Vet’s Corner: Know Your Beef Cattle

What You Need to Know About Beef Cattle WRITER/Dr. Ashley Martin DVM

From the Editor: Lots of folks are considering becoming sustainable or are already working at it. A friend’s son is raising Angus and then selling the processed meat...you can’t get any fresher and free of unwanted chemicals than that. The thought of relying on no one else is exciting, yes. Independence is a super state of mind, yes. But to actually jump into the farm mode requires lots of pre-thought, planning and experience...ask any farmer. We asked Dr. Martin, DVM, to share some information on beef cattle and she chose to discuss the total importance of vaccines. If you have questions you can inquire with your veterinarian or your free local Agricultural Extention agent...every county has one!

Dr. Ashley Martin DVM

With this article I will talk about one of my favorite animals: cows! I wanted to briefly go over a vaccine protocol for beef cattle. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having a vaccine protocol for your herd and sticking to it. Whether you are new to cattle or an experienced producer, I hope you will find this helpful.

There are a lot of different brands of vaccines available from a few different pharmaceutical companies. Your veterinarian may have a preference for which ones he or she likes best. Regardless of which ones you and your veterinarian choose, I recommend all cattle be vaccinated against respiratory viruses (IBR, BRSV, PI3 and BVD) and Clostridial diseases such as Blackleg. Some viral respiratory vaccines even include protection against 5 strains of leptospirosis (which causes sickness, infertility, abortion, etc.) Examples of these include Bovi-Shield Gold FP5 L5 and Vira Shield 6 + VL5.

Examples of Clostridial vaccines include Covexin 8 and Calvary 9. These vaccines should be given to calves pre-weaning. Some vaccines require boosters in order to be most effective, so check the label on whichever product you have before administering.

Breeding heifers should be vaccinated again prior to breeding. Cows and bulls should be vaccinated annually. For breeding cows and bulls, it would be wise to add in an additional vaccine for reproductive diseases such as vibriosis. This would ideally be given 5 to 6 weeks prior to breeding.

There are also vaccines available for pink eye, warts, etc. that are optional depending on the needs of your farm. These vaccines should be discussed with your veterinarian to determine whether or not they are necessary for your operation.

Proper vaccine handling (mixing, refrigeration, etc.) could in itself be a completely different article.

Read the product labels carefully and contact your veterinarian if you have any questions.

201 N. State St., Yadkinville (336) 679.8816 825 N. Bridge St., Elkin (336) 835.4288