Agricultural News
After All Things Considered, Successful Preconditioning Strategies Are All About Timing
Wed, 31 Aug 2016 13:03:22 CDT
With the current marketplace, there is a lot of opportunities for producers to precondition calves before moving them to the feedlot. According to Extension Beef Veterinarian Dr. AJ Tarpoff though, producers need to have a strategy in place to make their preconditioning program successful.
"We have to take into account both health, gains, nutrition, everything together to make a preconditioning strategy work," Tarpoff said. "Preconditioning is a time we can get a big jump before entering the feedlot."
Dr. Tarpoff says producers will have a variety of health factors to consider during preconditioning including vaccines and preventative measures as possible controls for illnesses such as intestinal parasites, coccidia and worms. He recommends working with your local vet to help prioritize what health risks are important to pay attention to in your area, and which ones are not as threatening, to reduce health related stress in your herd.
Producers should also bear in mind that successful preconditioning strategies are all about timing, according to Dr. Tarpoff.
"If we're waiting to touch these animals until after they're weaned," Tarpoff said, "that's a stressed animal. It's best to have that preemptive strike before entering the preconditioning period."
Listen to Dr. Tarpoff further explain his pointers for preconditioning strategies with Farm Director Ron Hays on today's Beef Buzz.
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI
Top Agricultural News
More Headlines...
