Animal health is always an issue for farmers. I remember growing up in on our family hog farm. As soon as one hog would start coughing, it would spread rather quickly. That meant vet checkups and feed-added medicine to help the animals shake the virus or other sicknesses they were facing. That, of course, was when we still ground our own feed and I can still smell that feed additive that we would use, and man it smelled awful, but it always got our hogs through.
Just like with any other animal, cattle face their share of challenges too. Right now, there has been an uptick in the cases of congestive heart failure in feedlot cattle. This is something that is going to have to be addressed right away, before it becomes a major issue.
Luke Bowman is the Director of SimGenetic Development at the American Simmental Association. He says that this is not a new situation, but it is something that doesn’t get a lot of focus when compared to the other more “flashy” animal health issues that are out there, but it is still an efficient killer.
The hard part about addressing this issue is unlike with my hog stories earlier, we can’t medicate it away. Now, there are outstanding factors we can help to mitigate, but mainly this is a genetic issue. That means there isn’t a quick fix to your issue. It means you could be facing an expensive option of how you work on your genetics to breed these issues out of your herd.
Just like it takes generations for these issues to become prevalent, it is going to take generations to breed the problem back out. Producers may have to think about culling herds and getting in new genetics, especially if they are breeding their own feedlot steers. If you are getting your feedlots filled elsewhere, you may have to look for a new supplier, and that is sometimes easier said than done.
Your best place to start, like with any animal health issue, is to talk with your herd vet.
