Animal Welfare

“Report, Don’t Hide It”: Experts Urge Rapid Action When Suspecting New World Screwworm

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:21:32 GMT

As New World screwworm edges closer to the U.S., industry leaders urge producers to shift from worry to action.

Early detection, prompt reporting and treatment — backed by coordinated surveillance along the border — will be critical to keeping this treatable pest contained. Ranches are tightening calving seasons , upgrading working facilities and revisiting parasite control plans with their veterinarians. The core message to the fight against NWS: nothing replaces “eyes on animals.”

“We’ve been preparing for the possibility of screwworms emerging back in Texas for the past year,” says Jason Sawyer, East Foundation chief science officer. “We have decided to take the attitude of preparedness. We expect we’re going to have it. How can we best manage it and best mitigate and really, how do we minimize the impact while we weather the storm?”

The Breakthrough Symposium: NWS Preparedness panel (pictured l to r) are: Jason Sawyer, East Foundation; Dr. TR Lansford III, Texas Animal Health Commission; Dr. Diane Kitchen, Florida Department of Agriculture; Stephen Diebel, Texas beef producer and Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association president; and Dr. Megan Schmid, USDA-APHIS.

(Angie Stump Denton)

Sawyer participated in a panel during the The Breakthrough Symposium: NWS Preparedness, hosted by Merck Animal Health. The panelists didn’t debate whether NWS will arrive — they spoke as if it is already on the way. For producers, that means decisions must be made months in advance: adjusting breeding and calving windows to avoid peak risk, investing in better handling facilities and building a clear response plan with veterinarians. Combined with federal and state surveillance using fly traps, animal inspections and producer reports, these risk‑based steps can help ensure that when NWS appears, it is found fast, hit hard and kept from spreading.

With cattle markets at all‑time highs, panelists warn NWS must be managed in a way that protects both animal health and commerce. Movement controls, inspection and treatment protocols, and animal disease traceability are being designed to regionalize the problem — not shut the industry down.

Here are seven key takeaways from the panel discussion:

1. Prepare, Don’t Panic

New World Screwworm is a serious but manageable threat with proper planning and coordination.

“This isn’t a ‘sell the ranch and get out of business’ problem,” Sawyer summarizes. “This is a ‘let’s figure out the best way to move forward and minimize impact.’” Today’s challenge is to rebuild the “lost muscle memory” with modern tools and a risk‑based mindset. That means planning calving seasons with NWS risk in mind, enhancing parasite control without driving resistance and being ready to isolate, treat and recheck any affected animals in close coordination with veterinarians. The sooner producers start planning, the smaller and shorter the “storm” will be for everyone.

Some strategies producers should consider include:

Get a premise ID now, if you don’t have one.
Consider shifting calving and processing into lower‑fly windows.
Manage wounds differently . Any break in the skin — navels, castration, dehorning, tags and tick bites — becomes a high‑risk site once NWS is in the area.

Dr. Diane Kitchen, a cattle rancher and Florida Department of Agriculture veterinarian manager, bovine and cervidae programs, suggests producers consider using a preventative or at least a protectant to the area to minimize the chance of an infestation occurring.

Sawyer, who manages ranches near the U.S.-Mexico border, explains. “We’re trying to work with the weather instead of against it and think about comprehensive parasite control strategies that can minimize that risk for newborn calves, knowing that we’re unlikely to be able to put our hands on every one of them as they hit the ground.”

2. Eyes on Animals, Surveillance is Central.

Nothing replaces routine, disciplined visual checks — especially of newborns and any animal with a wound. Kitchen says preparation starts with understanding NWS targets wounds and certain high‑risk areas. The fly’s preference is umbilical cords, she stresses.

“It can also affect certain mucus membranes,” she explains. “The corners of the eye, the genital tract. In particular, cows that are calving, they’re attracted to the same umbilical cord scent.” External wounds can be tiny, internal damage massive. “The wound itself externally may be very small,” Kitchen says. “The size of a quarter. But then when you go to treat there may be gallons of maggots within underneath.”

Producers who have dealt with the pest often describe it as a smell you’ll never forget , noting that the stench of a calf infested with New World Screwworm is often the first warning sign.

Dr. Megan Schmid, USDA-APHIS Cattle Health Center assistant director, explains there are two types of surveillance:

Active surveillance: Fly traps along the border, border inspectors and Wildlife Services checking animals
Passive surveillance: Producers, vets, shelters and others seeing maggots/myiasis and reporting. “The traps are helpful,” she says. ”But they’re not as sensitive as the animal inspection. So really, that’s the key part: everybody looking for the infestations in animals.”

Producers can use technology to get more “eyeballs” on cattle and keep spread to a minimum. Game cameras, virtual fencing and behavior tags can help producers find problems sooner when labor is tight.

Because these infestations can be deceptive, producers should learn to identify the specific signs of New World Screwworm , such as unusual discharge or larvae deep within living tissue.

3. Report First, Don’t Hide It.

NWS is a reportable foreign animal disease. Early reporting is critical and legally required. Officials would rather investigate 1,000 false alarms than miss one real case.

Kitchen stresses failure to report will create many more flies.

“Failure to report results in multiple generations of additional flies, which just dramatically increases the population that’s available to impact everybody,” she explains. “If you think that because you didn’t report yours, that it’s not going to be found. It will be found because it’ll be found in something else.”

She encourages producers to think about the impact on their neighbor.

If the roles were reversed, she asks, “If you hear that somebody, your neighbor, is one that didn’t report, how happy are you going to be with them?”

4. Vet Relationships Are Essential.

A veterinarian is central to preparation and treatment plan. For wound care, antibiotics, pain management and access to tools, a veterinary client–patient relationship is vital. Treatment is about parasite removal and wound management, guided by vets.

Panel members explain part of being prepared is sitting down now with your veterinarian and discussing: “If we get screwworm, what’s our plan? How often are we looking at cattle, what products are we going to use, and what do we do about movements?”

Read more about how NWS is an infestation, not an infection.

5. Wildlife Matters in This Fight.

Wildlife are a major reservoir and economic driver, and can suffer large population impacts without control. Kitchen predicts in infested areas 70% to 80% of white-tailed fawn crops could be lost.

“Our wildlife populations are both so much more abundant than they were in the 1950s and so much more valuable than they were in the 1950s,” Sawyer says. “Unfortunately, the opportunity to intervene for wildlife is much smaller. There’s really not very many strategies that are viable, and so surveillance and monitoring become really our front line of defense in terms of our wildlife populations.”

He suggests the best way to protect wildlife is aggressive control in livestock to reduce environmental burden.

6. Quarantines Are Tools, Not Punishments.

The goal is continuity of business with safeguards , not shutting down commerce. Regulators are trying to balance containment with commerce. The goal is to maintain the “speed of commerce” while using structured movement protocols to protect markets and disease-free areas.

“It’s not going to be business as usual, but it’s going to be business is still possible,” Schmid says. “The focus is: how do we allow safe movements, not restrict and stop business.”

She says the New World Screwworm Response Playbook includes guidance documents and explains the quarantine/movement framework.

Stephen Diebel, Texas beef producer and Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association president, encourages producers not to think in terms of a hard quarantine. A structured process of treatment, surveillance, inspection and certification will allow movement.

Dr. TR Lansford III, Texas Animal Health Commission assistant state veterinarian and deputy executive director, encourages producers to reference the lessons learned from fever ticks as a strategy for dealing with NWS. He notes experience with fever ticks has shaped how Texans think about area quarantines, treatment protocols and continuity of business.

7. More Tools in the Toolbox.

Panelist members summarize a holistic ectoparasite program using modern products plus strong producer education is a main NWS defense strategy.

Kitchen stress producers and veterinarians have many more tools than they did back in the ’60s and ’70s when NWS was last endemic in the U.S.

Producers can find a list of approved treatment and prevention strategies on the FDA website .

Sawyer suggests producers work with their veterinarians to plan prevention and treatment strategies. He also stresses the importance of considering resistance management.

“We don’t want to react to an emergent threat in a way that then creates problems with a persistent pest that’s already present,” he says.

Read More About How Sterile Flies are the No. 1 Tool to Fight NWS:
Doubling the Defense: USDA’s “Male-Only” Fly Breakthrough to Transform Screwworm Eradication
Border Remains Closed: Sterile Fly Production Facility Groundbreaking Next Step in Screwworm Fight

While NWS is a serious and emotionally charged threat, panelists remind producers the U.S. has pushed it back before — and can do it again.

“This pest existed here before, and it has been eradicated from the U.S. before,” Sawyer summarizes. “We know how to do it. We just have to sort of build the capacity and muscle to get it done again when we need to.”

Don’t Be Fooled: Animal Rights Activists Pose as Family Farmers

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:43:41 GMT

Recently, several new activist groups have been using proclaimed farmers as prominent features in legislative campaigns aimed at preserving state “animal welfare” laws like California’s Proposition 12 . But who are these organizations – and are they really speaking for farmers?

Last fall, the Animal Agriculture Alliance noticed a trend of groups like Farm Action and Humane World Action Fund running ads claiming “family farmers” are in favor of upholding Prop12 and encouraging opposition to federal efforts to overturn the law. The ads claimed that Prop 12 “created a market that gives family-run farms like ours a fighting chance.”

Farm Action, a group with a purposely misleading name, is run by two former Humane World for Animals (HSUS) staff. The group endorses anti-animal agriculture legislation while claiming that they are working to “protect the future of family farms,” and organized a Congressional fly-in event last year to speak with legislators. Similarly, the activist-backed American Meat Producers Association, also led by a former Humane World for Animals (HSUS) staffer, was launched last year and has also been involved in similar efforts in D.C. to support Prop 12. The group said that they are working to “give a voice on policy issues and protect state laws that are good for family farmers,” while misleading lawmakers that these voices – heavily influenced by leadership that has strong ties to anti-animal agriculture organizations – speak for the entirety of producers.

These efforts in D.C. in support of California’s Prop 12 and in opposition to the EATS Act, now renamed the Save Our Bacon Act, were lauded by other anti-animal agriculture groups like Mercy for Animals, which wrote a blog in November about the “hundreds of farmers [sending] a strong message on Capitol Hill.” If you look deeper into the connections of these organizations, it’s hard to believe that these “farmers” would want to align themselves with groups that ultimately want to put all animal agriculture out of business.

In January, The Center for the Environment & Welfare issued a report breaking down some of the alleged “supporters” of California’s Prop 12 that were listed on a letter circulating on Capitol Hill. In the letter, Humane World for Animals had claimed that 5,000 farms across 39 states support Prop 12’s “animal welfare standards,” however, after a thorough review, it was found that this list included over 100 wineries, 150 honey producers, a goat yoga practitioner, and an urban garden – not a very accurate depiction of farmers that are actually impacted by these housing standards and supply chain restrictions.

Most recently, with the House Ag Committee passing a Farm Bill that includes preemption language related to Prop 12, we have continued to see animal rights activists scramble for support. Many groups have put out rapid “calls to action” on social media and through e-mail blasts asking their supporters to reach out to legislators. Some of these efforts seem to be aimed at major conservative commentators and policymakers, signaling attempts by activist groups to reach nontraditional audiences. A recent article in the LA Times claimed that “even conservatives are mad” about Proposition 12 and, while using an activist-provided stock photo from outside of the United States, referenced “intensive corporate-owned mega-farms.” In the article, an alleged farmer and “self-described conservative Republican” claimed that gestation stalls are not “proven to be good science.” This kind of content directly opposes the work that has been done in partnership by farmers, academia, and industry to make sure that pigs, whatever housing system they are in, are raised in environments that balance the best for their welfare and environmental sustainability, all while creating a nutritious, affordable protein for consumers.

It’s not hard to see why animal rights activists are trying to appear as representing farmers and ranchers. According to Gallup polling , farming and agriculture is America’s most trusted sector over the past 25 years. This new wave of organizations and tactics seems to be an attempt at distracting and confusing the public and policymakers, drowning out the perspectives of longstanding grassroots organizations who do count farmers and ranchers responsible for putting meat, poultry, dairy, eggs and seafood on American plates among their membership. It’s imperative that we look beyond the facades that these groups want you to see to understand their true intent. That second look at groups claiming to be aligned with farmers and asking for support could be hugely impactful to major legislative changes that seek to alter the future of our food supply.

Abby Kornegay is the director of issues and engagement for the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

24/7 Employee: How One Rancher Uses an App to Monitor

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 16:48:54 GMT

What started as a small trial in 2018 has become a core part of Trinity Farms’ management program providing labor savings and improved conception.

Located in Ellensburg, Wash., Trinity Farms is a multigenerational SimAngus/Angus seedstock operation specializing in selling bulls to commercial cow-calf producers across the Pacific Northwest.

Robb Forman, owner, says his family started with the SenseHub system in 2018. They got aggressive with it a couple of years ago when Merck came out with the new tags and new algorithm.

“We are much more successful in getting cows pregnant,” Forman says. “Conception rates and our preg rates prove that.”

The Formans previously used a synchronization system and timed AI. Today, using SenseHub, they are beating those results by as much as 15 to 20% in given groups.

“That’s not in every situation, but it’s significant,” he says. “We’ve cut out the labor of all that synchronization work, and we were doing so much hormonal manipulation that the cows that weren’t getting bred for another cycle. But the biggest thing I keep coming back to is once you’ve used this thing long enough and you start to trust in it enough, I mean, it’s the best damn heat detector you’ll ever have, and it never, doesn’t show up for work unless the power’s off.”

(Photo: Merck)

A Full-Time Employee

Forman says for the last two years he has bred exclusively off the system alone, treating it like a full-time, highly skilled employee. This means they do not visually heat check cattle.

