CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Implementing a health management program can help cattle during weather stress challenges.
“Weather stress is one of the biggest things we fight,” said Becky Funk, veterinarian at the University of Nebraska Great Plains Veterinary Center.
“We have great cattle producers in Nebraska, a lot are forward thinking and most have very good health management programs in place,” said Funk during the Stockmanship and Stewardship Virtual Event sponsored by Merck Animal Health, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Beef Quality Assurance and the Beef Checkoff.
“Nobody wants to plan for the worst, but contingency plans make a big difference when things go south,” she said. “Talk to your veterinarian because we can help you figure out some of those plans ahead of time for when the crisis hits.”
Many times, Funk said, someone else can identify problems on a farm that the cattleman has missed.
“Veterinarians can oftentimes see things about your operation that maybe you haven’t noticed or a different view point that you weren’t thinking about,” she said.
Funk encourages cattlemen to develop a relationship with a veterinarian.
“I can best help a producer if I’m not just the person they call at two in the morning,” she said. “If I know your operation, know your management style and know your goals, I can recommend a lot more targeted options.”
Veterinarians make different recommendations to cattlemen if they plan to sell their calves 45 days after weaning or if they plan to feed their calves to market weight.
“That will change my recommendations, so I need to know those things and have that relationship if I’m going to be able to do the best job for a producer,” Funk said.
In addition, veterinarians have legal obligations.
“If I don’t know your operation, I can’t legally write a veterinary feed directive,” Funk said. “If you walk into the office and I don’t know you or your cattle, it really ties my hands.”
Veterinarians, Funk said, should be part of the management team of a cattle operation.
“I look at myself on the same level as your accountant, nutritionist and maybe even your banker,” she said. “They are all part of your team that gives you the best information in their respective fields to help you make money.”
The economic success of veterinarians depends on the success of their clients.
“If my clients aren’t successful and productive, they’re not going to pay my way,” Funk said. “It’s really about recognizing and fostering relationships that understand you’re all working in the same direction for a successful beef operation.”
The most important question to ask a cattleman, Funk said, is to define their long-term goals.
“Once you know their long-term goals, that really colors the recommendations you need to make,” she said. “My goal is to find the point you’re best managing the herd health with the least amount of products because we don’t want to administer things we don’t need to.”
Pre-conditioning calves can mean a lot of different things to cattlemen.
“Every region will tell you something different,” Funk said.
“My ideal definition is the calf has been treated in a way that makes him ready to move onto his next life stage which is generally the feedlot,” she said. “That usually means a solid vaccination program and you may have an anti-parasite program depending on where you’re at.”
However, many producers forget that calves need to know how to do the things they will be asked to do when they move to the next farm.
“They need to know how to eat from a bunk and drink from a tank,” Funk said.
One of the current challenges for the livestock industry is the shortage of veterinarians.
“If you’re looking for a veterinarian job right now, you’ve got hundreds of choices,” Funk said. “If you’re trying to hire a veterinarian, you’re scraping hard to find candidates to fill jobs.”
Therefore, Funk said, community support for young veterinarians is critically important.
“For a lot of young veterinarians the rural lifestyle is a culture shock because they are coming from outside of rural areas,” she said. “It is important to get them involved in different things.”
In addition, Funk said, don’t forget that everyone has to learn somewhere.
“You need to understand they’re going through a learning curve which is a challenge especially if they’re dealing with the culture shock, as well,” she said. “Support is important to make them feel welcome.”
For more information about Stockmanship and Stewardship techniques, go to www.stockmanshipandstewardship.org.