Dr. John Groves has spent the better part of 30 years addressing bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle, with particular emphasis on high-risk stocker calves.
“This is very much a personal issue to me, as I practice in the town I grew up in, and my clients are my friends and my neighbors,” says Groves, owner of Livestock Veterinary Services, based in Eldon, Mo.
About 75% of his business is made up of what he describes as complex stocker operations, whose owners tend to be opportunity buyers.
“They buy on all days except Sunday, and they buy in all weight classes,” Groves says. “Their overall business plan is to add value to cattle by increasing their health status and assembling them into lots that are attractive to feedyards.”
With his stocker clients’ practices in mind, Groves realized early in his career that he needed to determine how to address populations of cattle over time instead of treating individual calves as they became sick. Eventually, he learned about and adopted the use of systems thinking to address BRD and other long-term, fundamental health issues in cattle that often defy short-term fixes.
Going Beyond Intuition
Systems thinking, in general, involves taking a holistic approach to addressing a chronic and challenging problem. Proponents consider the elements that make up the issue as well as how the elements interrelate, focusing on the goal of synthesis. The concept was pioneered in the mid-1950s, by Jay W. Forrester, a Nebraska farm boy who became a computer engineer and spent his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“I believe systems thinking is a good way to address complex problems, to think deeply about them,” says Groves, a founding member of Veterinary Advancement of Systems Thinking, a group of veterinarians interested in how the systems approach can be applied to animal health and production strategies.
Many bovine veterinarians already use some level of systems thinking intuitively and can benefit from taking it to the next level by looking at disease dynamics and their causes more comprehensively, adds Daniel Cummings, DVM, DABVP, Heritage Vet Partners, Madisonville, Tenn. Cummings has integrated systems thinking into his work, thanks to the introduction by Groves.
“We’re examining below the tip of the iceberg to better understand root causes of a problem in our cattle populations,” Cummings says. “I’m trying to dive deeper into the whys and consider all variables or risk factors that might be associated with a certain challenge. It’s not a linear way of thinking, from point A to point B. It’s a fundamentally circular way of studying an issue.”
Cummings references the Sandhills Calving System, used to mitigate the risk of calf scours, as a practice many bovine veterinarians are familiar with and that was developed thanks to systems thinking. The concept was developed by veterinarians at the University of Nebraska, led by Drs. Dale Grotelueschen and David Smith. (You can listen to an AABP “Have You Herd” podcast episode on the system at bit.ly/3qebKAE)
Consider Decision Outcomes
As Cummings identifies a meaningful practice or treatment he believes will help a set of cattle, he works through the potential outcomes before making recommendations to producers.
“Perhaps I’m going to recommend a change in the diet, because I think it’ll benefit the health of the cattle,” Cummings says. “So, I’ll consider what could be the potential unintended consequences of that decision, both the positives and negatives. How does this decision impact other stakeholders? Such as the nutritionist or feed deliverer? What are the costs and ROI? Does feeding the diet require other management changes?”
Groves often looks for leverage points in his clients’ operations to identify where a solution or tool can be applied. It is a low leverage point if a small amount of change causes a small change in system behavior. It’s a high leverage point if a small amount of change causes a large change in system behavior.
Reverse quarantining cattle upon arrival is a leverage point Groves often uses to minimize the opportunity for BRD infections. The idea is to protect incoming cattle from the existing population.
“In high-risk yards, instead of protecting the population from the incoming cattle, you protect the incoming cattle from the population already there,” Groves explains.
“Commingling is a major contributor to BRD outbreaks in high-risk stocker calves,” adds Cummings, who calls it “the daycare effect.”
Develop A Penning Plan
Groves encourages veterinarians to help clients create a penning plan to accomplish reverse quarantining. The plan should outline where new cattle will go, pen sizes and how long it will take to populate each pen.
Groves’ data, which he shared during an Elanco Animal Health webinar last fall, shows that keeping new cattle away from cattle pens that have been on-site the longest can result in fewer respiratory outbreaks. Additionally, smaller pen sizes reduce the probability of exposure, in turn, reducing the risk of disease transmission, making this a high-leverage tactic for cattle health management.
“I think this explains why stocker operations often will empty out and restart,” Groves says. “We have worked with some stocker operations to actually build in an empty pen to rotate through the planning strategy so we can take advantage of this benefit.”
To illustrate this to cattle feeders, Groves developed and runs a disease model that simulates how disease can occur. The simulation shows disease dynamics and the likelihood and rate of disease transmission among newly introduced cattle.
He shared the model with ag media during the Elanco webinar last fall. In addition, he demonstrated the model during a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension webinar:
Systems Approach to Maintaining Health in High-Risk Calves
Shifting The Burden
“Today, I have a better understanding of the importance of addressing fundamental issues like pen size and management,” Groves says. “When there is a fundamental issue, there is not a quick fix. It takes a lot of time, effort and resources to understand the issue and identify interventions.”
He says veterinarians can benefit from “shifting the burden,” employing longer-term strategies to fix or improve fundamental issues.
To illustrate this, Groves refers to a sinking boat.
“We often find ourselves in a situation where our boat is leaking, and all we can do is bail water; we don’t have the time or resources to patch the hole,” Groves explains. “But, long term, to properly use the boat again, the leaky hole will need to be patched.”
The same principle goes for mitigating respiratory disease in cattle, he adds.
“When I approach an issue like respiratory disease in cattle and the tools I use, I’ll think to myself: Does this need me to bail water? Or does it need a patching-the-hole in my boat strategy?” he says.
Staying A Step Ahead
Dr. Brett Terhaar, DVM, beef technical consultant for Elanco, says the battle against BRD requires a multifaceted approach.
“When it comes to BRD risk, one crucial factor is understanding the unique challenges posed by cattle’s physiology,” says Terhaar in a company news release. “Calves have relatively small lung capacities compared to their oxygen requirements. Due to their small lung capacities, when pathogens colonize, disease progression can be rapid. These calves can get what we call ‘knockout lung lesions’ in as little as 36 hours.”
Knowing this, Terhaar emphasizes the importance of identifying sick calves at the earliest stage of disease.
“It can be extremely beneficial to walk the pens of freshly weaned calves twice a day to make sure calves are coming up to the bunk, getting feed and acting normal,” he says. “Key symptoms to watch for include runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, drooping ears and anorexia, causing a lack of rumen fill.” He adds that early detection and intervention offer a higher recovery rate.
To effectively manage respiratory risks, a well-designed and executed plan is essential. Terhaar recommends addressing the following five elements:
- Animal husbandry and management: Use low-stress handling techniques and provide comfortable living conditions with adequate bedding and stocking density.
- Solid nutrition: Ensure cattle receive the necessary nutrients, protein in particular, to support their immune system throughout the weaning and transition process.
- Strong vaccination protocols: Implement a well-planned vaccination program to mitigate the effects of BRD and other illnesses.
- Strategic treatment: Keep two antibiotics of different classes on hand and treat cattle at the earliest signs of disease.
- Accelerated gain: Utilize efficient growth strategies, like the use of implants, to maximize returns on investment.
Terhaar recommends categorizing calves into risk groups, particularly for purchased calves.
“High-risk calves are likely not vaccinated, haven’t been preconditioned and are commingled, whereas low-risk calves have been preconditioned and vaccinated. This differentiation is crucial, given the dynamics of disease spread and recovery,” he says.
For more news, check out:
Longevity in the Cowherd
Survey: Beef-Cross Calves Need Better Implant, Breeding Strategies
Health Traits Have Genetic Heritability in Calves
Failing to (Biosecurity) Plan is Planning to Fail
