Dr. Colin Palmer, one of our reproductive specialist veterinarians from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine here at the University of Saskatchewan joins the podcast again this week to discuss the important topic of subfertility in beef bulls. Today we focus on the parts of the breeding soundness exam that greatly impact fertility - scrotal c…

Dr. Colin Palmer, one of our reproductive specialist veterinarians from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine here at the University of Saskatchewan joins the podcast to discuss the important topic of subfertility in beef bulls. Why do we need to perform bull breeding soundness exams? What are the implications of various factors such as lamene…

This week, Dr. Nathan Erickson and Dr. John Ellis join me to discuss the emergence of Bovine influenza A virus in cattle. We discuss what is currently known about this emerging disease issue at this point in time. New information is being acquired about the impacts and spread of Bovine Influenza A virus and this podcast gives information on the dis…

Dr. Chris Clark, an internal medicine specialist from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss how best to treat neonatal diarrhea in calves. We discuss how to detect dehydration and acidosis in an affected calf and the best ways to utilize oral electrolytes. We also discuss when a calf will need intravenous therapy a…

The calf that presents with acute abdominal issues or colicky symptoms is not uncommon on cow-calf herds around calving time. In this episode, Dr. Blake Balog from Cattle Health Management in Brooks, Alberta joins the podcast to discuss the causes of colic in young calves and how the producer should approach these cases when faced with them. 00:00 …

This week my guest is Dr. Mariana Guerra-Maupome. Mariana is a veterinarian with PhD training in bovine respiratory disease. She works as a feedlot consultant for Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods and as part of her job, helps to provide feedlot consultation services to feedlots across North America and farther abroad. She joins me this week to …

Dr. Roy Lewis joins the podcast again to discuss Remote Drug Delivery Devices (RDDD). These are the dart guns, cross bows, and pole syringes that are sometimes used by producers to administer antimicrobials to cattle on pasture. Dr. Lewis discusses their proper use and why they should be only used as the last resort if no other option is possible. …

Jenifer Heyden, a livestock extension specialist from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture joins me again on the podcast to discuss high nitrate levels in feeds and how to prevent nitrate toxicity in your cow herd. We discuss the details on the clinical signs of nitrate toxicity and how to interpret a feed test for nitrate levels as well. 00:00…

Dr. Greg Penner discusses some of his latest research findings on determining the optimum time to harvest cereal forages when feeding in bales or swath grazing. 00:00 - Intro 04:10 - Defining "Green-feed" 05:50 - Stages of cereal maturity 08:27 - Why do we need updated recommendations on harvesting cereal forages? 10:47 - Changes in barley forage n…

This week I'm pleased to welcome Dr. Vanessa Cowan to the podcast. Vanessa is a veterinarian and a specialist in veterinary toxicology who has recently joined our faculty at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. She joins me this week to talk about lead toxicity, one of the most common toxicities of beef cattle that also has important public …

This week I'm presenting another case from the files of our Disease Investigation Unit. This case has particular relevance to those producers that have been dealing with drought conditions over the last year. The case focuses on a cow-calf herd that has calves affected with neurological signs and blindness at birth. 00 - Introduction 1:36 - Herd ba…

Dr. Andy Acton joins me this week in the podcast to discuss the impacts, treatment and prevention of coccidiosis in cow-calf herds. Dr. Acton is a veterinarian and owner of a mixed practice in Ogema, Saskatchewan with lots of practical experience in working with cow-calf herds. He is the 2022 recipient of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine …

Dr. Zach Johnson joins me to discuss an infertility case that he investigated a few years ago. Dr. Johnson is the current president of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Association and he is a veterinarian who owns a rural practice in Melville, Saskatchewan. Zach has led a number of these types of infertility investigations and we discuss the cha…

