nephew.

Production Animal Consultation PO Box 41 Oakley, KS 67748 pacdvms.com

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