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To preg check or not to preg check, that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to feed the open cow over the winter or identify her and sell her and buy replacements is a concern many beef producers face this fall. Not quite how Shakespeare wrote his famous line but this question is on many producers� minds. Times are hard right now and during these times it is more important than ever to be as efficient as possible.

Lets compare two examples one with and one without preg testing and make the decision on the best financial solution.

It costs about $400.00 to preg test 100 cows. Normal open rates run between 5 and 10 percent (some herds have been up to 20 percent this fall). Lets pick the low end so you have 6 open cows. You may see some of these bulling but a producer rarely identifies all his opens plus about 3% of pregnant cows will still show signs of heat and thus may be wrongly culled if not palpated. Open cows are selling for $100-$200 depending on condition (you hear stories about cows selling for $10, well these were worth $25 when times were better because these are very thin or crippled). Bred cows have been selling for $250-$500. Therefore it takes about 3 opens to buy a bred replacement. Note that this is the same ratio as when opens were $400 and bred replacements were $1200. It is vital to your operation to continue to produce calves, as these are the animals that generate income. I also don�t think that cull cows will increase in value any time in the near future. Some producers say they have the extra feed so why not feed the open cows. Is better to buy feeders or bred cows to feed the extra feed to as these will generate cash flow whereas the open cows do not.

The only time it may be a good decision to keep an open cow through the winter is if you don�t want to lose that bloodline from you herd. It will cost $1800 to feed the 6 open cows and they will generate no income the following year plus open cows tend to have lower fertility in subsequent years and they frequently become overweight which leads to health and calving problems.

By selling the 6 opens and buying 2 bred replacements your costs are $400 to preg check, $600 for feed but you will have 2 calves to sell at least at $500 each so you net return is even. Granted, this is no great profit but if you don�t preg check and keep the opens your net return is -$1800 and this is even worse profit. Even when you include the value of the remaining cows $200 each then by preg testing you are up $400 or by not preg testing you are down $600. This is still a difference of $1000.00. It takes about 2 hours to preg test 100 cows so I feel that it is definitely worth your time as a beef producer to utilize this management tool. Veterinary services are an up front expense that nobody likes to pay but where else can you generate $1000.00 NET income for 2-3 hours work. When we as veterinarians fail to help you generate more income than our services cost, that is the time when it becomes prudent to not call the vet but until then, let us help you be as efficient as possible now and in the future. We are all in this together! Give us a call if you have any further questions at 638-3774.

Well, spring has sprung and we are all looking forward with apprehension while our politicians decide our fate. Isn�(tm)t that a scary thought?

It was a very good spring weather-wise for beef producers. The mild, dry, conditions have resulted in a lot less sick calves this spring. In particular, the number of scouring calves is way down as compared to other years. We can all learn a good lesson from this as it illustrates the importance of a dry, well spaced out calving and post calving area in reducing the risk of scours.

Also this past spring there seemed to be a reduction in calving problem due to large calves. I have been asked as to why this is and one considers the effects of forage quality, weather, feeding practices etc. but in the end I really do not know why this year the calves were just a little smaller than usual.

There are some difficult choices the cattle producer needs to make this spring. The question of whether or not to spend the money to vaccinate and implant calves is not easily answered. I think one must look at the present situation in a certain way. We are in the business of selling meat and the more meat we have to sell, regardless of the price, the better off we are. This would then make products like hormone implants and pre-pasture deworming a logical choice. I know some of my clients do not believe in using hormonal implants in the calves to increase weight gain. The banning of these products could result in the opening of new markets but at present these products are allowed and they do result in up to a 20-pound weight gain per calf. Most feedlots will implant all calves they receive on arrival so by not implanting, an opportunity is being missed. The procedure is easy to do and learn and we will be glad to give you a demonstration.

Pre-turnout deworming has also been shown to give up to a 20 lb increase in weaning weight. This is again a very simple procedure and as the calves are small at this time the input cost is low. In summary, a $4.00 investment could grant you up to a 40 lb increase in weaning weight per calf. That�(tm)s 4000 lbs in 100 calves and at $1.00 per pound (Hopefully calf prices will be a lot higher this fall) that�(tm)s $4000.00 income for a $400.00 investment. That�(tm)s a lot better than my mutual funds are performing right now.

Vaccination choices are more difficult to decide on in times where you may want to control expenses. There are certain vaccines that I feel you simply must use as they are affordable enough and the diseases they control are common enough as to make it too risky not to vaccinate. A good example of this is 8-way vaccine and IBR/BVD vaccines in both cows and calves.
The Pfizer Gold vaccination program is a good program that is progressive and effective at lowering the risk of pneumonia in calves in the summer and fall. Unfortunately, these calves have not always sold for a premium at sale time making the program less cost effective. This could be in part due to vaccinated calves being mixed with non-vaccinated calves at sales or the buyers not being made aware that a group of calves has been vaccinated. Exclusive Pfizer Gold calf sales have remedied this problem in other areas. There is still the benefit of reducing pneumonia during the summer but the big benefit was to increase sale price of these calves. I find it frustrating that producers who take the progressive step that can benefit the entire food industry by reducing antibiotic use in cattle have not always been rewarded for their foresight. I think if you are planning to keep calves after weaning you must still seriously consider using Pfizer Gold.