Barry Yaremcio is a nutritionist from Camrose, Alberta who provides nutrition and management consulting to beef producers. Barry spent years working as a nutritionist with Alberta Agriculture and has a wealth of practical experience. He is joining the podcast to discuss the challenges associated with drought and to discuss the important things to f…

Dr. Chris Clark is my guest this week. Dr. Clark is an internal medicine clinician in large animals who also serves as the Associate Dean at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. We have a short conversation on the agriculturally focused seats at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and then take a deep dive into some of the causes of s…

Dr. Emily Snyder returns as a guest expert on the podcast to answer a listener question. What are the best practices to follow when introducing animals to your herd? It's an important aspect of biosecurity and Dr. Snyder gives us some of the diseases we worry about and what we can do to mitigate the risks. 00:00 – 1:54 Welcome and Introductions 2:0…

Jayce Fossen recently completed his Masters degree at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine focused on antimicrobial usage in Canadian cow-calf herds. Jayce joins me to discuss his results as well as a pitch for recruiting new herds for the Canadian Cow-Calf Health and Productivity Enhancement Network. If you have a cow-calf herd that meets th…

In this episode, I recorded a presentation by Dr. Anatoliy Trokhymchuk at the annual field day of the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence at the University of Saskatchewan. Anatoliy is a veterinarian and epidemiologist who serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at our local veterinary diagnostic laboratory (Prairie Diagnostic Services). Anato…

Dr. Greg Penner from the Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science returns as my podcast guest this week. Greg is discussing some of his latest research efforts on the effects of high sulphate water on cattle performance and how we can mitigate some of the subclinical effects such as copper deficiency in high sulphate water situations. 00:00 – 2:00 Welco…

Dr. Diego Moya joins the podcast to discuss some of his research on pain control for calves during painful procedures such as castration. Dr. Moya is an assistant professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and his research focuses on beef cattle welfare and behaviour. In this episode he provides us with some summaries of what we know a…

This week Dr. Murray Jelinski returns to the podcast for a 2nd week in a row, to discuss a completely different topic. He will summarize some of his recent research on the value of deworming yearling cattle in Western Canadian pastures. We discuss the basics of the life cycle of the internal roundworms of cattle and the impact they can have on prod…

Dr. Murray Jelinski joins the podcast to discuss the syndrome of abomasal ulcers in calves. Dr. Jelinski holds the Alberta Beef Chair at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and is involved in a wide range of research projects from lameness to parasites and antibiotic resistance. Although abomasal ulcers are not an exceptionally common proble…

Dr. Gabriel Ribeiro from the Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan is my guest this week. He has been researching the impacts of ergot in feed sources on cattle performance and he will discuss the levels of ergot that are safe for cattle, their impacts on cattle health, welfare and performance as well as how to test …

Dr. Bart Lardner is my return guest this week. He joins the podcast to discuss the implications of water quality on beef cattle. 00:00 – 01:45 Introductions 01:46 – 2:53 Why is water considered one of the most important nutrients? 02:54 - 04:35 How do we assess water quality? 04:36 - 07:11 Sulphates in water 07:12 – 10:20 Total Dissolved Solids 10:…

This week I'm presenting a quick mini episode with a case from our disease investigation files. This particular cow-calf herd had a disappointing pregnancy rate and we suspected a bacteria called Ureaplasma may have been responsible for the infertility. Ureaplasma is a bit of a tricky organism as we can find this bacteria in completely normal anima…

Dr. Joe Stookey, professor emeritus from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast this week. Joe has spent his career researching various aspects of animal behavior with a focus on beef cattle. He joins me to discuss the problem of mis-mothering in calving cows. It can be a frustrating situation and Joe gives some practical tips…

Dr. Karin Orsel from the University of Calgary School of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss an emerging cause of lameness in beef cattle herds and feedlots known as digital dermatitis. She explains the importance of this disease as a cause of lameness in cattle, how to recognize it, and the challenges with treatment and prevention. 00…

