Cattle Chat

In this episode of BCI Cattle Chat, the team discusses estrus expression and synchronization strategies used in cattle breeding programs with guest Adrienne Lulay from Select Sires Cooperative. They explore how the intensity of estrus can reflect hormone levels and fertility, helping producers make more informed breeding decisions. The conversation also highlights key factors for reproductive success, including nutrition, body condition, age, and proper herd planning. The episode is sponsored by ESTROTECT, whose estrus detection tools help producers better identify heat activity and improve breeding management.

In this episode of Cattle Chat, the team discusses what it takes to get into veterinary school, including prerequisites, gaining diverse experience, standing out in the application process, and preparing for interviews. They also explore ways to encourage interest in rural and livestock veterinary practice. The team answers a listener’s question for a 125-cow producer, highlighting simple metrics like pregnancy rate, pounds of calves sold, and winter feed use to measure progress over time.

4:38 Veterinary School Application Process  

16:36 Simple Record Keeping Metrics 

For more on BCI Cattle Chat, follow us on X at @ksubci, Facebook, and Instagram at @ksubci. Check out our website, ksubci.org. If you have any comments/questions/topic ideas, please send them to [email protected]. You can also email us to sign up for our weekly news blast! Don’t forget, if you enjoy the show, please go give us a rating!

In this episode of BCI Cattle Chat, the team discusses what producers should consider when purchasing a bull, emphasizing fertility, structural soundness, EPD accuracy, and aligning genetics with herd goals. They highlight the importance of avoiding information overload by focusing on economically relevant traits and practical fit. The group also explores emerging technologies in the beef industry, including drones, virtual fencing, remote water monitoring, and calving cameras. Throughout the conversation, the focus remains on balancing proven fundamentals with new innovations that can improve efficiency and decision-making.

4:40 Buying Bulls

16:52 New Technology

KSU Legacy Bull Sale Information

For more on BCI Cattle Chat, follow us on X at @ksubci, Facebook, and Instagram at @ksubci. Check out our website, ksubci.org. If you have any comments/questions/topic ideas, please send them to [email protected]. You can also email us to sign up for our weekly news blast! Don’t forget, if you enjoy the show, please go give us a rating!

This episode of BCI Cattle Chat covers liver flukes and emergency preparedness in cattle operations with guest Dr. Christine Navarre. The experts discuss how liver flukes damage the liver, can contribute to sudden death, and may show up in feedlot cattle long after exposure in endemic regions. They emphasize accurate diagnosis, targeted deworming, and vaccination. The team also highlights the importance of planning ahead for disasters by ensuring access to water, feed, power, communication, and secure records to improve outcomes and protect both cattle and producers.

2:55 Liver Flukes

12:03 Emergency Preparedness

For more on BCI Cattle Chat, follow us on X at @ksubci, Facebook, and Instagram at @ksubci. Check out our website, ksubci.org. If you have any comments/questions/topic ideas, please send them to [email protected]. You can also email us to sign up for our weekly news blast! Don’t forget, if you enjoy the show, please go give us a rating!

Guest Information

Adjunct Professor

Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences

LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

Extension Veterinarian, LSU AgCenter

Professor, LSU School of Animal Sciences

On this week’s BCI Cattle Chat episode, graduate student Liliana Rivas updates us on her research about leaky guts in yearling calves. She conducted this by feeding the calves a restricted diet and measuring indigestible sugars in the bloodstream over 36 hours. The experts also discussed cow efficiency, measured as pounds of calf weaned per pound of feed consumed per cow exposed. A key finding was that the nutrition models in the study underestimated the extent to which energy restriction harms reproduction.

3:10 Research Update

12:27 Cow Efficiency

For more on BCI Cattle Chat, follow us on X at @ksubci, Facebook, and Instagram at @ksubci. Check out our website, ksubci.org. If you have any comments/questions/topic ideas, please send them to [email protected]. You can also email us to sign up for our weekly news blast! Don’t forget, if you enjoy the show, please go give us a rating!