“The system is like having an employee on the clock 24/7,” he stresses. “A really experienced employee as it relates to heat detecting. I can’t tell you how many man-hours it’s replaced.”

SenseHub Cow Calf has allowed Trinity Farms to:

Replace most synchronization and mass timed AI work.
Improve conception and pregnancy rates compared with timed AI.
Run an aggressive AI and sexed semen program with less labor, even during the darkest part of the year.

What is SenseHub Cow Calf?

SenseHub Cow Calf from Merck Animal Health is an app-based monitoring system using ear tags with accelerometers to track the reproductive, health and nutritional status. It provides real-time alerts for heat detection and health issues to improve herd productivity.

According to Mallory Bormann-Liss, Merck Animal Health beef monitoring customer success specialist, the SenseHub Cow Calf system is the latest technology from the company that helps monitor and gather data in real time to improve decision-making.

“The system tracks activity and rumination in real time with an ear-mounted accelerometer,” she explains. “SenseHubCow Calf ear tags also illuminate and flash, making it easier for caregivers to find animals flagged by the system. SenseHub Cow Calf provides remote, 24/7 monitoring of individual cows and breeding heifers. It helps improve breeding decisions. You get heat detection data and insemination timing guidance.”

Bormann-Liss says the system provides three types of monitoring:

Reproduction monitoring — Receive data on the reproductive status of every cow and reduce the inconsistency of monitoring heat.
Health monitoring — Receive alerts of potential health issues earlier, often before clinical signs become visible.
Group monitoring — Understand key herd behaviors at a macro level, including rumination activity, herd movement and other comfort, nutrition and health information.

(Photo: Merck)

“This monitoring technology can help indicate reproductive issues faster, such as animals not having regular cycles or suspected of aborting,” she says. “All the while, it monitors animal well-being.”

Producers are given data, which is presented in simple-to-read, understandable dashboards. Reports on individual animal estrus, health and group status are available, and you can create custom reports to your needs.

“What the producer puts into the system is what information they will receive out of it,” Bormann-Liss summarizes. “As long as cow or heifer data is put in, it will generate reports, breeding dates and expected calving dates based on the information.”

Bormann-Liss says there are three key factors for the system’s success:

Tag placement is important. It should be placed in the middle third of the ear between the two cartilage ribs. The tag must be dangling and not caught on another ear tag. This will ensure the activity data is being captured.
A consistent routine also is important. To identify differences in behaviors and patterns, there needs to be a consistent routine for at least 10 days, but 14 to 21 days is ideal. This will set a baseline to determine if the animal is doing something unusual.
Read range is a factor to be mindful of. The system is highly accurate a quarter mile in front of it and an eighth of a mile behind it. Animals need to come within that range at least once a day, so the data collected in the tag can be synced up to the cloud and analyzed by the producer. That can be done by strategically placing the controller by the water source or another area the animal will be coming to at least once in a 24-hour period.

How Does Trinity Farms Use the Tags?

All breeding females are tagged and monitored. Tags go in before breeding season and are cut out at pregnancy check to avoid loss. “They say it takes nine days for the algorithm to establish the baseline before you can really start to rely on it,” Forman explains. “So, we try to get those cattle tagged 10 days to two weeks prior to when we start breeding season.”
Breeding decisions are based on SenseHub alerts. SenseHub sends heat alerts and creates a timed breeding window. “When they hit the system, it sends an alert, and that starts what I call the countdown,” Forman explains. He has two graphs set up — one for conventional semen and one for sexed semen — and breeds according to those windows.
The light feature and app are a training tool. Forman says new employees get access to the SenseHub app, and he turns tag lights on for pull times. This helps train employees and improve their awareness of when a cow is in heat.
System infrastructure is spread across multiple pastures. Cows are in big, brushy pastures, so he has multiple antennas and manages grazing and feeding to bring cows into range. “We try to feed up by the road every morning to draw those cattle to where they’re going to hit the antenna in the morning before we need to pull in cattle,” Forman says.
(Photo: Merck)

Trusting the Tag Was the Biggest Challenge

According to Forman, the hardest part wasn’t understanding or putting in the hardware; it was getting over traditional timing and learning to trust the data. The timing of the system is different from what you might have experienced when heat detecting.

He initially questioned the alerts: “I said, ‘Hey, I’m seeing these cows in heat like six to eight hours before they’re showing up on the system. Something’s wrong,’ and they assured me, ‘Oh, no. That’s how the algorithm’s designed to work.’”

And he frames trust as the central hurdle: “The biggest challenge was just the trust — to trust the system, to trust the process.”

Cost Versus Value

Forman says while the system is not cheap, the economics pencil out when you account for more AI-sired calves and reduced labor, especially when producing seedstock bulls.

“How we’re breaking this down is we’re looking at it from the respect of how many more AI pregnancies are we ending up with versus what we were doing in the past,” he explains. “Just think about what happens when we push another 20 bulls through the bull sale. We didn’t add an extra cow… we didn’t do anything different other than how we’re AIing the cattle.”

Forman summarizes, “If you’ve got a serious seedstock operation, I think it’s worth serious consideration, and I can’t imagine anybody who tries it would be disappointed. We’ve become huge believers in the system.”

While the system is a no-brainer for seedstock producers, Bormann-Liss explains commercial cow-calf producers can also benefit from the technology by tracking cow, heifer and bull data, including:

Monitor reproduction heats and when being bred by the bull.
Gather heat information to note which heifers and cows are being bred or may not even show a heat.
Track bull data allowing producers to select bulls to use for more accurate pregnancy windows or knowing how accurate the calving window will be.

Q&A About SenseHub Cow Calf

Bormann-Liss says these are the main questions she is asked by producers:

How is the equipment powered? You will need internet of some sort (Wi-Fi, hotspot, hardwire) to connect to the controller that collects the information and sends it back to the producer. You will also need a regular 110-volt outlet to plug the system in.
Do you have a tech support department and how do I learn more about the dashboard after installing? Yes, we have a great technical support department that will help you get started and installed. After installing, then a customer success representative will reach out and help with the dashboard and how to input cows along with watching heats and reading the graphs and breeding window when cows show heats.
Can tags be used more than once? Yes, you can cut the button out of the back of the tag and unassign it to a cow and reassign it to a new cow or heifer on the same day. Tags have a four-year warranty and five-year battery life.
What kind of computer do I need to install the system on? A Windows-based computer needs to be used to set up the system. After that, any Apple device can be used.
How soon can I get a system if interested in buying? We recommend giving yourself two to three weeks for ordering and installation and a month prior to breeding — so in all, four to six weeks to give yourself accurate results.

Why Are BBs Found in Beef? A Hidden Problem Costing the Industry Millions

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:13:59 GMT

According to the latest National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA), 100% of U.S. processing plants now report challenges with foreign materials, specifically BBs and metal shot embedded deep in muscle tissue. This hidden threat causes a 1% loss in total ground beef production annually, effectively robbing 89% of American consumers of one serving of beef per year.

Jessica Lancaster, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) senior director of product quality and safety research, warns because these materials are classified as regulatory adulterants, a single BB can lead to the condemnation of thousands of pounds of beef.

“That’s really challenging, because that’s not something we see on the surface of a carcass,” Lancaster explains. “Often that’s getting embedded deep into the muscle and sometimes even to the bone.”

She summarizes the issue is both widespread and expensive — and it starts long before cattle reach the packing plant. It’s present across the country, in both the fed beef supply and the cull cow and bull plants.

(Photos: West Texas A&M University, USDA)

BBs aren’t the only problem. Lancaster has received documentation of numerous incidences when remote drug delivery devices (darts) were lodged in places like lungs and deep muscles. Critically, these issues originate in the pre-harvest segment — the production side that producers can control — but often aren’t discovered until post-harvest, during further processing.

What Happens When a BB is Found in Ground Beef?

The consequences reach far beyond a single affected carcass. When trimmings from multiple animals are combined into combos for ground beef, foreign materials often go unnoticed until it’s too late.

“The challenge is we don’t find that product until it hits the grinder blade,” Lancaster says. “And at that point there is thousands of pounds that are then impacted, and there’s no way to know if there was one BB or 40 BBs in that load.”

Because there is no practical way to isolate only the contaminated portion, entire lots must be condemned. That means even producers who have done everything right can see products from their cattle included in a load that ends up discarded because of a few bad producers somewhere upstream.

“It’s not only the cattle who are contaminated with the foreign material that are impacted,” Lancaster stresses, “All of our producers who are doing the right thing also are facing loss of product because of the bad actors.”

How Much Money Does the Beef Industry Lose to Foreign Materials?

The economic impact is substantial. Lancaster’s team estimates that about 1% of ground beef is lost due to foreign material contamination. On the consumer side, that translates into over 89% of U.S. consumers getting one less serving of beef per year. In a market environment where beef demand is tight and every pound matters, those lost servings add up quickly.

“Product from one animal could tank product from eight animals,” Lancaster explains. “When we’re making a batch of that, we’re impacting 51 head of cattle. And every time an event happens, it costs the industry $75,000, and in most facilities, we’re seeing 140 events of this per year at each facility.”

Add that up across the industry and the bill comes to roughly $476 million annually.

Is Foreign Material in Beef a New Issue?

Beyond the economic cost, foreign materials in beef are a regulatory and food safety concern.

While finding foreign materials in beef is not a new challenge — it was first noted in the early ’90s — changing regulations have redefined foreign objects to be adulterants regardless of physical characteristics.

“Foreign material is an adulterant today,” Lancaster emphasizes. “Anytime we see that, there’s regulatory action that takes place. Any objects that are not inherent to the animal are considered foreign material and we should never have foreign material in our animals as they’re entering the processing facility.”

In other words, if BBs or other foreign objects are present, the product is no longer acceptable for the food supply.

Is Foreign Material in Beef an Animal Welfare Issue?

There is also an animal welfare dimension. For a BB or metal shot to end up lodged deep within tissue, it must be propelled there with significant force. Lancaster points out this is not just a product quality issue — it raises serious questions about how and why animals are being exposed to these projectiles in the first place.

What is the Industry Doing About It?

While all modern plants use metal detectors and other detection systems, they have physical and technological limits.

“If we think about these BBs, they’re so small,” Lancaster summarizes.

Just as airport detectors can miss very small items, plant systems may not reliably catch tiny shot deeply embedded in muscle or near bone.

Lancaster says she sees a two-pronged path forward: education and technology.

First, there’s a clear need for producer education. Many in the production segment still believe foreign objects are primarily a plant problem. Lancaster’s data tells a different story, showing a significant share of contamination originating on-farm or in the field. Education efforts aim to change behaviors like moving cattle with shotguns and to raise awareness of how even small lapses can snowball into costly food safety and economic events downstream.

Second, NCBA, as a contractor to the beef checkoff, and its research partners are exploring new detection and tracing tools. One major research direction is investigating whether foreign objects can be detected in live animals or more effectively at harvest and then traced back to their source. If successful, this could support enforcement mechanisms and targeted interventions, discourage risky practices and prevent adulterated animals from entering the supply chain unnoticed.

The goal is to scan animals as they move through chutes or other handling systems, identifying BBs or metal fragments before they enter the processing chain. She explains this could mean using imaging or scanning technologies to flag animals that pose a risk, allowing them to be diverted or more closely evaluated before they are combined into large ground beef lots.

Lancaster also stresses the industry can’t treat foreign materials as a side issue. For years, food safety conversations have centered primarily on biological hazards such as bacteria and pathogens. Those remain critical priorities, but today, foreign materials carry similar weight.

“I think we not only have to think about those biological hazards we always talk about with food safety,” she says, “but as we’ve seen foreign material become an adulterant, we truly have to take some actions to help prevent this impacting our beef demand.”

Ultimately, solving the foreign material challenge will require a combination of producer responsibility, better on-farm and field practices, new detection technologies and strong communication across the supply chain. By tackling the issue where it starts — and not just where it’s discovered — the industry can protect animal welfare, reduce costly product losses and ensure more safe, high‑quality beef makes it to consumers’ tables.

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Tips for Care Following Wildfire

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 13:42:07 GMT

As Oklahomans and their nearby neighbors in Kansas endure wildfire season , Oklahoma State University Extension specialists offer tips to keep livestock safe, as well as help with recovery efforts.

Livestock Welfare After a Fire

Monitoring surviving animals is crucial in the days after a wildfire, says Dr. Rosslyn Biggs , OSU Extension beef cattle specialist.

“We need to be thinking about long-term repercussions,” she adds. “Thermal injuries, burns can be a big issue on these animals. We also need to be thinking about smoke inhalation and the systems that those affect.”

Enhanced monitoring of the surviving animals is crucial after a wildfire, Biggs explains. In addition to nutrition, hydration is key. Cows that are in the later stages of pregnancy need to be thought about, too. Consider their capacity to care for either calves on the ground or those they will soon birth.

Post-wildfire evaluation can lead to difficult decisions, too.

“It’s very important in these disaster-type situations that animal welfare needs to be our first consideration,” Biggs says. “How are those animals that have survived going to be able to recover from those injuries? In many cases, unfortunately, euthanasia may be the most humane decision that we have to make.”

Protecting Horses During Wildfires

Have your horses loaded and ready to go before you see a wildfire reach your property, says Kris Hiney , OSU Extension equine specialist.

“So many animals, when fire is coming, it causes panic,” Hiney says. “They may be harder to handle, so if trouble is coming, have the horses already up in a small lot where you can catch them. In a burning building, horses won’t want to leave, but now we’re talking about a threat to human safety as well.”