Dr. Emily Snyder is a veterinary clinician and professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. She has expertise in bovine respiratory disease, preventive medicine and antimicrobial resistance. This week, she joins the show to discuss the risk factors of pre-weaning respiratory disease in calves and some t…

Dr. Roy Lewis joins the podcast to discuss breeding soundness evaluations of bulls. Dr. Lewis is an experienced bovine practitioner who has practiced for many years in the Westlock, Alberta area. He has also worked as a technical service veterinarian for the pharmaceutical industry and he writes extensively for many producer publications. Roy has a…

Dr. Chris Clark joins the podcast to discuss foot rot and sole abscesses. Dr. Clark is a faculty member and large animal medicine clinician at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. He has a special interest in lameness and discusses two of the common causes of lameness in cattle: foot rot and sole abscesses. We'll discuss the differences in h…

Dr. Kathy Larson is a researcher in the Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan. She joins me to discuss the economics of raising replacement heifers and gives some tips on heifer selection as well. 00:00 – 01:50 Introduction 01:51– 03:15 Replacement rate for Canadian cow-calf herds 03:16 – 04:14 Percentage of…

Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed joins the podcast again this week to discuss proper vaccine handling, storage and administration Vaccinating Your Beef Herd unlisted playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL16s0XbcZVIurNHLqLLB58yc-cwdvush- Administering Vaccines: https://youtu.be/B4WlOlQffWw Vaccination Protocols and Records: https://youtu.be/giOJsaQ…

Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed joins the podcast to discuss her latest project on working to improve the efficiency of vaccine usage in Canadian cow-calf herds. Link to Western Canadian Animal Health Network Resources (WeCAHN) https://www.wecahn.ca/wecahn-networks/beef-network Vaccination Video Resources: Vaccinating Your Beef Herd unlisted playlist: ht…

Dr. Cheryl Waldner from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss the challenges of controlling Johne's Disease on cow-calf herds and the results of some of her latest research. https://www.beefresearch.ca/tools/johnes-disease-calculator\ 0:00 – 2:25 Welcome and Introductions 2:26 – 3:02 What causes Johne’s Disease 3:0…

This weeks episode is a bit different from usual. I don't have a guest this week, but I'll be presenting an outbreak from our Disease Investigation Unit case files. This case was also presented as part of a series of cases in a webinar organized by the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System: “ Beef Cattle Vaccines: the Good, the Bad, and The Ug…

Dr. Claire Windeyer from the University of Calgary School of Veterinary Medicine joins the podcast to discuss the importance of colostrum in neonatal beef calves and gives advice on how and when to intervene. She also discusses the pros and cons of various methods of colostrum supplementation. BCRC Calving Management Link with Resources on Colostru…

Dr. Jennifer Pearson from the University of Calgary joins the podcast to discuss when to intervene in calvings and the consequences of dystocia in beef cows and calves. BCRC Web Link: Calving 911: When and How to Assist with a Difficult Birth https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/calf-911-calving-decision-tree/ 00:00 – 2:42 Welcome and Introductions 2:4…

Dr. Van der Meer's contact information if you are a Western Canadian cow-calf producer interested in participating in his field study on causes of calf diarrhea: frank.vandermeer@ucalgary.ca 00:00 – 2:34 Welcome and Introductions 2:35 – 4:20 The importance of neonatal calf diarrhea 4:21 – 5:39 Pathogens involved in neonatal calf diarrhea 5:40 –7:37…

00:00 – 2:23 Welcome and Introductions 2:24 – 4:28 The difficulties associated with investigating fetal losses 4:29 – 7:25 What amount of fetal loss would be expected as normal? 7:26 – 10:03 What should you do when your herd starts to experience fetal losses 10:04 – 12:01 Percentage of abortion cases that are successfully diagnosed 12:02 - 13:25 Wh…

