Ranching without records is like travelling without a map. Records tell you where you’ve been and where you are. Connecting those dots tells you where you’re heading. If you don’t like that destination, records can help you decide how to adjust your management. When producer records are combined, you can tell where you are with respect to the overall industry, and how the industry is progressing over time.
Industry data is critical for research, too. In 2012 the Beef Cattle Research Council held a research priority workshop with cattle producers, researchers, extension staff and vets. Feedlots are data-driven, work closely with large consulting vet practices, and follow somewhat similar management practices. Their top concerns were dialed-in on bovine respiratory disease, lameness and acidosis.
The cow-calf group had a much harder time. Limited record-keeping, regional variation in calving seasons, climate, grazing management, winter feeding, etc., and less regular contact with vets meant that information on the sector’s leading animal health challenges was lacking.
Read Also
Body condition, nutrition and vaccination for brood cows
One of the remarkable events of the past century related to ranching has been the genetic evolution of brood cows….
What they are doing: John Campbell and Cheryl Waldner from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine created a Western Canadian Cow-Calf Surveillance Network in 2013 and expanded it into the Canadian Cow-Calf Surveillance Network in 2018. They work with vet schools, private vets and 175 cow-calf producers to quantify health and management challenges and opportunities from coast to coast. They are looking for more participants. The network offsets sample collection costs and reimburses producers for participating in surveys and providing access to their cattle and records.
What they are learning: You’ve probably heard about some of their findings in Campbell’s Beef Cattle Health and Nutrition Podcast or read about them here in Canadian Cattlemen or other ag publications. In the last year alone, they’ve learned that:
- Since over-the-counter antibiotic sales ended in 2018, cow-calf producers have mostly used antibiotics to treat diarrhea (newborns), respiratory disease (calves), and lameness (adults). Most producers treat less than five per cent of the herd.
- Vaccination rates have risen. Ninety-two per cent of cows and replacement heifers and 72 per cent of bulls were given core viral vaccines (IBR, BVDV, PI3 and BRSV). Ninety-two per cent of producers gave suckling calves core viral vaccines, but only 47 per cent provided a booster before weaning. Clostridial vaccines were used more often in Western Canada (68 per cent of cows, 57 per cent of bulls, 95 per cent of calves) than in Eastern Canada (33 per cent of cows and bulls, 70 per cent of calves).
- Johne’s disease was present in approximately one per cent of beef cows and five to 18 per cent of herds (depending on the test used). The fecal PCR test was better at detecting positive (but not subclinical) animals than the blood test.
- Bovine leukosis virus was identified in 4.9 per cent of cows and 28.3 per cent of herds.
- BVD virus was identified in only 0.2 per cent of weaned calves tested.
- Leptospirosis was identified in one per cent of weaned calves. This information has helped participating producers and their vets re-evaluate their management. For instance, trace minerals such as copper, molybdenum and selenium affect animal health, treatment rates, productivity and fertility.
- Copper deficiency was most common in southeast Saskatchewan. Overall, 64 per cent (West) and 60 per cent (East) of Canadian beef cows had less than adequate copper.
- High molybdenum (which makes copper deficiency even more likely) was most likely in Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec, and affected 14 per cent (West) and 15 per cent (East) of cows.
- Selenium deficiency was most common in western Alberta and Eastern Canada. Overall, 34 per cent (West) and 73 per cent (East) of Canadian beef cows had less than adequate selenium.
- These deficiencies could not be predicted based on soil zone alone.
- Most producers feed free-choice minerals. Some cows eat these and others don’t, meaning intake isn’t guaranteed.
- Many producers are likely unaware of such deficiencies. Only 61 per cent feed test, 18 per cent test water and 37 per cent use a nutritionist.
What’s coming next? Over the next five years, this team will study herds of varying sizes in Eastern and Western Canada to understand how calving season (winter versus early versus late spring) and winter management (extensive grazing versus fed in confinement) affect pregnancy rates, calving percentage, newborn calf survival and weaning rates. The goal isn’t to find a one-size-fits-all management strategy to optimize productivity. Instead, the goal is to identify how these various factors interact to affect reproductive performance. This will help cow-calf producers in all regions of Canada make more informed and economically optimal management decisions for their herd size, production system and geographical situation.
So, what does this mean to you? Knowing which disease and nutritional problems are most common helps both industry and government focus our research and extension activities on the biggest animal health and welfare challenges facing the most producers.
Producers who participate in the surveillance network get to interact with their veterinarian more regularly at no extra cost while learning how their herd is performing compared to others in the network. For instance, the studies described above gave participants detailed information about how their nutritional management aligns with their herd’s trace mineral needs. In some cases, they got a heads-up on some potentially costly problems before they occurred, and in other cases, it helped them overcome long-standing health and reproductive problems.
Bottom line: If you have at least 40 cows, good records and are willing to participate in applied, producer-focused research, consider contacting Dr. Cheryl Waldner ([email protected]) before the end of the summer.
If you’d like to start or improve your record-keeping skills, have a look at beefresearch.ca/blog/courses.
The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) is funded by the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off. The BCRC partners with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincial beef industry groups and governments to advance research and technology transfer supporting the Canadian beef industry’s vision to be recognized as a preferred supplier of healthy, high-quality beef, cattle and genetics.