Horses will often be reluctant to leave an environment they deem safe, Hiney adds. Keep the horses together and avoid isolating one horse at a time, as this could cause further panic.

“The calmer the handler can be, the better the horses will act,” Hiney says.

Preparation is also key. Maintaining your property, like mowing fence lines and creating fire breaks, is important. Be aware that fire structures, such as hay storage, can be extremely dangerous for animals to be near. Have photographs and records of all your horses, Hiney says.

If smoke is high in the air, even if not directly where fire is impacting your land, respiratory health in horses is important. Hiney recommends not working the horses when the smoke particulate matter is high.

Emergency Cattle Nutrition

Wildfires can ravage forage, requiring producers to pivot in the aftermath.

There are several strategies to minimize weight loss until hay can be secured. One option is to provide a commercial “creep feed” product for four to five days . Commercial creep feeds will generally contain 12 to 14% protein and are aneasily accessible option, with this feed bagged and ready to ship immediately.

The feeding rate is equivalent to eight pounds of feed per day, assuming cows weigh 1,200 lb. If hay is more abundant, 15 lb. of grass hay fed with five lb. of a 28% to 32% range cube can maintain a 1,200-lb. cow in the last trimester of pregnancy.

Mineral supplements with a high calcium level are essential to offset the high phosphorus levels in concentrate feeds. Work with your local Extension educator to ensure a well-balanced diet for your cattle in limit-feeding scenarios.

The priority is to meet nutritional needs while stretching hay supplies.

Documenting Losses

After a wildfire, documenting losses will be crucial for producers. Review your existing records and then create a line of documentation on a day-to-day basis after a disaster.

“Having documentation becomes very important from a financial aspect,” Biggs says. “It can be as simple as, if we have losses, documenting those with photographic evidence. Most people can use their cellphones to take pictures that can be timestamped. For many emergency-type programs, it’s going to be necessary to have verifiable records.”

Carcass Disposal

Burial will be the best option for disposing of livestock carcasses, says Doug Hamilton , OSU Extension water management specialist.

“You need to be in a high spot,” Hamilton says. “You need to be well above a flood plain. You’re going to have to dig a hole 4-6 feet deep and be at least two feet above where the water table may rise.”

It is also important to keep burial sites at least 300 feet away from water sources.

The state of Oklahoma has five methods for disposing of livestock: landfilling, rendering, incineration, composting and burial. Finding a landfill to take a dead animal will be difficult, even in an emergency. Rendering will be hard if the animal has been dead for several days and incineration requires expensive and specific equipment.

Composting is viable, but it will require wood shavings or sawdust and management . An advantage of composting is that once you’ve completed it, the land site will be viable for use again.

If you are affected by the wildfires and have agricultural, livestock care or forage questions — or wish to donate or receive hay — contact OSU Extension by calling 405-780-4569 or emailing DisasterSupport@okstate.edu.

Your Next Reads:
After the Fire: The Need for Feed, Fence and Prayers
Why the Southern Plains Became a ‘Perfect Recipe’ for Wildfires

Why Your Chute-Side Manner Matters

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:21:25 GMT

Good chute-side manner isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about how cattle experience handling, how accurately treatments are delivered and how safely people can work. During a chute-side demonstration at CattleCon in Nashville, Tenn., Ron Gill and Paige Pratt emphasized that many of the most common problems seen later — leakage, injection-site reactions, poor efficacy and safety risks — start with small decisions made at the chute.

From how handlers move around cattle to how needles and syringes are selected and used, chute-side technique plays a central role in animal welfare and Beef Quality Assurance outcomes.

1. Movement Around the Cow in the Chute Matters

Handlers continue to influence cattle behavior even after the headgate closes. Gill showed how small changes in handler position — stepping forward, stepping back or changing angle — can prompt cattle to adjust their stance and head position. Using your movement when the animal is inside the chute can improve neck access and reduce resistance, allowing procedures to be performed more calmly and accurately without escalating stress.

“One thing you can do a lot of times, you can step forward,” says Gill, who proceeded to move to the front of the cow. “Notice that the animal steps back when I do that, and then I’ve got better neck access.”

2. Proper Restraint Determines Accuracy and Safety

Accurate injections and safe handling depend on adequate restraint. When cattle are not properly positioned, injections are more likely to leak or be misplaced and handlers are placed at greater risk. The speakers caution against leaning into crowded or partially restrained animals and emphasize that rushing procedures undermines both safety and efficacy.

“If you have to lean over in there to give a shot and one of them throws her head up or jumps, then that’s where people get hurt,” says Gill, who advises against working cattle in line for the chute without restraint, even if they’re packed in tight.

3. Needle and Syringe Selection Is a Chute-Side Decision

Choosing the correct needle and syringe is part of chute-side technique, not an afterthought. Needle gauge and length must match cattle size, skin thickness and injection route. Inappropriate needle selection or damaged equipment increases pain, leakage and treatment failure, particularly when combined with poor restraint or rushed technique.

“The lighter those cattle are, probably the smaller gauge, the smaller diameter we want,” says Pratt. She also highlights the importance of needle length, to make sure the injectable is getting to the right depth, and syringe tip style, favoring Luer lock.

4. How Syringes Are Handled Affects Whether Products Work

Syringe handling influences dosing accuracy and product effectiveness. Common chute-side mistakes include exposure to sunlight, contamination during filling and improper cleaning practices. These errors can reduce vaccine efficacy before the product ever enters the animal, making careful syringe management a critical part of chute-side manner.

“Once you sterilize these, don’t be pulling the plunger back until you have a needle in a bottle,” Gill says. “What have you just done? You sucked all the dust out of the corral into your syringe.”

5. Chute-Side Manner Reflects Management Priorities

Chute-side habits reflect how seriously an operation takes stewardship and animal welfare. Consistent techniques such as using the same locations, spacing injections appropriately and avoiding shortcuts help prevent long-term problems such as abscesses and lost performance.

“If you’re going to be doing it, spending the money ... do it correctly,” Gill says.

Refining these small chute-side decisions ensures that every animal is treated with the respect it deserves and every investment is given the best chance to succeed.

New Animal Activism Reports Released: Activists Connect in the Courtroom

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:42:28 GMT

As part of the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s mission to safeguard the future of animal agriculture, we work to make sure that farm and food communities have all the facts about what animal activist groups are really working toward. That’s why we’ve recently released two new reports that break down the strategic coordination and funding behind these organizations.

The first report, “ Radical Vegan Activism ,” looks back at statistics from 2024 to show the tactics, targets and driving ideologies of key players within the movement. The numbers tell an important story, with nearly one-quarter of all documented activist attacks focusing on farms and food businesses. It is of note that research institutions were reported to be the most targeted overall. When it comes to agriculture, documented actions included vandalism (59 incidents), animal theft or release (43 cases) and trespassing (31 cases).

The second report, the “ Major Animal Activist Groups Web ,” outlines the connections between well-known organizations based on staffing, funding and project collaboration.

While some of these groups have a more public-facing presence — such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) or Humane World for Animals (formerly Humane Society of the United States) — and often engage with the public and are seen on television commercials, others are working behind the scenes pushing legislation that is unfavorable to agriculture and, even in some cases, stealing animals from farms and facilities. The point of the “Major Animal Activist Groups Web” is to show that though groups may differ on how they get their point across, they are all working together in some ways to push for changes in modern animal agriculture that drive up the cost of production and threaten the availability of animal-sourced protein.

The web is updated annually with the inclusion of new connections and organizations. A key theme identified in this latest update was a focus on legal collaboration between groups. For example, Animal Activist Legal Defense Project is working to appeal a 2023 felony conviction of Wayne Hsiung , founder of Direct Action Everywhere and Simple Heart Initiative (a new addition to the web this year after holding an “animal rescue” event in Washington, D.C., this past March). Other legal focused groups recently added include The Brooks Institute and Legal Impact for Chickens.

The groups highlighted in this report represent a fraction of the activist landscape, yet together, based on the latest publicly available financial information, pull in more than $865 million a year — a significant jump from $800 million last year. As funding for activism grows, it’s more important than ever for those of us in the farm and food community to share our own stories. If we don’t speak up about what really happens on farms, we risk letting activist groups tell that story for us.

Want to learn more about protecting your farm or business from potential activist threats? Visit the Alliance website for more resources and information on proactive security measures.

Read more:
Jury Rejects ‘Rescue’ Defense: DxE Extremist Zoe Rosenberg Found Guilty in Chicken Heist

Veterinarian Becomes Disease Detective: Nichols Connects Animal Disease and Human Health

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:24:04 GMT

Growing up on a New Mexico ranch, veterinarian and public health leader Megin Nichols says she learned early the health of animals, humans and the environment are deeply connected.

Initially planning to practice small animal medicine, she says her plans began to pivot when she met a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemic intelligence service officer who sparked her interest in public health. That realization led her to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Minnesota, with a focus on food safety and biosecurity. Her career has included roles in local, state and federal health departments, investigating foodborne illness outbreaks and developing strategies to prevent them.

“Life has a way of taking you in places you never anticipated,” she shared during the 2025 Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems Lecture Oct. 6 at Kansas State University.

Today, as the CDC’s director in the division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases, she lends her expertise to efforts involving disease investigation, food safety, antimicrobial resistance and agriculture literacy.

Megin Nichols has more than 15 years of zoonotic disease experience and has served at the federal and state levels. She has served as the lead of the Enteric Zoonoses Team investigating multistate outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli. Prior to joining CDC, Nichols worked as the Principal Investigator of the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance Program at the New Mexico Department of Health for five years.

(Angie Stump Denton)

One Health: Connecting Animal Disease and Human Health

Nichols’ work focuses on the One Health concept.

“One Health is recognizing the health and well-being of humans, of animals and our environment are all interconnected,” she explains. “One Health is something that many of us do every single day and are very, very aware of, especially if you have ties to agriculture and the land. But One Health as a concept oftentimes is difficult to fully understand.”

Nichols says One Health is:

Ongoing relationships with animal agencies.
Understand the culture of agriculture.
Having access to integrated human and animal surveillance.
Protocols for conducting joint response investigations.
Agreements for sharing biological samples and lab results.
Established lines of communication with agriculture and animal industry.
Plans for unified communication messaging.
Need to build linkages and trust before and outbreak.

“What happens in one area can significantly impact others — whether it’s a wildfire, a disease outbreak or environmental changes,” Nichols summarizes.

Pandemic and Disease Response Insights

Nichols was a leader in investigating and finding unique solutions for the livestock industry and specifically meat packing industry related to COVID-19.

“In April 2020, I got a call from my supervisor saying there are some meat, poultry packing plants that are going down because of labor shortages and illness,” she explains.

She selected and lead a team to figure out how to get the plants opened back up safely and to find unique solution to deal with the related animal welfare issues.

Summarizing the experiences, Nichols reports the estimated economic cost of COVID-19 is $14 trillion. Along with supply chain disruptions the industry experienced changes in consumer behavior, labor shortage and complex operations challenges. On a positive note, she says the industry did experience a lot of innovation and uptake of technology due to the pandemic, which resulted in innovative approaches to workplace safety and communication.

“We saw innovative strategies where if one person got sick, they looked around that worker and said, ‘OK, who do we need to monitor quickly for symptoms?’” she says.

Nichols also discussed the increase in salmonella outbreaks during the pandemic. She links the rise to the increase in backyard poultry ownership and the improper handling of backyard chickens.

“Many new chicken owners were unaware of disease transmission risks,” she explains.

Nichols also shared insights to H5N1 influenza and emphasized the complexity of tracking and preventing. She highlights the need for integrated, cross-species surveillance and communication strategies.

She also touched on emerging threats, including New World screwworm (NWS) . Her message emphasized the importance of prevention, control and preparedness.

She shares these five key strategies related to NWS:

Surveillance. Early dection through wound inspections and reporting in livestock.
Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Ongoing release of serile male flies to prevent reproduction.
Biosecurity. Movement control of imported animals and monitoring at entry points.
Public Awareness. Education for doctors, ranchers, veterinarians and travelers.
Rapid Response Planning. Multi-agency coordination to contain outbreaks swiftly and deploy sterile flies.

Agricultural Literacy, Communication is Key

“Growing up in the middle of nowhere, I also came to understand that not everyone appreciates — or even understands — where their food comes from,” Nichols says.

She shared a 1993 study that revealed significant gaps in public knowledge about agriculture. She summarizes understanding food systems involves knowing:

Where food comes from.
How it’s produced.
Its impact on economy, environment and technology.

Throughout her lecture she shared the importance of transforming complex scientific concepts into engaging, accessible insights that resonate with students, farmers, ranchers and public health professionals alike.

“It doesn’t matter how much information we have if we don’t get it out to the people,” Nichols says.

She stresses the importance of agricultural communication specialists in translating scientific information and engaging audiences.

“Don’t leave the communications to the scientists,” she says.

Nichols emphasizes that agricultural literacy and effective communication are crucial for bridging knowledge gaps and building public understanding of food systems.

She shares this advice for agricultural advocates:

Bring agricultural perspective to discussions by speaking up and sharing lived experiences.
Challenge misconceptions with personal stories by focusing on storytelling rather than technical details.
Understand your audience and use relatable language and provide context.

Nichols stresses the importance of preparedness and collaboration. She explains the importance of local-level discussions and community preparedness, suggesting that some of the most effective emergency preparedness conversations happen “at the coffee house” or during casual community gatherings.

Extreme Actions of Animal Activists Puts Food Security at Risk

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:07:27 GMT

Animal activist group tactics are becoming increasingly extreme in their actions, putting farmers, ranchers and food workers – not to mention food security – at risk, says Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president and CEO, Animal Agriculture Alliance.

