Finding the Cause for Abortions and Stillbirths in Cattle- Why is it still so Difficult?

– Dr. Michelle Arnold, UK Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory

Determining the cause of abortions and stillbirths in cattle remains a significant challenge for veterinary diagnostic laboratories, despite vast improvements in the tests used to detect infectious organisms. Most studies find that only 20-50% of abortion cases submitted are “solved”, meaning the first initiating event resulting in the death of the fetus was discovered and answered “why” the calf died. Diagnosis of the cause of an abortion is exceptionally challenging because characteristic visible clues in the fetus rarely occur, sample tissues are often rotting and unsuitable for examination, and the most important tissue for analysis, the placenta, is seldom submitted. Instead, veterinary diagnostic laboratories can often recognize the final mechanism resulting in death of a fetus or calf, such as anoxia (lack of oxygen) or trauma, that answers “how” the calf died instead of “why”. Veterinarians understand the limitations of abortion diagnostics and are best suited to help the producer determine if and when an investigation is warranted and how to collect and submit the appropriate samples. Abortion outbreaks can cause serious economic losses, so it is of value to identify potential causes and how to reduce or eliminate them. For some producers, a single pregnancy loss may trigger an investigation while for others, multiple losses need to occur before calling a veterinarian. A loss of 2% for abortions is often quoted as “acceptable” but this percentage usually does not Continue reading

What are we missing out on when having a year- round breeding season?

– Pedro L. P. Fontes, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Georgia

Consider the many economic advantages of a controlled breeding season.

One of the most important management practices for a cow-calf operation is the establishment of a controlled breeding season. Nevertheless, data collected by the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates that approximately half of the cow-calf operations in the United States do not have a controlled breeding season. There are a number of benefits that producers miss out on when they fail to adopt a controlled breeding season, benefits that will be discussed in this article.

Using a controlled breeding season can help cattle producers optimize the nutritional program of their herd. Cow-herd nutrient requirements vary greatly depending on the stage of production. For example, cows in peak lactation have greater nutrient requirements compared with cows in late lactation. Similarly, cows during late gestation have greater nutrient requirements compared with cows in mid-gestation. When herds are managed in a year-round breeding season, cows are . . .

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Don’t rock the boat while breeding heifers

Steve Boyles, OSU Extension Beef Specialist

The topics of Reproduction and Nutrition are only two of the topics that participants will explore during the Ohio Stockmanship & Stewardship program on September 29 and 30 in Caldwell. The summary below of the research project Nutritional Management Post-AI to Enhance Pregnancy Outcomes from 2013 Range Beef Cow Symposium by S.L. Lake, R. Arias, P. Gunn, and G.A. Bridges  further examines why reproduction and proper nutrition are closely related.

Nutrition during the 21 days post breeding

Maternal recognition of pregnancy takes place around days 15-17 post-insemination and that transporting animals near this time compromises conception.  However, moving heifers within the first 5 days post-insemination does not cause this reduction. Although, research suggests that conception rates are compromised when heifers are placed on early growth pasture forages. Researchers hypothesized that feeding this high moisture pasture forage at turnout is limiting dry matter intake which in turn causes a temporary energy deficiency that results in temporary heifer weight loss during the critical stages of early embryonic development and maternal recognition of pregnancy. Therefore, it is beneficial to Continue reading

A Breeding Soundness Exam: Insurance for Your Breeding Season

– Dr. Les Anderson, Beef Extension Professor, University of Kentucky

I received the call last week. I seem to receive this call 6-8 times each year. This cow-calf producer had just finished getting his cows diagnosed for pregnancy. He had 43 cows falling calving cows. Last fall, these cows were synchronized for artificial insemination and were exposed to one bull for about 5 weeks and a second bull for 7 weeks. Only 22 cows conceived and all of them conceived to the AI. The first question I asked this rancher was the obvious one; did you get a breeding soundness exam (BSE) performed on your bulls? His response: the bulls had one when he bought them, but he had not had one done since (2-3 years). The bulls were checked and, sure enough, both were infertile.

What is a BSE? A BSE is a fertility exam performed on bulls by a veterinarian. A BSE has three components: scrotal circumference, a physical exam, and a semen evaluation. Scrotal circumference is highly correlated with semen output and serving capacity. It is recommended that a 12–13-month-old bull have a scrotal circumference of at least 30 cm. The physical exam is performed to simply ensure that a bull is physically up to the challenge of the breeding season. Are his feet and legs structurally correct? Is he free from Continue reading

Strategically Using Pregnancy Diagnosis to Identify Nonpregnant Cows

– Pedro L. P. Fontes, Extension Beef Reproductive Physiologist, Department of Animal and Dairy Science; A. Lee Jones, Associate Professor, UGA College of Veterinary Medicine; Tammy W. Cheely, Glascock, Hancock and Warren Counties Extension Coordinator, UGA Extension Office; and Savannah Tanner, Emmanuel County Agriculture & Natural Resource Agent

Asymmetry between the uterine horns can be used to detect pregnant females through rectal palpation.