00:00 – 02:00 Welcome and Introductions 02:01 - 03:28 Moisture and Dry Matter 03:29 - 05:44 Dry Matter Intake Estimates and factors that affect DMI 05:45 – 07:03 As Received vs Dry Matter 07:04 - 09:50 Energy Estimates: TDN, Net Energy (maintenance, gain and lactation) 09:51 – 13:47 Protein Estimates: Crude Protein, DIP, UIP, ADFCP, NDFCP, Adjusted…

00:00 – 2:18 Welcome and Introductions 2:19 – 4:09 The importance of feed efficiency 4:10 – 6:17 Explaining Residual Feed intake 6:18 – 8:04 Measuring feed efficiency in research trials 8:05 – 9:28 Limitations of feed efficiency measurements in beef cow systems 9:29 – 12:27 Describing an alternative system for ranking beef cow efficiency 12:28 – 15…

00:00 – 2:51 Welcome and Introductions 2:52 – 4:02 Importance of neonatal calf diarrhea in cow-calf herds 4:03 – 6:48 What are the pathogens that are associated with calf diarrhea? 6:49 – 7:29 When are diagnostics important? 7:30 – 8:42 Strategies to employ to minimize risk of diarrhea 8:43 - 11:00 Sandhills calving system effectiveness 11:01 - 13:…

00:00 – 1:37 Welcome and Introductions 1:38 – 3:32 Who is Animal Health Canada 3:33 – 6:14 What is emergency health management mean? 6: 15 – 10:21 Why is it important to be prepared for emergencies in livestock operations? 10:22 – 12:37 The consequences of a serious disease outbreak 12:38 - 14:38 What to do if you suspect an unusual disease outbrea…

00:00 – 1:57 Welcome and Introductions 1:58 – 3:24 Defining a low quality forage 3:25 – 4:57 Common characteristics of low quality forages 4:58- 7:05 How do they impact animal health and performance? 7:06 - 9:57 Management issues to consider when utilizing lower quality forages 9:58 - 14:04 The importance of identifying animal classes that can util…

00:00 – 02:08 Welcome and Introductions 1:50 - 3:30 What role does copper play in the body 3:31 - 4:56 How commonly Is copper deficiency diagnosed? 4:57 - 6:29 How does copper deficiency occur? 6:30 – 9:37 Primary vs secondary copper deficiency (effects of molybdenum and sulphates) 9:38 - 13:32 Clinical signs of mild to moderate copper deficiency 1…

00:00 – 01:50 Welcome and Introductions 1:50 - 2:53 Age categories for young calf vaccinations 2:53 – 5:07 What diseases can we vaccinate young calves for? 5:07 – 9:03 Immune system development in the calf 9:03 - 11:33 The effect of maternal immunity on vaccine response 11:33 - 17:45 Intranasal vs Injectable Vaccines: What’s the difference? 17:45 –…

Link to BCRC website where Dr. Bart Lardner describes 7 tips for grazing corn https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/seven-tips-for-grazing-corn/?utm_source=BCRC+Blog+Subscribers&utm_campaign=2b9ff72122-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_15_10_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8c6acbd1df-2b9ff72122-88320359 Link to BCRC website page with extended grazing resources http…

00:00 - 01:45 Welcome and introductions 01:46 - 02:54 Stressors in weaned calves 2:55 - 04:29 Definition of Preconditioning 04:30 - 05:50 Components of a preconditioning program 05:51 - 09:43 Evidence associated with improved health in preconditioned calves 09:44 -12:29 Average daily gain in preconditioned calves 12:30 - 14:49 Ranch staff thoughts …

00:00 - 01:07 Welcome and introductions 01:08 - 4:47 Importance of feed testing - 3 main reasons 4:48 - 06:28 How to collect samples from bales 0:6:29 - 11:04 How to collect sileage samples 11:05 - 12:43 Collecting grain samples 12:44 - 14:26 Collecting samples from extended grazing forages 14:27 - 17:03 Pooling feed samples - Disadvantages 17:04 -…