“While some groups may outwardly appear more moderate in goals and beliefs, they are all connected by one key mission: to eliminate animal agriculture and take a nutrient-dense food group off of the menu,” Thompson-Weeman says.

(Animal Agriculture Alliance)

The Animal Agriculture Alliance issued two updated reports on the current state of the vegan and animal activist movement in the U.S. View the reports here.

The Major Animal Activist Groups Web highlights the strategic, interconnected nature of the animal activist movement.
The Radical Vegan Activism report details trends in activism and illuminates the true intentions of key players in the movement.

New findings in the updated Radical Vegan Activism report show that nearly one in four animal rights extremist attacks target farmers and food workers, including 189 actions taken against agriculture in 2024 and 62 against food services, the Animal Agriculture Alliance reports.

Documented actions include:

59 incidences of vandalism
43 cases of animal theft and/or release
31 trespasses
5 arson cases

This report also highlights direct quotes and financial data for key players within the movement, including Humane World for Animals (formerly The Humane Society of the United States), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and ASPCA.

“Ending speciesism is our ultimate goal,” said Matthew Braun, senior manager of grassroots protest campaigns for PETA. “One strategy to end speciesism would be to end the use of animals as food.”

The updated Major Animal Activist Groups Web includes a selection of the most active or extreme groups involved with or connected to the vegan and animal activist movement, the Animal Agriculture Alliance reports.

These organizations collectively bring in more than $865 million in revenue annually to use for anti-animal agriculture campaigns according to publicly filed financial records.

A key theme for new connections on the web includes increased legal collaboration between groups. For example, Animal Activist Legal Defense Project is working to appeal a 2023 felony conviction of Wayne Hsiung, founder of Direct Action Everywhere and Simple Heart Initiative. New additions to the web include: Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, The Brooks Institute, Legal Impact for Chickens, and Simple Heart Initiative.

Minimizing Shrink to Maximize Profit

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 14:59:57 GMT

Every pound counts at the sale barn — and sometimes, the weight loss happens long before calves ever hit the scale.

For cattle producers, shrink isn’t just a biological response to stress; it’s an invisible drain on profit margins that can be managed with the right timing and techniques, according to K-State beef cattle experts.

K-State veterinarian Brad White explains “shrink” as the weight loss that occurs between gathering calves at home and their final weigh-in at the scale.

“In general, I expect calves to lose weight if they’re sitting in a new environment, new water source, just transported and everything else,” says veterinarian Bob Larson. “So even though it might be easiest for me to take calves on the day that’s most convenient for me, in order to address shrink, I think it’s better to move that transport to the sale as late as possible.”

There are also economic implications associated with shrink.

“You think about a 500-lb. steer; you know, every 1% difference in shrink is 5 lb.,” Larson says. “And so you add a couple more percentages of shrink, and the amount of money we are talking about is easily offset by hiring somebody to help me gather them.”

Proper cattle handling techniques play a critical role in minimizing weight loss during the marketing process, the experts emphasize.

“We feel stressed because we have things to do, and we start rushing and pushing the cattle harder. We start losing those low-stress handling principles in the process,” beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster says. “Now that they are stressed, they have an increase in urination, defecation, and they start losing fluids and losing weight quicker.”

For producers concerned about shrink, online auction platforms may offer a useful alternative.

“One tool that producers have is methods that limit the amount of time the calves spend in the marketing system, such as marketing online,” Larson says.

The specialists concluded that shrink represents an invisible cost that doesn’t appear on invoices but significantly impacts producer profitability, making proper management essential for maximizing returns.

More on this topic is available on the latest episode of the K-State BCI Cattle Chat podcast.

Emergency Use of Animal Drugs Approved to Combat New World Screwworm

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 16:08:11 GMT

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a declaration on Aug. 19 allowing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs) for animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by the New World screwworm (NWS).

This declaration applies only to drugs for animals. NWS infests warm-blooded animals, including livestock, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans, causing severe tissue damage and sometimes death. The risk to human health in the U.S. remains very low, but the potential future threat to animal populations and the food supply chain requires proactive action.

Although eradicated from North America and Central America decades ago, NWS has progressed north since 2022 and is now approaching the U.S. border with Mexico. This parasite poses an emerging threat to livestock and food security, with potential impacts on both national security and animal health.

“Today we are taking decisive action to safeguard the nation’s food supply from this emerging threat,” says HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This authorization equips FDA to act quickly, limit the spread of New World Screwworm, and protect America’s livestock.”

Currently, there are no FDA-approved drugs for NWS in the U.S. The FDA through an EUA can authorize the flexible, faster use of certain animal drug products that may be approved for other purposes, or available in other countries, but not formally approved for NWS in the U.S. This ensures veterinarians, farmers, and animal health officials have timely access to the tools they need to protect pets, livestock and the nation’s food supply.

“Thank you to my friends and partners Secretary Kennedy and Commissioner Makary who are answering the call and supporting our aggressive plan to push back and ultimately defeat this devastating pest. This emergency use authorization is another tool we can use in the fight against New World Screwworm,” says Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “Our cattle ranchers and livestock producers are relying on the Trump Administration to defend their livelihoods. Stopping this pest is a national security priority and we are linking arms across President Trump’s cabinet to defend our borders and push back this threat.”

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H., adds, “Our priority is to safeguard both animal health and the nation’s food supply. FDA is acting swiftly and responsibly to help ensure we have the necessary tools to prevent and control New World Screwworm, minimizing risks to agriculture and public health.”

FDA will provide future guidance to veterinarians and stakeholders on the appropriate use of any products authorized for emergency use and update the New World Screwworm: Information for Veterinarians page.

Eight Components of a Strong Preconditioning Program

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 10:13:31 GMT

Many spring-calving producers are thinking about weaning and marketing this year’s calf crop.

“In preparation for weaning and marketing, many producers do some level of preconditioning to add value and prepare calves for the next stages of life,” says Chris Clark, Iowa State University Extension and outreach beef specialist.

In a recent press release Clark describes preconditioning strategies and explains why it is valuable.

He says there is not a solid, consistent definition for preconditioning and the meaning of the term can differ person to person, regionally and among various programs.

Clark says this definition summarizes his perspective on the meaning and importance of preconditioning: “Preconditioning is a set of practices and procedures applied to prepare cattle for the next phase of production. Weaning and marketing involve many potential stressors that can negatively affect beef calves: separation from dam, new environment, diet change and new social dynamics, just to name a few. The idea of preconditioning is to prepare cattle, minimize those stressors, support health and performance, and ultimately, help cattle reach their genetic potential.”

He adds specific precondition practices often include castration, dehorning, vaccination, adaptation to new feeds and bunk breaking.

Although most preconditioning practices are associated with weaning, some of these things can actually be done well ahead of time, even in the neonatal period of a calf’s life.

“Well-preconditioned cattle are the culmination of a holistic management program that starts when calves are born and arguably even while they are in utero,” he says.

Clark shares these eight components of a strong preconditioning program:

Castration and dehorning procedures should be done as early as possible with appropriate anesthesia and analgesia to minimize pain and distress.
“Castration and dehorning surgeries should generally be performed within the first two to three months of life,” he says. “Dehorning should be done through genetic selection or through disbudding calves before the horns become well established.”
If these procedures have not yet been done, talk to your veterinarian about the best timing and technique. Open wounds can be a problem in the summer because of fly pressure, so it is worth some thought and discussion about how to best proceed at this time of year.
Vaccination to establish immunity prior to the stress of weaning and marketing.
Stress associated with weaning and marketing can cause immunosuppression, making animals more susceptible to respiratory disease and other infections. Preweaning vaccines help ensure protective antibodies are on board at weaning, which can help prevent and reduce the severity of disease.
“Work closely with your veterinarian to determine the products and vaccine schedules that make the most sense for your operation,” he says.
Deworming to reduce internal and external parasite load can help promote animal health and performance.
Cattle commonly consume infective nematode larvae while grazing, so strategic deworming as they are coming off of pasture into drylot or feedyard settings can make a lot of sense.
Implanting with growth-promoting hormone implants is very much an optional part of a preconditioning program.
Implants improve performance and feed efficiency and can improve profitability when cattle are retained long enough to take advantage of these improvements.
“In a strong cattle market where each pound of gain has great value, implanting may be worth considering,” he says. “Keep in mind the new FDA guidance and emphasis on not reimplanting within a phase of production unless the implant product is specifically labeled for reimplantation.”
He explains with this recent development, some buyers might prefer cattle that have not been implanted, so it may be worth thinking through the value of enhanced performance versus buyer preferences and demand at market.
Adapt cattle to feed like what will be fed after weaning.
“Creep feeding consistently increases weaning weight but may or may not be profitable depending on the cost versus value of gain,” Clark explains. “In the current market with significant value for every pound of gain, creep feeding may be worth considering.”
Even when not obviously profitable, creep feeding or some kind of supplementation can help calves adapt to new feeds and feeding systems. This should support a smoother transition throughout weaning.
Postweaning feeding programs should be well-balanced to support health and growth but modest enough to prevent foot and rumen issues and over-conditioning of animals.
“Buyers generally like cattle to be relatively ‘green,’ meaning they prefer to buy cattle that are not overly fat,” he adds.
Weaning is considered by some to be an integral part of the preconditioning process.
In fact, in some sponsored preconditioning programs, cattle are not truly preconditioned if not weaned for 45 to 60 days. Weaning allows producers to start cattle on feed, adapt them to the next phase of production, and treat any illnesses that might occur.
Consider low-stress weaning strategies such as two-step weaning, fence-line weaning, pasture weaning, etc., and think ahead about what might work for you. Weaned cattle should be past some of the most stressful and high-risk times and ready to enter the next phase of production.
Strive for excellence in the basics of animal husbandry.
Shelter, shade, bedding, water, feed and low-stress handling are all components of good animal care, and the most well-preconditioned animals are those that have been well taken care of from conception to marketing.
Daily care and record keeping are key components of preconditioning.
Create a plan for performing and keeping records of daily care, and develop a record-keeping system for treatment and feed records.
“Plan to check cattle daily throughout the weaning phase to look for signs of illness, develop a working relationship with a veterinarian and establish a treatment plan in case of illness,” Clark says.
Review recommended biosecurity protocols and implement as appropriate to protect the health of your calf crop. Prepare records that can be shared with buyers so they understand how cattle have been cared for, what products have been administered and what procedures have been done.

Clark summarizes preconditioning does several things. First, it enhances animal health, well-being and performance, and increases the odds that cattle will perform to their genetic potential. Additionally, preconditioning minimizes risk.

“In the current record-breaking cattle market, cattle are more valuable than ever, and with great value comes great risk,” he says. “Every illness, every mortality, every bout of weight loss and shrink hurts that much more than it would in a weaker market.”

Preconditioning can help manage that risk and improve the likelihood of success for producers in all phases of production. Consider preconditioning to optimize cattle health and performance and promote the success of buyers of your cattle.

Check out other calf weaning stories.

Connecting the Dots: Feedlot Success Starts With Calf Health

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 15:51:39 GMT

Today we have robust capabilities to ingest and provide intelligence from animal health data.Through machine learning and artificial intelligence, we will be able to use data to predict in calf health which will allow targeted interventions to manage cattle better from birth to slaughter.

“Diagnostics need to be used more in beef cattle medicine. We need to quit guessing,” says Dr. Dan Thomson. “So many times we just guess why we have a swollen joint or why the calves broke with BRD. A 200-head pen of cattle today, it’s a half a million bucks. Investing slightly in better understanding the cause of disease will allow us to improve vaccine protocols and treatment outcomes for our cattle.”

Thomson, a PhD nutritionist, DVM and managing partner of Production and Animal Consultation (PAC), was the featured guest in “ The Future of Beef Show ” podcast episode 10.

“Many times we miss more by not looking than we do by not knowing,” he says. “Good stockmanship is about taking the time to find sick cattle, pulling them to the chute for a good clinical exam which includes lung auscultation, body temperature and recording clinical signs.Good early diagnosis of disease improves our treatment success rates tremendously.Treating the right animal, with the right dose, at the right time.”

According to Thomson, “redundancy is our friend,” highlighting the importance of consistent, repeated good animal health practices. He also stresses how veterinarians are critical partners in animal health, offering more than just treatment; they provide ongoing guidance, preventative strategies and a holistic approach to animal care.

Five key takeaways from the podcast are:

1. Animal welfare is critical: Proper animal health involves more than just treatment; it’s about preventing disease through vaccination, nutrition, shelter and low-stress cattle handling.

“We must build trust in cattle with caregivers. Cattle that don’t trust people hide their clinical signs until much later in the disease process, which decreases treatment success. Acclimating cattle builds trust and allows us to visualize cattle illness or disease sooner,” Thomson explains.

He emphasizes the importance of understanding cattle from birth, particularly highlighting the critical nature of colostrum intake.

“By six hours of age, we could tell if that calf was going to be failure of passive transfer,” he says, underscoring the importance of early health interventions.

2. Diagnostic testing is essential: Veterinarians should focus on understanding the root causes of health issues through comprehensive testing, rather than just guessing or treating symptoms.

3. Antibiotic stewardship matters: The goal is to use antibiotics judiciously — getting the right antibiotic to the right animal at the right time, while understanding the broader context of animal health.

“Antibiotics are incredible, essential tools for human and animal health. We need more antibiotics,” he says. “Antibiotic stewardship is getting the right antibiotic in the right animal at the right time. The core to antibiotic stewardship is a veterinary client patient relationship.”

4. Technology and human interaction must work together: New technologies like active tags and artificial intelligence can help improve animal health, but they cannot replace the importance of hands-on care and veterinarian-producer relationships.