Pregnancy diagnosis is an important part of reproductive management in productive beef cow-calf operations. Open cows decrease profitability as they utilize similar resources as pregnant cows without producing a marketable calf to justify these costs. With the move toward more efficient operations and inclusion of artificial insemination (AI) and other reproductive technologies in cattle production, abstaining from pregnancy diagnosis may no longer be economically viable or practical. Establishing a pregnancy diagnosis program allows for the detection of cows that are not pregnant and allows producers to make management decisions to increase reproductive efficiency, such as culling of infertile females or resynchronizing females that are open.

Although the economic benefits of incorporating pregnancy diagnosis are clear, the rate of adoption by beef cow-calf operations is considerably low in the United States. This article provides an overview of the different methods available (rectal palpation, transrectal ultrasound, and blood tests) for pregnancy diagnosis and provides a practical description of how to implement these methods.

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Production practices and value of artificial insemination and estrus synchronization programs of United States beef producers

– K. Johnson and G. Dahlke, The Professional Animal Scientist 32 (2016):90–98; http://dx.doi.org/10.15232/pas.2015-01440

An online survey of AI users was developed to determine how industry segment (commercial, seedstock, or multiple segments) influenced profitability and current management practices used in conjunction with AI and estrus synchronization in the United States beef industry.

Survey results came from 42 states and included 425 completed instruments. Value of replacement heifers (80%) and reducing calving difficulty (55%) were the most common ways AI contributed to profitability. Commercial producers ($187 ± 79) assigned a lower (P < 0.05) value to AI-sired calves than did seedstock producers ($709 ± 63).

Producers used estrus synchronization always (46%), usually (26%), sometimes (28%), rarely (6%), or never (4%). Insemination after observed estrus was the most common method of insemination (42%), followed by single fixed-time AI (34%), and then Continue reading

Internal Parasite Control in Cow-Calf Herds: Impact on Animal Health and Herd Profitability

– Brent Credille, D.V.M., Ph.D., Food Animal Health and Management Program, University of Georgia

The use of dewormers in calves can represent a 3,000% return on investment

Internal parasites represent a source of significant economic loss in almost all segments of beef production. The implementation of an internal parasite control program can lead to increased weaning weights in calves and increased pregnancy rates in heifers and cows. One study that was performed in Watkinsville, GA found that a single dose of Panacur given at the label dose to cows in early May resulted in a 22% increase in both pregnancy and calving rate compared to cattle that were not dewormed.Similar, but more recent, work from Louisiana has found that cows dewormed with Panacur midsummer had a 12% increase in pregnancy rate compared to untreated cows. To put this in economic context with current market prices, deworming cows represents a nearly 4,000% return on investment due to the increased number of calves available for marketing. In addition, that same study showed that calves dewormed at 3-5 months of age gained 0.3 lb./day more than calves that were not dewormed and weighed, on average, 25-45 lbs. more at weaning than control calves. Again, to put this into economic context using current market prices, the use of dewormers in calves represents a 1,500 – 3,000% return on investment due to . . .

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Controlling the Breeding and Calving Season with Dr. Les Anderson

Stan Smith, PA, Fairfield County OSU Extension

These podcasts are ‘must hear’ with Dr. Les Anderson.

During the three podcasts linked below, Dr. Jeff Lehmkuhler, Extension Professor with the University of Kentucky, is joined by Dr. Les Anderson, Reproductive Management Specialist at the University of Kentucky, to discuss reproduction management concepts that will improve profitability in the beef cow herd. Regardless if you own 5 cows, or 105, with breeding season upon us these are three ‘must hear’ podcasts!

Controlling the Calving Season with Dr. Les Anderson, Part 1https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-bqwik-1399f67

This 44 minute session is focused on controlling the calving season in a natural service beef herd with some basic estrus synchronization protocols along with some additional basic Continue reading

Breeding Soundness of Bulls

Brooks Warner, OSU Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Educator, Scioto County (originally published in Ohio Farmer on-line)

Are you certain your bull is ready to work?

Breeding season for most beef herds is upon us or rapidly approaching here in the Midwest, and whether you plan to use your old bull or purchase a new one, it is important to know that the bull you have is fertile. The best way to know if your bull is fertile is by sending him through a Breeding Soundness Exam (BSE).

It is important to understand what a fertile and productive bull looks like before you open your billfold to purchase a bull. Aside from the initial cost of purchasing a sub-fertile bull, the economic loss due to sub-fertile bulls is far greater in the long run. For every 21-day period of the breeding season that a cow remains open, there is a loss of ~55lbs of weaning weight the following year for the calf she finally conceives.

Not only does a bull need to fit the physical criteria and the inherent drive to breed cows, but he needs to Continue reading

Understanding Beef Sire Summaries

– Heather Schlesser, Agriculture Educator in Marathon County, Wisconsin Extension

EPDs predict the genetic potential of future offspring of a particular bull.

Selecting a herd bull is one of the most important decisions a producer has to make. The decision of selecting what bull to mate to each cow or heifer has long lasting genetics effects in the herd. Sire summaries have been developed to aid producer’s in this decision. Sire summaries are updated on an annual basis and provide information on traits that are economically important to cattle producers.

The producer needs to decide which traits are most important to their farming operation. For example, a farm marketing feeder calves may place a greater emphasis on weaning weight rather than yearling weight. Most breeds also have Index values. An Index takes multiple traits and combines their values to create one number or ranking per bull, simplifying the amount of information producers need to analyze. Depending on the breed, Index’s may be general, or specific to maternal or terminal traits.

Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) predict the genetic potential of . . .

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