Keeping BVD At Bay
Three producers share how they’ve focused on biosecurity practices to control BVD virus in their herds.
Rishel Angus, North Platte, Nebraska
Bill Rishel shared that BVD control really is part of a whole-herd biosecurity program. As an Angus breeder he said, “If you only look at controlling BVD, it’s a lot like single-trait selection.” He relayed that while BVD may be a problem, there can also be other herd health and nutritional issues. The bottom line is that altogether they can add up to make a major impact on profitability.
Rishel emphasized that herd health should be approached by keeping cowherd records, focusing on nutrition, and having in place vaccination protocols and overall management. “If you don’t have records, it is difficult to solve the problems in your herd,” he pointed out. Some of the factors that Rishel Angus monitors include reproductive performance, calf survivability, and calf performance.
Rishel also advocated monitoring management strategies to minimize herdhealth issues. This can include careful management of replacement females, communicating with neighbors about herd-health and vaccination practices, and knowing the source and vaccination protocol of purchased animals coming into the herd – or isolating and testing them if their history is unknown.
Of BVD testing within herds, Rishel said, “I think there is a huge obligation of purebred breeders to do these things; we owe it to our customers.” He added, “I’d tell anybody not to buy a bull that isn’t tested.” Likewise, Rishel advocated proper nutrition for cow herds. “I think many herd-health issues are extremely impacted by nutrition. I believe you can increase BVD resistance because of better nutritional methods.”
He also follows a strict vaccination protocol which includes administering three doses of a modified-live BVD vaccine to replacement females prior to breeding. As a seedstock supplier to many producers who retain ownership of their calf crop, Rishel concluded, “We don’t just provide genetics, but want to offer other attributes…we see it as our obligation to help our customers be more profitable.”
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