“Just because you have a baby monitor doesn’t mean you don’t need a mother,” he says.

Thomson sees technology as a tool to enhance, not replace, human care. Active tags and wearables can help identify sick animals earlier, but they require skilled interpretation.

5. Holistic approach to animal health: Success comes from understanding the entire life cycle of cattle — from cow-calf operations through feedlots — and addressing health challenges at each stage through communication, proper management and continuous learning.

Thomson says it all starts with breeding the cow herd with a tight calving window. He says this results in more calves the same age at branding and weaning that are the proper stage to receive vaccines.

Colostrum is key to calf health throughout its life. He stresses the importance of newborn calves getting colostrum in the first six to 12 hours. Past that time there is little passive immunity absorption.

“I’m talking about improved health of that calf throughout its life, that’s where it all starts,” he adds. “The industry continues to do a better job of vaccinating and preconditioning and preparing cattle for the feedlot.”

To decrease stress and morbidity at the feedlot, Thomson suggests preconditioning. This includes getting calves bunk broke and used to the water tank before sending them to the feedlot.

“There’s two reasons why animals get sick,” he says. “One, an overwhelming dose of a pathogen, that they’re naive to or, two, suppressed immune system.”

In summary, Thomson sees tremendous potential in integrating data, improving diagnostic capabilities and developing more targeted health interventions. However, he cautions progress requires patience, collaboration and a willingness to challenge existing practices.

He is optimistic about the future of the beef industry, particularly its ability to produce a versatile food product.

“Beef feeds every socioeconomic strata,” he explains, from ground beef to the white tablecloth restaurant where consumers celebrate the biggest and greatest days of their lives.

Be sure to check out the podcast to learn more about what it really takes to build a connected, resilient health system from cow-calf to packer.

Step-by-Step Weaning: How to Choose the Best Method

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 16:28:34 GMT

Weaning is a stressful time — stressful on calves, cows and producers.

Weaning can have a major impact on a calf’s short and long-term health, growth performance and economic returns. Minimizing weaning stress should improve calf health and weight gain.

“Weaning can be approached many different ways depending on what facilities are available,” says Jason Warner, Kansas State University extension cow-calf specialist.

Four beef cattle extension specialists chime in on weaning methods, including the pros and cons of each option.

“Everybody’s got an opinion,” says Ron Lemenager, Purdue University beef specialist. “I don’t think it’s a one option fits all.”

He also encourages producers to minimize any additional stressful events at weaning time, such as castration, dehorning, vaccinating, physical separation or transportation.

“While we can’t eliminate all stresses, castration, dehorning and the first round of vaccinations can be done preweaning in many situations to reduce weaning stress,” he says.

The three weaning methods discussed by the specialists include:

Fence-line weaning.
Calves and cows are separated by a fence but can still see each other. Fence-line weaning is considered a low-stress method because calves can still see, hear and smell their mothers, which helps reduce the psychological stress of separation. This method helps calves settle down faster.

“Fence-line weaning is ideal if the facilities are available,” says Megan Van Emon, Montana State University extension beef cattle specialist.

John Hall, University of Idaho extension beef specialist, agrees.

“When you’re set up for it and used to it, my preference is fence-line weaning. We’ve gotten along very well with it over the years at the research station here. Those calves do settle down more easily,” Hall says.

Warner says fence-line weaning requires good fences and the ability to gather and separate cows and calves that rejoin each other.

“Many producers often remove calves from their dams, leave the cows on pasture and then place the calves in pens or feeding traps,” Warner says. “If producers do the opposite — take cows to the pens and leave the calves on pasture — then it is generally best to keep a few older, trainer cows with the calves during the initial weaning period to help reduce stress. Nutrition is key during this time period regardless of the approach used.”

There are pros and cons of putting the cows or the calves in the lot. If the lot is dusty, it might be a better option for the cows, due to health concerns. Ideally, it would be a grass lot, not dirt.

“Putting the calves in a lot gives an opportunity to really keep a close eye on those calves,” Lemenager says. “I can get them into the handling facility if I need to — a lot easier than if I’ve got to move them off of pasture.”
Nursing prevention tools.
Devices, such as nose flaps or clips, can be placed in a calf’s nose to prevent nursing while allowing them to remain with their mothers. This is also considered a low-stress weaning option.

Lemenager explains his apprehension with the nose flaps are the lesions they create.

Both Hall and Van Emon say nose flaps help reduce anxiety at separation but require additional labor to put in and remove.

“There’s been some research done on nose flaps that seems to have positive benefits if you’re trying to early wean,” Hall explains. “But it is a whole different level of stress for the rancher and cattle to get those animals up, put the nose flaps in, and then take them out at weaning time.”
Abrupt weaning.
This method is the complete separation of calves from cows. This can be separating and taking straight to the sale barn or it can be to a completely different location owned by the rancher.

“Here in the West, we tend to wean straight onto a truck and into the sale barn,” Van Emon says.

This method can be the most stressful on the calf if they go straight from a pasture setting with mom to a new location they do not know and are subjected to a new concentrate diet and water source.

Lemenager’s preference is abrupt weaning with his personal cow herd. He moves the calves nine miles away from their moms to be weaned and backgrounded. He says with this method, the cows and calves cannot hear each other and the bawling is done in three days.

He gets the calves used to eating with a pre-weaning creep feed and drinking out of a water tank. At weaning, the creep feeder moves with the calves in a grassy lot with shade and easy access to both a water tank and an automatic waterer along the perimeter fence.

Hall says asking calves to transition from pasture to a dry lot setting with a feed bunk and from creek water to a water tank can be stressful and hard to understand. If possible, allow the calves access and train them to feed bunks and water tanks before weaning.

He encourages producers to choose the weaning method they are most comfortable with, that works for their specific ranch and fits their facilities, labor and management style.

“Don’t try a new method during a challenging weaning year,” he summarizes. “The goal is to reduce stress as much as possible for both cows and calves.”

Your Next Read: When Is the Best Time to Wean?

There’s a Lot of Info in That Little TSU

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 10:22:45 GMT

“The sky’s the limit if you have that sample,” says Jim Butcher, a Simmental seedstock producer from Lewistown, Mont.

He’s talking about all the things you can learn about the genetic potential of your cattle that is contained in a tissue sampling unit (TSU). The genomic information you get from each sample can, collectively and individually, help you more quickly move your herd’s genetic progress forward in an intentional, science-assisted direction.

There’s lots of info in that little vial.

(Allflex)

For commercial cow-calf producers, submitting the DNA sample in a TSU will return a scoresheet on each animal ‘s genetic merit for different indexes and specific traits, says Leoma Donsbach, owner and founder of Data Genie, LLC.

She calls herself a data accountant, helping customers attach the data on their operation to their record-keeping system. She says almost all her customers use TSUs to collect DNA and obtain genomic data.

Genomics are becoming more and more popular with commercial beef producers, she says.

“For replacement females, the ability to have a snapshot of that female’s genetic potential leads to increased confidence in keeping that heifer. You can say, ‘This heifer is more likely to be here until age six or seven by looking at her stayability metrics.’”

Say, for example, you’ve done your visual appraisal and picked 50 heifers as potential replacements, but you only need to keep 40. Visually, those heifers are very similar. But genetically, they could be very different, depending on what genes they received from their parents.

That’s where the TSUs and the genomic data they provide come in. First, test all 50 replacement candidates.

“Then breed them and find out which ones are bred,” she says. Even if everything went right, that still leaves some extras. “You can go back and use the genomic data to select the traits you want and/or use a maternal or terminal index to make those final decisions. You use it like comparing genomically enhanced EPDs when buying bulls.”

Beyond replacement selection, you can extrapolate the DNA data on your heifers when marketing your steers, she says. “On average, your steers will have similar genetics to your heifers. That information may add to their sale price.”

Then There Are The Bulls

Just like heifers, bulls can be full siblings and still be remarkably different in their genetic makeup.

“We’re great phenotype collectors of birth weights, weaning weights, all that,” Butcher says. “But you really don’t know what you have until you know what genes that particular animal picked up.”

When seedstock producers send in a TSU, they get back genomically enhanced EPDs. That, Butcher says, allows him to supply more accurate information about young bulls for his customers and help them make the best bull-buying decisions they can within their budget.

Indeed, not every bull is suited for every ranch. Studying the genomically enhanced EPDs gives you greater confidence in the true genetic potential of young bulls.

“You lessen the probabilities that you’re buying an animal that won’t help you move your program forward,” Butcher says.

Your Next Read: Building the Next Generation Cow Herd Using Genomic Testing

Don’t Let Activists Spoil the Fun this Fair Season

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 16:25:46 GMT

As we move into fair season this year, there are so many reasons to be excited! It’s a time to get out and visit with friends and neighbors, eat delicious snacks, and celebrate the hard work that youth put into raising livestock for shows. As a member of the agricultural community, this is also an invaluable time to reach outside the bubble and engage with the public about agriculture and where our food comes from. However, there are often detractors attempting to sway public opinion and, in some cases, even protest these events.

In recent years, animal rights groups have been known to protest with a variety of tactics, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) bringing their “Hell on Wheels” vehicle to the fairgrounds. This initiative from PETA is a large truck that is meant to look like it is transporting pigs – it also claims to be loud, playing “the screams of panicked animals.” Last year, this truck made an appearance at several Midwest state fairs and is currently circling the U.S. with recent stops in Nebraska, Indiana and Illinois.

Other tactics seen at fairs and expos last year include animal rights groups handing out stickers and other pamphlets. It was reported that a group of animal rights supporters previously handed out what seemed like coupons to fair attendees. These coupons claimed to be for free fair food, like turkey legs and pulled pork sandwiches, but when you scanned the QR code, it would take you to a website in support of their vegan cause.

Fairs have also been the target of animal rights groups protesting birthing centers, specifically those highlighting pork production. While this is a great experience for fair attendees to potentially see piglets born up close (and the care that goes into this practice), animal rights groups have used this as an opportunity to protest sow housing and farrowing stalls.

Unfortunately, animal rights activist organizations see fairs as a major opportunity to spread misinformation about our industry and to diminish the great work done in the agricultural community. The good news? There are some steps fair organizers and exhibitors can take to keep security top of mind and keep the fun times rolling:

• All events should have a crisis plan outlining who should do what in various scenarios – protests, disruptions, etc. Crisis plans can also address natural disasters, accidents and other issues that may arise during the event. During this planning process, local law enforcement should be consulted about how to handle activist activity at fairs.

• Keep an eye out for suspicious activity: people carrying signs or other protest materials, someone taking a strange amount of photos/videos or recording with their phone (livestreaming is a common practice), individuals asking very direct questions, etc. Report any concerns immediately to fair management.

• Avoid confrontation. Activists want attention – please avoid giving it to them. Keep your cool and let law enforcement or event management handle any issues.

I hope that this is truly a great fair season for everyone and that you don’t let the actions of animal rights groups stand in the way of this great opportunity to interact with the public and share what truly supports pig farming in the U.S. – great farm families, starting with youth!

Abby Kornegay is the manager of issues and engagement for the Animal Agriculture Alliance.

Castration Considerations to Minimize Stress and Maintain Performance

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 17:21:56 GMT

Approaches to castration should be made with operational objectives and animal welfare in mind. Producers should consult with their herd veterinarian for a castration protocol that includes consideration for animal age, facilities available, castration method and pain control.

Calves castrated at younger ages — ideally under 3 months — generally experience less stress, recover quicker and have fewer complications. Unless a bull calf is being kept for potential breeding purposes, delaying castration is unnecessary. If castration must be done on older animals, it is critical to use appropriate pain control and consider surgical methods carefully.

Good restraint for bovine castration is essential. Well-designed working facilities with secure head catch and squeeze are good choices in most instances. For smaller calves, restraint can be done in a calf cradle or on the ground with proper equipment. Beef Quality Assurance guidelines should always be followed.

The primary methods used to castrate are surgical removal or elastrator band. The decision on technique should be made in coordination with the herd veterinarian and consider animal well-being and the recovery environment. If banding is chosen, animals should be vaccinated for tetanus prior to the procedure.

Local anesthetic utilized at the time of castration can decrease the initial pain of castration and help provide additional pain control for up to 5 hours after the procedure. Sedatives may also be combined with local anesthetics for broader pain control during castration.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) may also be added to the plan to provide immediate pain control along with longer activity. Certain NSAIDS with a single dose can provide up to 48 hours of pain control. NSAID formulations include oral, injectable and topical applications. For those that band calves, there are now bands impregnated with the local anesthetic, lidocaine and provide pain control for more than two weeks after banding.

Research in providing pain control has been shown to promote weight-gain and feed intake following castrations and in calves older than seven days decrease the instance of respiratory disease. Pain medications require veterinary prescription.

Heat Stress in Cattle Costs Real Money

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 11:13:28 GMT

Cattle rid their bodies of heat in three ways — radiation, convection and evaporation.

“If your cattle can’t use all three methods, they’ll overheat fast,” says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension state beef nutrition specialist.

Summer heat knocks weight off calves and pounds off milk, Bailey says. Losses come in the form of less gain, weaker fertility and other health issues.

“Heat stress costs real money,” he says.

Producers can reduce heat stress by providing adequate shade, proper fly control, access to water and the right choice of pasture grass.

Tall Fescue Pastures Turn Up the Heat

Cattle grazing on tall fescue grass when temperatures rise is a recipe for disaster.

Toxic endophytes in fescue can turn up the cattle’s body heat. Their efforts to keep cool can melt profits. But there are practical fixes that keep weight and profits steady, Bailey says.

