Contrast Region 6 with Region 11, and some pretty stark differences in both management styles and herd health challenges rise to the top.

“There are so many programs and things you could do, but at the end of the day we all need to build a relationship with our veterinarian.” — Landon Andrews

“We are in a good location, because it’s kind of different. Nobody turns out on wheat. Nobody turns out on stalks. People all turn out on meadows,” says Landon Andrews, regional manager for Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. “Generally, we feed hay through the winter months. But one of the major benefits to this area is we’re just dry enough and cold enough that we don’t deal with a ton of mud.”

With most California producers calving in fall, heat can be a major concern when it comes to newborn vitality. On the other end of the spectrum, cattlemen in Nevada deal with a dry cold and a lot of hard freezes during spring calving.

Once calves that hit the ground in January and February in Region 6 get a drink of milk and get dried off, they’re pretty good, says Andrews.

“[These calves] can handle a lot of cold,” he explains. “But, if that mud comes? Everything may be thriving, but that’s when all the trouble begins.”

A catch-22

While shelter of some sort can be critical to get newborn calves dry and nursing, using calving sheds or shelters can pose unique challenges. Whether because of manure concentration or close animal contact, shelters can provide the perfect environment for disease spread.

“I think a lot of the goal with a calving barn is getting [cows] in the barn, getting them calved, getting them paired up and then getting them kicked back out,” stresses Swanson. “Fresh air is a good thing. So is fresh bedding. A clean environment in general is extremely important.”

Once again, Region 6 is a little different from a shelter standpoint. Very few, if any, cattlemen calve indoors or under shelter, preferring to calve on pasture or in open-air facilities.

“Unless the weather just turns awfully miserable, most people are calving out in the open,” Andrews explains.

While that can stave off many of the nasty germs causing gastrointestinal illness in calves, it doesn’t mean cattlemen in Region 11 don’t deal with their fair share of illness. Temperature swings can wreak havoc on the respiratory systems of both young calves and calves experiencing stress.

“Obviously pneumonia is a large concern, but that’s another reason I think calving earlier is better. You’re not fighting pneumonia on calves that are 2 months right now,” Andrews muses, noting that cold nights and hot days can cause major issues due to the temperature swings.

Common health concerns in Region 6 are focused around keeping calves healthy prior to turning them out on grass, says Swanson.

“Coccidiosis and clostridium would be some of the major causes of problems,” he explains. “There are a couple things you can do to help your own cause, if you will. Number one is to get the calf high-quality colostrum, but it also starts before that cow calves.”

Ensuring females are in the right body condition and making sure they’re on a balanced plane of nutrition keeps cows healthy. The second step, once the calf is born, is prioritizing a clean environment. Swanson recommends that if producers are in a drylot setting after calving (before the weather allows for turnout), everything around the cows and calves be kept as clean as practical in order to stop the replication and transmission of illness.

“It’s really common in our region to give some sort of probiotic at birth. A lot of those products would be in the form of a gel, but the concept of putting good bugs into the calf’s stomach is a good one,” says Swanson. “Then a lot of people are also giving some sort of Nasalgen^® shot. Whether it’s Nasalgen 3 or another product, that can help get a calf off to a good start from a respiratory standpoint.”

Right-hand man (or woman)

No matter the region, having a strong year-round relationship with your veterinarian is important.

“You need to have a plan for each season of the year with your veterinarian in terms of prevention, but also a plan for treatments,” Swanson recommends. “That will look different with different products in different parts of the country, but having some sort of pain relief, some sort of antibiotic, scour treatment and electrolytes on hand would be a good start. At the first sign of scours, you need to get on the calf and be ready to treat them, because if you’re late to the party, then you’re too late.”

When it comes to readying for calving, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for what medications and products to have on hand, notes Andrews.

“To me, there are so many routes to go. There are so many programs and things you could do, but at the end of the day we all need to build a relationship with our veterinarian,” says Andrews. “Your veterinarian knows your situation, your management practices, when you brand, when you calve and where you haul cattle between calving and weaning. Anything like that. Get ahold of your veterinarian, make a game plan, and then adjust accordingly.”

Editor’s note: “From the Field” is a regular Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA column featuring advice, industry news and Angus updates from regional managers of the American Angus Association. For information on how to contact your regional manager, click here.

Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 17, No. 4-B