I would strongly suggest that bulls be semen tested and vaccinated for footrot before turnout. Every year we find mature bulls that are infertile due to warts, prostate infection, seminal vesicle infection, hair rings, degenerating testicles, epididymitis etc. These bulls look fine but are certainly not able to breed cows.

So, what�(tm)s new around here? Dr Kurt Luzi is joining our team fresh from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon where he just completed his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Some of you may remember Kurt as our summer student from last year. Kurt is looking forward to getting his feet wet and start practicing right away while I am now looking forward to not getting my golf ball wet as I endeavor to lower my handicap.

I want to end this newsletter on a personal note. As I drive around this beautiful area we get to call home I frequently look out my window at all the farms I pass by. I am saddened by the number of farms, some good, some not so good, that have gone by the wayside in the last eleven years. I also see the farms that continue to strive on through which is arguably the toughest time that agriculture has ever had to endure in the country. I see tractors in the fields getting them ready for seeding, I see groups of cattle that are all calved out, I see farmers in their yards repairing equipment yet again, I see people fighting to maintain what they have fought to build up their entire lives. I don�(tm)t think it is possible to find a more dedicated, hard working, honest, and compassionate group of people anywhere. There have been a lot of stories floating around that people would say that if they had any health problem in the cows they would just shoot them rather than pay for a vet call because the cow just wasn�(tm)t worth it. I just want everyone to know that most of our clients treated their animals the same way this year than in other years. If a heifer needed C-section, we were called out and did a c-section, if a calf had a broken leg, we were called and casted the leg. I know now that to be a farmer it involves more than just worrying about the bottom line, rather, farmers care about the well being of their animals, even if sometimes it may not be the best choice financially to save an animal. Farming is not a job, it truly is a way of life. Farmers don�(tm)t expect to get rich doing what they do, they just want a decent living for there families. They don�(tm)t want charity, they would like respect. They don�(tm)t want the easy life, they just want to be able to work hard to keep their farms and maybe pass it on to their children. I frequently get asked about the BSE crisis and when things will improve. I hope things improve soon but I really don�(tm)t know when they will. I do know that we will continue here at the clinic to try to help our clients however we can. We are all in this together and I sincerely wish all of you better times in the future. One thing that I am certain about is that this agricultural community will survive this crisis.

I�(tm)m ending this note now with a quote from one from my clients. When asked if he was worried about the BSE situation he said �OEI have done all that is in my power to do to survive… it is now in god�(tm)s hands”.

Take care all of you! Dr Uli Schmiemann

Just added the Puppy Handbook to our site.  It has lots of good information based on questions we get asked frequently here at Pioneer Veterinary. Check it out!

Management decisions that involve your veterinarian, such as proper vaccination protocols and proper herd health management will be more important than ever.  We wish to remind our producers that vaccinations against contagious disease, especially respiratory disease, are without a doubt economical and very effective in reducing losses due to fall pneumonia.  Even when facing lower cattle prices, losses due to death and illness are far greater than input costs of an effective herd health program.  Pregnancy testing of cows remains the best way to ensure that animals that are not reproducing are identified for future elimination from the herd and hence reduce input costs.

We at Pioneer Vet are well aware of the increased economic pressures facing farmers this year.  In response to this, we have taken steps in two major areas towards helping our loyal clients ride out the economic uncertainties this fall.  We have made the decision to either freeze or reduce the prices of our services for the fall.  In addition, certain drug companies will be lowering the cost of certain fall processing drugs to the clinic and we will in turn pass on these savings to our clients.

Secondly, I am extremely enthusiastic about a new beef herd health program we are offering to our clients.  I strongly believe that semen testing bulls and pregnancy testing cows are very cost effective ways to maximize reproductive performance and minimize loss due to reproductive failure in beef herds.  To this end, we are offering a new program whereby any clients who semen test their bulls and preg test their cows with us will receive a 5% rebate on their account on all cattle drugs and vaccines purchased at the clinic that year.  The rebate will be issued at the end of our fiscal year.  The only exception to this is dectomax and ivomec.  Which reminds me, we will be carrying both Dectomax and Ivomec pour on endectocides this fall.  Our hope is that by committing to this program, your herdS reproductive performance is increased and the 5% rebate will make pharmaceuticals more economical.

Lastly I would like to wish Dr Kelly Loree all the best in his future endeavors in the Ponoka area.  Kelly was with us for 4 years and will certainly be missed by all of us.  We would like to welcome to the practice Dr Greg Stevenson who comes to us from Guelph.  Greg and his wife Clair moved to Sundre and are just starting to get settled into life in beautiful Alberta.  I would also like to welcome Dr Glenn Meyers to the practice.  Glen is joining us in September and comes to us via Rocky Mountain House where he has been working for the last year.  Jennifer Duchek is joining the practice starting in September.  She recently graduated from Olds College with her diploma in Animal Health Technology.

Sometimes the thought of change can be intimidating but it seems like things always have a way of working out in the end.  We hope these changes can stimulate us to new and better ways of dealing with animal health.  Our commitment to our clients will always be to provide the best service possible.  I wish you all good luck and fortune in the months to come.  Take care and we hope to see you at the fall producer meeting.  Chances are we will be serving Alberta beef!!!

Dr Uli Schmiemann