Most fescue pastures in the Fescue Belt carry endophytes that make toxic ergot alkaloids, which mess with your cattle’s ability to stay cool, he says.

These toxins tighten blood vessels, cut blood flow to the skin and prevent heat from escaping. They make it hard for cattle to sweat and pant, essential tasks to rid their bodies of heat. Third, ergot alkaloids delay shedding by lowering prolactin. This leaves cattle with shaggy coats that trap summer heat.

Summer temperatures, especially heat waves, make cattle on fescue vulnerable to problems. Normally, cattle can tolerate temperatures of 31 C or 88 F. Cows likely consume enough ergovaline by Memorial Day to make heat stress worse during the summer.

Small Amounts Cause Big Losses

Even ingesting small amounts of ergot alkaloids can result in reduced weight gain and smaller calves, less milk, lower fertility and lighter wallets, says Bailey. He offers these suggestions on avoiding losses from heat stress:

Rotate toxic tall fescues with other grasses such as clover, or interseed pastures with nontoxic novel-endophyte fescue to dilute.
Consider investing in full pasture renovation on the worst fields. See the Alliance for Grassland Renewal website for information on renovating tall fescue pastures.
Provide supplemental feed in the range of 0.5% to 1.0% of bodyweight per day to dilute ergovaline in the diet.

Maintain Good Fly control

If you have cows on tall fescue, pay special attention to fly control .

“If your cattle are on toxic tall fescue and they are crowding together to dodge flies, the deck is stacked against them,” Bailey says.

Cattle tend to bunch up to avoid flies, especially stable flies that attack their legs. They congregate in the middle of the pasture and avoid the field edges where flies gather most.

Bunching traps heat, cuts radiation and convection in half, and raises humidity significantly. “In severe cases, cows quit radiating heat and actually begin to heat up even in the shade,” Bailey says.

Here’s the fix:

Drag pastures to break up manure, which is a breeding ground for flies.
Use fly tags, traps or parasitic wasps to cut fly numbers.
Finally, rotate pastures to break fly life cycles.

Give your herd shade

Bailey gives guidelines to discourage bunching and encourage cattle to space out in pastures:

Provide 20-30 square feet of shade per cow.
Provide portable shade structures that allow airflow.
Place water troughs 50-100 feet apart to encourage animals to spread out.

Finally, radiation and convection need cool surroundings and airflow to work, says Bailey.

“They fail when it’s hot and crowded. Evaporation is the last line of defense in a heat wave, but humidity and fescue toxins can cripple it,” he says.

For more information, see the MU Extension publication “Tall Fescue Toxicosis” (G4669) .

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The Smell You'll Never Forget: A Calf Infested with New World Screwworm

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 16:41:21 GMT

“The stench…it’s like roadkill stewed in infection,” explains Jose Santiago Gallardo Espinosa, a cattle producer from Chiriqui, Panama, describing an animal that has been infected with New World screwworm (NWS). “You’ll smell it before you see it.”

He goes on to describe the appearance. “That little dehorning scrape you didn’t worry about? Now, it’s a fist-sized hole pulsating with maggots. Not on top, under the skin. Hundreds of cream-colored worms with screw-like spines, eating your cow alive.”

It’s a Plague in Panama

Gallardo is a Panamanian livestock production specialist and animal science professional with a diverse and practical background in cattle production, agricultural policy and international ranch management. He currently serves as the technical assistance team manager at Cooleche, R.L., where he leads strategic initiatives in cattle production and technical outreach.

“⁠This ain’t ‘just flies.’ We’ve buried calves eaten alive in 48 hours,” Gallardo stresses. “Post-calving cows are sitting ducks, I found one last week with maggots deep in her vulva, she was trembling as she tried to nurse her calf.”

An animal health professional treating an animal in Panama that has been infected by New World Screwworm.

(Jose Santiago Gallardo Espinosa)

To catch NWS and stop the spread, Espinosa encourages daily wound checks including navels on newborns, vulvas on fresh cows, sheaths on bulls, branding cuts and tagging nicks. Some red flags include a wound that swells overnight or oozes cloudy fluid and a milk tank mysteriously dropping.

“Treat every scratch like a ticking bomb,” he says adding if you find one with a wound acting a little strange, you should “peel back skin edges, and if you see rice-grain maggots with dark spines — sound the alarm.”

He says more than 6,500 cases have erupted across Panama, marching north through Central America like a plague.

“For years, our U.S.-Panama barrier kept NWS at bay,” Gallardo says. “We’d see maybe 25 cases a year — it was a nuisance, not a crisis. Then 2023 hit, and overnight our pastures became war zones.”

He says the reality in Panama is rainy season is maggot season.

“Here, in Chiriquí’s dairy country, it is the perfect storm,” he says. “Rainy season humidity of 90%, 85°F heat and flies everywhere. A single-infected cow bleeds $10/day in lost milk — its life or death for small dairies.”

NWS in Nicaragua

Ernesto José Sequeira Enríquez, an agronomist from Camoapa, Nicaragua, says NWS was eradicated from Nicaragua in the 1990s. He says he first encountered it during an internship in Brazil where he experienced the serious challenge the fly causes.

“When cases began appearing here again last year, I was able to use what I learned in Brazil to prepare veterinary supplies and train people on prevention and treatment,” he explains.

(Ernesto José Sequeira Enríquez)

He says it’s essential to enforce a daily inspection routine, checking every animal carefully for open wounds.

“When you find an infected animal, you’ll typically see a bleeding wound,” Sequeira says. “If the infestation has progressed, there will be a strong, foul smell due to tissue damage and the presence of larvae.”

He encourages U.S. producers to be prepared with sufficient supplies of veterinary medicines and insecticides for both treatment and prevention and to adjust management practices to reduce risk. For example:

When dehorning, branding or ear tagging, apply insecticide spray to the wound immediately.
Ensure proper care of newborn calves by disinfecting the navel with iodine solution as soon as possible, since that is the most common entry point for infestation.

“Although complete control of screwworm is not possible, taking preventive measures significantly reduces the economic and productivity impact of it,” he says. “Early detection and consistent preventive practices are critical to minimizing losses.”
Sequeira stresses a producer’s eyes and hands are their best tools to fight NSW.

“My warning to U.S. ranchers is this isn’t just a Panama problem,” he summarizes. “Newborn calves are maggot magnets. If you lose one calf to a navel infestation, you’ll never sleep again. Make inspections sacred — no excuses. Report fast and hide nothing.”

It’s Endemic in Brazil

Marcelo Costa is a veterinarian, professor and cattle business consultant in Brazil and Paraguay. In 1999, Costa was taught embryo transfer at Camp Cooley in Franklin, Texas. He then returned to his family’s third generation ranching operation where they started Camp Cooley Brazil.

“I have been dealing with screwworm all my life since it is endemic in Brazil,” Costa says. “Screwworm-infected animals happen all months of the year.”

A wound in the animal skin full of screwworm and new fly eggs in the skin borderline

(Marcelo Costa)

Like others, he has experienced finding infected animals with bleeding, foul-smelling wounds. He says animals show discomfort and may not follow the herd as normal.

“Newborn calves are usually the more attacked category because of the navel’s wet and bloody tissue,” he says. “If a screwworm infects the navel, it may open a door at the site for more severe infections that may cause diarrhea, pneumonia and other diseases.”

Costa stresses how much NWS costs producers beyond animal loss and decreased productivity.

“One of the biggest problems with NWS is the increased labor with vigilance and animal treatment,” he summarizes.

Guatemala Producers Are Learning to Cope with NWS

“Screwworm came to teach us the times are changing, and that any type of production is possible and open to any complication,” says Oscar León, a livestock production specialist and agricultural business administrator from Guatemala City, Guatemala. “Brazil learned how to cope with it, and Guatemala is in the process of it. The U.S. is not exempt from it, unfortunately. But with the adequate measures and prevention techniques, one can learn and teach others. We can make the impact less harmful on our production and wallets.”

(Oscar León)

León currently manages his family’s cattle operations and leads LAVAT S.A., a company that imports and distributes innovative animal health and nutrition products tailored to the needs of the Guatemalan livestock sector.

He explains it is important for producers to look for and treat any open wound or bruise as they are the first indicators.

“If an open wound smells like the scent of rotten meat, you will find the presence of screwworms feeding off live tissue,” he says. “Prevention and early timing are the best ways to treat screwworm. Make sure to take your time, observe your cattle, search for a bruise or wounds and treat them properly.”

He also stresses the importance of making sure everyone who works in the farm or ranch is aware of NWS and knows how to react if an infection is found.

Educating U.S. Producers

Chris Womack, a veterinarian and rancher from San Angelo, Texas, says he remembers helping his dad treat calves with NWS infestations.

“I can still remember the smell,” Womack says. “I thought it was cool because I was a little kid, and we dug maggots out of the calves. I can still smell it like it was yesterday, and it was horrible to look at them.”

Womack shares a historic context of NWS, which he says means “man-eater,” on the “Registered Ranching” podcast with Tucker Brown.

Womack also describes the emotional toll on the producer when faced with NWS.

“If you’re a steward of an animal and it has half of its head rotting off, or its abdomen is a gaping wound because the maggots are eating it up, or it gets in their ear and they’re walking around in circles with brain damage because they got meningitis, well, it’s devastating.”

Womack summarizes NWS isn’t just an agricultural issue, it’s a human health concern. Historical accounts and recent data from Panama show NWS can affect humans, particularly vulnerable populations like homeless individuals or those in areas with limited medical access.

Womack says the experiences with NWS during his childhood is the reason he is a veterinarian today. He says there is a generational ignorance in the U.S. regarding NWS, and that is something he is committed to fixing.

“The only way we can overcome ignorance is education,” he stresses.

Your Next Read: Breaking: Mexican Border Closed Again as New World Screwworm Comes Within 370 Miles of the U.S.

New Tech Solution Could Brush Away Bovine Stress

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 11:03:08 GMT

Increasing reproduction rates is a goal for all cattle producers. More pounds weaned starts with getting cows and heifers bred, and better yet, during the first breeding cycle.

Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry Professor Sandy Johnson and Assistant Professor Nicholas Wege Dias specialize in beef cattle reproduction and have been involved in several projects designed to improve cattle fertility. The two recently collaborated with K-State’s Technology Development Institute (TDI) to develop a product that reduces animal stress and could be the key to increasing artificial insemination (AI) rates in cattle.

The idea for the brush was to expand upon the results of a project Dias, Johnson and their students recently conducted that found acclimating animals to their surroundings prior to the AI process reduced animal stress and increased reproduction rates.

Acclimation Can Increase Repro Rates by 10%

Dias says the acclimation study included running heifers through the handling facilities without restraining them in the chute immediately before the handling events of the estrus synchronization protocol — CIDR in, CIDR out and timed AI.

“The idea was to get heifers acquainted with the handling facilities, with hopes to decrease stress and thus improve conception rates to the protocol,” Dias explains. “We did in fact see about 10% more pregnancies by adopting this strategy.”

Why a Brush

“Once we saw the benefits of getting animals acquainted with the facilities on AI success, we began to think about adoptable strategies to promote positive reinforcement during handling,” Dias says. “You often see cow brushes and how the animals enjoy rubbing against them on social media, so we thought, ‘Let’s come up with a way to place a cow brush in the alleyway so the animals can enjoy themselves while they wait their turn.’”

Their goal was to position a brush in the center of the alley just below bovine head height so the animals could rub their backs with the brush to reduce stress.

While Dias and Johnson had an idea of what they wanted, they needed help to design and fabricate a device that could be installed on any type or size of chute and that was able to withstand the force generated by the animals. The two researchers contacted TDI to discuss the idea and determine if the institute could help develop a prototype product for testing.

TDI engineers and interns began working on various designs that could easily be installed on chutes made of wood, pipe or any number of materials. The device had to be adjustable in height due to differences in wall and animal heights, and it also needed to be able to adjust to sloped alley walls. TDI developed various concept designs and, with feedback from Dias and Johnson, finalized the design.

The team then fabricated two prototype devices that are currently being used by Dias and his students to determine the effectiveness of having such devices included during the AI process.

“We always enjoy working with industry experts who can clearly define their needs,” says Bret Lanz, TDI commercialization director. “This simplifies our job to create a product specification and design a new product that meets the needs of our customers. Nicholas and his team have been great to work with, and we are hopeful that this new tool will help to aid in their studies and perhaps have a large impact on the cattle industry.”

Dias says they do not have results to share from using the brush at this time, as the first group of heifers for this study were processed in early June and then a set of cows later in June.

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Protect Your Livestock: Signs of New World Screwworm

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:45:15 GMT

Lizeth Olivarez doesn’t know if people will have the stomach to deal with New World screwworm (NWS). She’s a sixth-generation rancher who runs cattle in the U.S. and in Mexico at Las bendiciones Ranch in Realitos, Texas, and Rancho El Cuellareno in Guerrero, Tamaulipas.

Although she hasn’t experienced it herself, she has grown up hearing story after story about NWS from both her grandfather and father who dealt with NWS when the deadly fly struck in the 1960s. With reports of NWS in seven states in Mexico, the U.S. continues to bolster its defenses to keep the pest out.

(USDA)

“The first time around NWS was eradicated by using sterile flies dropped from planes in a box that look like a Big Mac burger box with a target sign on it,” Olivarez says. “The only way to eradicate the NWS is with sterile flies.”

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced a five-pronged plan to combat NWS on June 18 partnering with Mexican counterparts and using this sterile insect technology to stop the spread.

“It’s important to clarify we currently don’t have [NWS] here in the U.S.,” says Russ Daly, Extension veterinarian for South Dakota State University.

