economics
of agronomy and horticulture specializing
in forage-based beef production systems
with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
nurse. Once they are up to nurse, their mothers
may not have adequate quantity or quality
of colostrum due to poorer body condition.
Some producers may have witnessed more
cases of calf scours or pneumonia as a result.
“It appears some areas of the blizzards and
flood livestock losses were high, especially
for young calves,” Redfearn said. “The FSA
(Farm Service Agency) has been collecting
numbers of total losses, and we may
know more once those are released.”
Switching over to Missouri, a severe drought in the
summer of 2018 didn’t help cows as a long winter
approached and spring calving season ensued,
said Craig Payne, director of veterinary extension
and continuing education with the University of
Missouri (MU) College of Veterinary Medicine.
“We had low hay supplies, and what
forage quality we had was also marginal
at best,” Payne said. “Then we got into the
winter that never ended. We began to see
producers run out of forage all together.”
The translation from all this means both cow
reproduction and calf growth performance
could be adversely affected into the fall,
but various resources are available to
help producers in their time of need.
Hindrance on Health
“There’s also research to suggest that calves
that were colostrum deficient at birth
may have more health challenges and be
less productive in their growing period
through the feedlot phase,” Payne said.
On the cow side, getting cows to a body
condition score of 5 is the target, but it may be
too close to the breeding season to get them
to that ideal score, Rasby said. The No. 1 thing
a producer can do is manage the herd with the
best resources possible through the summer.
“Cows may still be in lower body condition, so
producers need to try to manage nutritionally
as much as possible prior to the breeding
season and during the breeding season. Not
doing this could impact reproduction,” Rasby
said. “Vaccination programs are also important.
Veterinarians can design a herd health protocol
based on the specifics of that operation.”
Flooding especially can mean higher instances
of blackleg, leptospirosis, parasites and flies,
Payne said. Excessive wet conditions can
further stress calves and compound respiratory
disease, typically a concern at weaning.
“I heard reports of weak-born spring calves due to
low energy in the cow,” Payne said. “It took longer
Preparing in advance for next winter is important
for the cow to go through the calving process.
as well. Many herds may be used to cold
That translates into the calf
sitting in the birth canal longer,
and it may become hypoxic,
or oxygen deprived. For some
calves, weakness was due to
delayed parturition, for others
it could’ve been lack of healthy
brown fat reserves – from being
Breeding Limousin and Lim-Flex Cattle Since 1991.
born to poorer conditioned cows
– or a combination of the two.”
Your Visit Is Always Welcome!
Furthermore, weak calves
are slower to get up and
64 | JUNE/JULY 2019
Roger Timperley • 528 County Road 34 • Tekamah, NE 68061
402/616-6736 • Email: [email protected]