He admits it’s a strange name for a fly – New World screwworm – because it makes you think it’s a worm.

“It’s not actually a worm – it’s the larvae of the NWS fly that deposits its eggs in animals,” he explains. “They can get big in size, up to two-thirds of an inch. The first person who described them might have thought they look like little worms. They have ridges that are spiral, and that allows these larvae to burrow down into the animal. That’s how they get their name.”

The NWS fly lays eggs and larvae in open wounds of warm-blooded animals. Daly says NWS’s function is similar (but different) to a maggot. Domestic blow flies lay their eggs on dead tissue. The resulting maggots feed on the dead tissue. The difference with NWS is it lays its eggs on living tissue and will feed on living tissue.

“NWS is not easy to recognize,” Daly adds. “You really need an entomologist to recognize the fly and the larvae. For recognizing a problem in the animal, it might come down to recognizing a larval infestation that is showing up in unusual circumstances.”

(Lori Hays)

It’s Not Just a Cattle Problem
Megan Niederwerder, executive director of the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), says it’s important to remember this is not just a cattle disease – it impacts other livestock species and humans as well.

(Lori Hays)

“The fly can deposit its larvae in any open wounds as well as surgical sites such as castrations and umbilical sites after a newborn animal is born. It can also deposit its larvae in any mucous membranes,” Niederwerder says. “Keep an eye on non-healing wounds or wounds that have a foul odor or bloody discharge.”

She says the animals often feel discomfort and pain due to this non-healing wound so they may isolate themselves and be off feed.

“It’s really important to stay vigilant as we think about increasing awareness and understanding of what the fly looks like,” Niederwerder says. “We also need to understand what the clinical signs may look like as the introduction and incursions in Mexico have increased the risk for the U.S., too.”

Although the cases in Mexico have been primarily cattle, she notes there have also been cases in pigs, horses, sheep, goats, dogs and even in humans in Mexico.

“We really don’t like to think about that human part of it,” Daly says. “I don’t want to downplay it, but in people, we would certainly know when we have an irritation or when a fly is on us. But we need to think about the people who potentially are debilitated and wouldn’t know they have a fly on them for a long period of time or that something’s wrong.”

Watch Out for the Unusual
Olivarez urges producers to call their veterinarian immediately if they suspect NWS. During the 1960s outbreak in the U.S., she says most ranchers first noticed it around the umbilical cords of newborn calves.

“It affected ranches the most, especially those that had cattle out on the range where you need manpower to monitor for open wounds, cuts or sores of any kind as well as cows with newborns since the fly will attack the umbilical cord,” Olivarez explains.

She says it’s not only important to monitor cattle but also pay attention to wildlife and pets that live on your property since they could indirectly bring NWS.

Daly challenges livestock producers to pay attention to unusual situations. If you have an animal that suddenly has a lot of necrotic tissue that fly larvae (maggots) are trying to clean up, Daly says that’s a sign producers need to take seriously.

(Lori Hays)

“If there isn’t a wound or a very good reason why there would be an infestation of those larvae that should tip off animal owners, caretakers and veterinarians,” Daly says. “There needs to be some sort of break in the skin to attract the NWS fly, but that something can be so minuscule you wouldn’t even notice it.”

He says it could be as small as a bug bite and is often so tiny producers don’t know how the initial entry even happened.

“NWS does its damage by burrowing into living tissue,” Daly explains. “But they can be drawn to the animal through secretions from that minor break in the skin, and then start to invade the living tissue as well. In addition, once the NWS sets up the wound and causes the infestation, normal blow flies then can come in and get in there, too.”

(Lori Hays)

The females lay their eggs very quickly, he adds. It doesn’t take long for the larvae to develop from there. He says the flies like to deposit their eggs on their “victims” in the afternoon.

“They choose this timing because when it cools off at night, it helps the development of the eggs into the larvae,” Daly says. “This all happens within 10 to 12 hours. If you have a fly that gets into a nick on a pig in the afternoon, for example, by next morning, there’s larvae starting to burrow in already.”

The fly has a lifespan of 28 days, Olivarez shared with followers of Texas Farm Bureau on TikTok.

@txfarmbureau Ever heard of the New World screwworm? South Texas rancher Lizeth Cuellar Olivarez breaks down why this tiny pest is a big problem for livestock. #texasfarmbureau #agtok #farmtok #fyp #screwworm ♬ original sound - texasfarmbureau

“During this time, NWS can lay eggs four times and lay 300 eggs each time,” Olivarez says. “If it goes untreated, after three weeks the larvae will fall and convert to a fly that then goes looking for another animal to attack.”

Treatment Tactics Aren’t Pretty
If an animal becomes infested with NWS, treatment is not easy or pleasant. The larvae have to be removed, Daly explains.

“NWS does respond to some insecticides that we would use for show pigs or horses during the summer to keep the flies off,” Daly adds. “But in order to get that animal healed up, the larvae have to be flushed out and removed by a veterinarian. These infestations can lead to secondary infections to worry about. And, if the infestation has gone deep enough, there could be severe muscle damage or damage to other organs that are beyond help.”

Treatment products need to be considered, adds Lisa Becton, assistant director of SHIC. Because of this, wound care is key during NWS infestation.

“If you have animals that have sores, it’s very important to treat that wound,” Becton says. “You may or may not be able to use a sealant, whether that’s iodine or antibacterial. Wound care is very important to help get a wound healing fast, even if you also have to use antimicrobials for an animal to help prevent other infection.”

It is treatable, but NWS is a painful event for animals and humans alike, Becton says. Rapid identification and action are critical.

Stay Alert, But Don’t Panic
Livestock trade and wildlife migrating due to different issues with climate and weather have helped move the infestation further north.

“The flies actually don’t fly that far,” he explains. “They typically fly less than 10 to 12 miles in their life span. So, they aren’t flying over on the wind and getting into these new places. It has more to do with animal movement.”

Fortunately, Daly says NWS is like any other fly in that they need somewhere to overwinter, so they won’t survive freezing temperatures. However, if they moved into this region in June or July, they would have a foothold until the frost.

“When we let our guard down and don’t look for it as much, or don’t use the sterile flies as often, that’s when things fire up again,” Daly says.

He says it’s not time to panic, but it’s important to be observant. The basics of good animal husbandry remain the most important thing for producers to focus on now.

“Sometimes it’s much easier said than done, especially in outdoor raising situations,” Daly says. “From fly control to monitoring animals, the best way to snuff something out like this quickly is good observation and animal care.”

Your Next Read: New World Screwworm: The Billion Dollar Battle at the Southern Border

5 Strategies to Help Cattle Cope with Heat

Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:53:05 GMT

High temperatures and high humidity are not an ideal combination for cattle. According to Erin Laborie, Nebraska Extension educator, cattle do not handle heat stress as well as humans do.

The range of temperatures in which cattle do not use additional energy to maintain core body temperature is referred to as the thermoneutral zone. This zone generally ranges from 32°F to 75°F for cattle but can vary depending on metabolic size.

When temperatures exceed the upper critical temperature, cattle expend energy in an attempt to dissipate heat. Panting and elevated respiration and heart rate are signs this is occurring. When temperatures remain above 70°F during the night, cattle are unable to recover before the next episode of heat exposure.

Heat stress can result in reduced intake and gains and — in extreme cases — can lead to death.

AJ Tarpoff, DVM and Kansas State University extension veterinarian, says producers should look for drool as an early sign of heat stress. Then panting begins, which progresses to open mouth panting and a visible effort to breathe.

While cattle producers can’t control the heat, there are some things they can do to help cattle cope with high temperatures and humidity. Consider these tips from Michigan State University Extension to make sure your cattle stay comfortable:

Avoid handling, transporting, moving or processing cattle.
Reschedule anything that will add stress to cattle, like gathering, turning bulls out or preconditioning if it’s an option. If cattle must be handled, work them in the early morning hours using low-stress handling techniques. Problems often occur during stressful events.

Cattle’s core temperature peaks two hours after the peak environmental temperature. It also takes at least six hours for cattle to dissipate their heat load. Therefore, if the peak temperature occurred at 4 p.m., cattle will not have recovered from that heat load until after midnight. It will be later than that before cattle have fully recovered from the entire day’s heat load.

Have a backup plan ready if power or water systems fail.
Offer additional water.
Make sure cattle have access to plenty of clean water, and that there is enough access space for all cattle — including calves — to get to water. The water requirements of cattle increase during heat stress. Cattle lose water from increased respiration and perspiration. Consumption of water is the quickest method for cattle to reduce their core body temperature. The rule of thumb is to have 3" of linear water space per head during the summer.

Multiple cattle need to be able to drink at the same time. Waterers should be kept clean and cool.

Cattle prefer water between 40°F to 65°F. Water intake decreases when water temperature exceeds 80°F.

Ideally, water sources should not be exposed directly to the sun. Producers can help keep the water cooler by ensuring that the water lines are covered by grass in the fence rows.
Provide shade.
If you have the option, move cattle to a pasture that offers shade, or use portable windbreak panels to create shade.

During heat stress days, shade is critical especially for dark-haired, fleshy, young and older cattle. Shade can easily be provided by allowing access to pasture with trees or access to open buildings. If shaded pasture acres are limited, avoid grazing them during the days with normal temps to allow forage to be there when heat stress temperatures arrive.

To be effective, there needs to be 20 sq. ft. to 40 sq. ft. of shade per animal. If using a mechanical shade structure, an east-west orientation will permit the ground under the shade to remain cooler. However, if mud is an issue, a north-south orientation will increase drying as the shade moves across the ground during the day. The height of the shade structure should be greater than 8' tall to allow sufficient air movement under the shade.
Supply adequate ventilation.
Increasing the air flow can help cattle cope with extreme heat events. Wind speed has been associated with the ability of cattle to regulate their heat load. Although producers cannot influence wind speed, they can ensure there are no restrictions to air movement such as hay storage, tall vegetation or wind breaks.

If cattle are being fed and housed in an enclosed barn or building, use fans to move air through the building, open the sides of the barn or provide access to an outside pen or pasture with shade. Using sprinklers in this situation can potentially intensify the problem and create more humidity without proper air movement to remove it from the building.
Consider surface area.
Access to surfaces that are covered with vegetation will help cattle keep their temperatures lower.

The Temperature Humidity Index chart and your state’s mesonet cattle comfort index can be helpful in determining when cattle are at risk for heat stress.

“Being proactive rather than reactive is important for avoiding any train wrecks when it comes to heat stress,” Laborie sumarizes.

Your Next Read: Beat the Heat: Essential Tips for Cooling Cattle Effectively

New World Screwworm: The Billion Dollar Battle at the Southern Border

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:27:58 GMT

Nearly 60 years ago, the U.S. eradicated New World screwworm (NWS). Today, the risk of reintroduction is real. So real that Ethan Lane with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) says it’s not a matter of if NWS will reach the U.S. but when.

“We need to spend $300 million now to save us $8 billion down the line in eradication costs,” says Lane, who serves as the senior vice president of government affairs. “This is a marathon, not a sprint, and it’s going to take years to re-eradicate New World Screwworm and push it back to Panama.”

As the fight to keep NWS out of the U.S. ramps up, the economic impact on ranchers and the industry is top of mind.

“Successfully eradicating New World screwworm from the U.S. in 1966 cost stakeholders’ tens of millions of dollars,” says TR Lansford III, DVM, deputy executive director and assistant state veterinarian with the Texas Animal Health Commission. “The freedom from NWS provides an estimated $1 billion in direct benefits to livestock producers and $3.7 billion in benefits to the general economy annually.”

Financial Impact of NWS On Ranchers
Regular, large-scale outbreaks of NWS started occurring in the U.S. in the 1930s. According to APHIS, producer losses have reached:

1930s and 1940s — $5 million to $10 million per year
1950s and 1960s — $60 million to $120 million per year
1970s — $132.1 million per year (While the U.S. successfully eradicated the devastating pest, there have been outbreaks, primarily in Texas, since then.)

(APHIS)

Experts agree if NWS reaches the U.S., eradication today will be far more expensive due to the size of the cattle herd, speed and distance of cattle movement in commerce, and increased wildlife interfaces.

“Historically it cost tens of millions, and now it’s estimated to cost into the billions of dollars to eradicate this pest if it gets back to the U.S,” Lansford says.

Based on historical data from an isolated outbreak in Texas in 1976, per-head impact reached $452 in today’s dollars, totaling $732 million.

“[NWS] is a highly impactful foreign animal pest because it is expensive and deadly,” Lansford says. “Back in 1935, when screwworms were endemic in Texas, the state lost about 180,000 head of cattle alone in that year.”

Lansford says the industry will see decreased livestock production and increased veterinary services, medication, insecticide, labor and vehicle costs for the inspection and treatment of NWS.

“Infested wounds and/or mucous membranes and lesions created by this pest cause significant distress and damage to an animal, which can lead to chronic conditions making the animal less marketable and less productive in its lifespan,” he adds.

USDA Investment to Fight NWS
The reopening of Moore Air Base in Texas as a sterile fly distribution facility has an estimated price tag of $8.5 million. A brand new production facility, which would take two to three years to build would cost $300 to $600 million, depending on location and resources.

“That doesn’t include what it would cost to continue to operate one of those facilities,” Lansford says. “Certainly, research dollars also need to be spent to develop more effective treatments and other methods and modalities that we can use to help offset not only the infestations, but help prevent those infestations.”

USDA is also investing $21 million in the renovation of an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico, to further the long-term goal of eradicating NWS.

Border Closing Impacts U.S. Cattle Industry
Since May, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has suspended imports of live cattle, horses and bison from Mexico to keep NWS out of the U.S. Many U.S. cattle feeders depend on Mexican cattle to fill feedlots, especially now when the U.S. cattle inventory is at a 74-year low.

“Mexico exports, on average, 1.2 million head of cattle to the U.S. each year,” says Kathy Simmons, chief veterinarian for NCBA.

Obviously, that number will take a hit with the border closed, but Simmons says even prior to the May 11 suspension, mitigation protocols for NWS, including wound inspections, for cattle from Mexico allowed less than 25% of the usual numbers to cross the southern border each month.

As the U.S. fights to limit the impact of NWS, it’s a long-term battle, reminds Lane with NCBA.

“They’re getting those flies on that leading edge of the incursion. As I understand it, that is slowing the advance in a way that is very good to see,” he says. “The fact is, there are just so many different vectors. There are so many different ways this thing can move north, and we’re going into the hot season where flies thrive. So it’s really about slowing it, about preparing and about making sure we have the resources to meet it and push it back down as quickly as possible. But certainly everyone’s trying to focus right now on trying to hold the line as much as humanly possible.”

As Lansford has come to realize: “This pest will be one that leaves quite a mark on our economy.”

Your next read: How to Win Beef Consumers’ Trust: Authenticity and Responding to Concerns

Consumer Trust: A Veterinarian’s Role

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:27:12 GMT

This article was written by David Friedlander, the Senior Director of Market Research for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

With information so readily available at one’s fingertips, ensuring a trusted source of information from the cattle industry is critical. Animal caretakers may field questions on how animals are raised from many interested groups. Who better to provide unbiased information related to animals than the voice of a veterinarian?

Through the first three months of 2025, fresh meat sales reached an all-time high compared to year ago levels¹. Protein is top of mind as it relates to health and wellness and consumers are looking for help navigating the crowded informational marketplace.

By the end of 2025, over 325 million people are projected to have internet access in the United States² with the majority using a mobile device or smartphone to access it³. News and information are now at the consumers’ fingertips. For a host of reasons, consumer trust among mass media outlets is at an all-time low⁴.

From a veterinarian or farmer/rancher perspective, how does one share information related to production practices? Who is the trusted source of truth among consumers?

Referencing the National Cattlemen’s Beef Associations’ (NCBA) Consumer Beef Tracker, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, both a veterinarian and farmer/rancher rise to the top, above all other sources⁵. In fact, more than 60% of consumers note both a veterinarian and farmer/rancher as the source of truth followed by more than 50% consumers looking to government agencies, specifically, USDA, FDA and CDC.

(Consumer Beef Tracker, NCBA)

When asking respondents about perceptions specifically related to beef, 90% of respondents had a positive or neutral response. Taking this one step further, when asking respondents about the production perception of beef, 80% had a positive or neutral response⁵.

Although overall perceptions related to beef are positive, when asking respondents about their knowledge specifically related to how cattle are raised and grown for food, data show slightly more than 25% of respondents noted either “knowledgeable’ or “very knowledgeable”⁵about how cattle are raised and grown for food.

However, when consumers make purchases, 70% claim they have some level of consideration of how food was raised and grown for food. When narrowing down to concerns related to how cattle are raised for food, less than 35% of respondents have a specific concern, with animal welfare rising to the top⁵.

Given the challenging media landscape and lack of trust among consumers, NCBA looked to producers and a veterinarian to help raise overall perception related to how cattle are raised for food.

(Consumer Beef Tracker, NCBA)

Given the challenging media landscape and lack of trust among consumers, NCBA looked to producers and a veterinarian to help raise overall perception related to how cattle are raised for food. Capturing a day in the life of local producers and a veterinarian, NCBA shared the level of care, overall well-being and hard work that goes into raising cattle.

When surveying consumers, both before and after seeing the featured video, the positive response grew from just over 30% to nearly 75% among respondents. Perhaps even more encouraging, negative perception decreased from nearly 30% to just 5% after seeing the featured video ⁶.

Integrating industry education resources such as those in the Beef Checkoff-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and associated programs is one way that veterinarians can continue to be this trusted voice. Elevating cattle care through that partnership with the producer impacts animal health, product quality, and consumer confidence . Considering the consumer aspect of raising cattle is one area where veterinarians may have not previously contributed, though it is apparent that their influence goes beyond animal health.

In a marketplace filled with competing messages and general mistrust among consumers, it is very encouraging to see high levels of trust by consumers, specifically, in those individuals that have one-to-one experience with the animals, namely the veterinarian and the farmer/rancher to help share out the broader message of animal care.

There is still work to be done from a consumer perspective but having a trusted leader to share the message is a great place to start. For more consumer insights and Beef Checkoff-funded research, visit https://www.beefresearch.org/ .

References
¹Circana
² Statista, 2025 projections based on actuals through 2023
³DataReportal: GWI; Meltwater; We Are Social
⁴Gallup 1927 - 2024
⁵NCBA Consumer Beef Tracker, January – December 2024
⁶NCBA: Raised and grown asset testing, October 2023

Urgency in Action: We Must Eradicate New World Screwworm

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 13:00:12 GMT

New World screwworm (NWS) continues to threaten the U.S. cattle industry. The potential impact is devastating — the larvae can kill an animal in just four to seven days if not quickly detected and treated.

Colin Woodall, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO, discussed the hurdles of controlling the spread of NSW on the latest episode of the “Unscripted” podcast .

“We have to eradicate it from here,” Woodall stresses. “We need to eradicate it from Mexico. We need to eradicate it from Central America. We need to push this thing all the way back down to South America.”

The NSW fly and its larvae are flesh-eating parasites that pose a significant threat to warm-blooded animals.

“This is not just a cattle issue,” Woodall says. “This could be dogs. This can be cats. It can get into people. So, anything that is warm blooded could be a host for this flesh-eating parasite.”

Woodall says NSW is approximately 700 miles from the U.S. border, having breached the isthmus of Mexico in the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, adding that Texas is expected to be the first point of entry if the fly continues to move north.

“We’re going to look at every eradication option possible, because we have to get rid of this thing,” he says. “This is not something that can become endemic to United States. We have to eradicate it from here.”

Woodall says the situation has been complicated by cooperation challenges with Mexico. Earlier attempts to transport sterile flies were hindered by bureaucratic obstacles, with planes unable to land and flies dying before deployment. This led Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to close the border, sending a clear signal to the Mexican government about the need for more serious action.

He explains cooperation has reportedly improved, with USDA teams planning to visit Mexico to assess the current situation. The primary strategy for control involves releasing sterile flies into the wild to disrupt breeding and push the population back southward.

Woodall says NCBA is actively working on several fronts to address the threat:

Pushing for the establishment of a domestic sterile fly production facility.
Exploring genetic engineering technologies for fly control.
Investigating treatment options (such as ivermectin) and helping producers understand how to detect and treat potential infections quickly. Woodall says treatment is possible, explaining ivermectin has proven effective in killing larvae and treating wounds. However, early detection is crucial due to the rapid progression of infection.
Conducting education and awareness campaigns to explain the threat without causing panic. He says misinformation has been a significant challenge. A recent false report about NSW in Missouri caused panic and temporarily impacted cattle prices. He adds that while the threat is serious, it’s not a cause for panic.

“While everybody needs to be aware, they don’t need to panic, and that’s the thing we want everybody to understand,” Woodall summarizes.

NCBA is taking an active role in addressing the threat of NSW through education, technological exploration, government collaboration and a clear commitment to preventing its spread.

Your Next Read: Secretary Rollins Announces $21 Million Investment to Renovate Fruit Fly Production Facility

Providing Shade Lowers Heat Stress in Growing Cattle

Thu, 22 May 2025 17:12:17 GMT

Heat stress can create challenges for cattle as their thermal neutral zone is less than humans. Cattle are comfortable with cool temperatures, and more affected by the heat. More research is being done about heat stress in cattle during the feeding and growing periods.

During the summers of 2021 and 2022, two growing heifer studies were conducted at Kansas State University to evaluate impacts of limit feeding a high-energy ration at 2.2% of body weight daily on a dry matter basis in combination with shade.

The results showed cattle with shade performed better.

An increase in animal comfort was attributed to reduced solar radiation exposure in shaded pens, leading to lower heat load during the summer.

When shade is provided during times of heat stress, the results of the study showed:

improved average daily gain by 7%
increased feed intake by 6%
improved feed efficiency by 4%
improved cattle comfort (measured by panting scores)
reduced water usage (consumption) by 11%

Further studies on mitigating heat stress
Madeline Mancke, a doctoral student at K-State, recently shared on the BCI Cattle Chat podcast about her research that was sparked by producer questions relative to effective heat mitigation, specifically in fed cattle and feedyard scenarios.

The study included a randomized control trial at a feedyard in the Pacific Northwest with roller compacted concrete pen.

“They were interested in the effect of shade on steer performance after terminal sorts,” Mancke says. “We allocated about 8,000 head of animals into that trial, with 12 pens under shade and 12 pens with no shade. Each animal had about 30 square feet of 100% solar block.

The trial evaluated several different measurements including performance, behavior, and animal welfare components. Researchers were able to follow the cattle all the way through the packing plant.

“We found we had better carcass performance coming out of shaded pens,” Mancke says. “Higher quality grades Prime and Choice came out of shaded pens and less dark cutters. We also found a decrease in the amount of railers or animals that got culled earlier than their pen mates.”

In addition, Mancke notes decreased panting behavior and a decrease in water consumption.

“We found about a 15% decrease in water consumption with the inclusion of a shaded pen,” she says. “As far as feed delivery goes, we saw no differences in the shaded pens when it started getting hot out and when you think of cattle going off feed in the heat. In the unshaded pens, we saw a decrease [in consumption] when that temperature humidity index increased, however, we did not see the shaded pens going off feed with that increasing temperature.”

Clinical sciences professor Bob Larson says a 15% decrease in water consumption is meaningful.

“If you think about the number of head in a large feedlot, 15% reduction of water on a daily basis is significant,” he says. “Water is one of the resources that we’re really trying to kind of keep an eye on as we think about livestock production.”

The study took place after the terminal sort, which is about 60 days from the projected ship date.

Mancke is working on additional studies this coming summer to mitigate heat stress by adjusting feeding times.

“Rather than conventionally fed cattle, where we think of them getting fed between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. two to three times a day, we’re going to start feeding them after that,” she says. “That environmental max temperature is done for the day, so we’re going to try to offset that heat load and let them be able to eat throughout the night and not during that peak temperature during the day.”

Read more: “Shade Trees” Keeping Cattle Cool in Nebraska Feedyard

Cow Herd Scorecard: Evaluating Performance Post Calving

Wed, 14 May 2025 14:27:24 GMT

Tracking performance and evaluating herd success is a year-round process. Similar to tracking athletes, consider developing a scorecard to monitor your herd.

Understanding how your herd is performing throughout the year is important when considering management, nutrition and culling decisions.

For spring-calving herds, now is the time to evaluate and review calving success and failures.

“This is a good time of year to review your records, and if the numbers aren’t where you want them to be, you can make management adjustments under the guidance of your veterinarian, nutritionist or another adviser,” says Jason Warner, Kansas State University cow-calf Extension specialist. Warner was a guest during a recent K-State Beef Cattle Institute Podcast .

A herd’s postcalving scorecard should include:

pregnancy percentages
death loss
calving ease/calving complications – prolapse or retained placenta
udder scores
body condition score
mothering ability and disposition
calving interval

Two areas Warner tells producers to focus on are the number of live calves born compared to the number of cows exposed to bulls at the start of the breeding season; and the number of cows that became pregnant early in the breeding season.

A top priority for Bob Larson, K-State veterinarian, is to have calves born early in the calving season.

“The goal is to have 65% of the calves born in the first 21 days, and 85% to 90% of the calves born within the first 42 days of the season,” Larson say. “If that happens, I know that the cows were in good body condition at the start of the breeding season and the bulls were fertile.”

Larson references USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring Service (NAHMS) for national averages on abortion and calf death loss.

“The national average is between 1% to 2% for calf death loss and that will vary from year to year within the same operation,” Larson said. “If the producer is calving out a high percentage of heifers, that can influence the calf death loss percentage.”

Scorecard Prep
Ron Lemenager, Purdue professor and beef Extension specialist, suggests producers consider creating a spreadsheet to calculate important percentages, prior to filling out their postcalving scorecard.

He encourages producers record and monitor these numbers each calving season:

Number of cows exposed
Number of cows pregnant
Number of cows pregnant / Number of cows exposed = % Pregnant
Number of pregnant cows kept to calve
Number of cows that calved
Number of cows that calved / Number of pregnant cows kept to calve = % Calving
Number of Live Calves
Number of Live Calves /Number of cows that calved = % live calves born
Number of live calves after one month
Number of difficult or assisted birth (dystocia, prolapse)
Number of cows with bad udders
Number of cows BCS 5 or 6
Number of cows with poor disposition and poor mothering ability
Number of cows that calved in the first 21 days
Number of cows that calved in the second 21 days
Number of cows that calved in the third 21 days
Number of cows that calved after 63 days

Lemenager explains using the spreadsheet to calculate the percentages can help producers identify specific problem areas in their calving and breeding processes and allows them to troubleshoot their herd’s breeding performance.

“Tracking herd performance allows producers to zero in on their problems and determine what issues are really facing the herd,” he summarizes.

Understanding the challenges facing a cow herd can help producers determine what nutrition or management strategies can be used to improve their herd’s postcalving scorecard in future years.

Your Next Read: Spring Cattle Processing Tips to Enhance Herd Health and Diminish Stress