Beef news and advice from the LLM Farm Vets team in Shropshire, Cheshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire.
Pneumonia or Bovine Respiratory Disease is a common, multi-factorial disease affecting growth and performance in calves and beef cattle. A case of pneumonia can impact an animal for life reducing growth rates and increasing finishing times ultimately impacting on profitability.
Identifying cases early is key to treatment success, however the […]
Last spring, I found time during the busy lambing and calving periods to take part in an ‘expert panel’ as DEFRA began planning their cattle housing grants. While I was comfortably the least qualified member, being part of the panel gave a useful insight into the thought process behind these […]
As you will know, the health and well-being of calves are paramount to the success of a dairy and beef operation. While factors such as nutrition and housing play crucial roles, one often underestimated aspect that significantly impacts calf health is proper ventilation.
Optimal Air Quality:
Adequate ventilation is essential […]
With the madness of Spring calvings and lambings well and truly over and Summer marching on past the longest day, we are back at that time of year to reflect on the previous breeding season and start looking ahead to the next one.
At the time of writing, Southern Europe […]
In England, DEFRA have launched the Annual Health and Welfare Review as part of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). This funding is paid directly to the farmer on the presentation of a report by the vet and testing results. You can apply online via the government website (link below!)
Although […]
I’d like to say ‘oh, what a difference a year makes’ but with another drought potentially on the horizon, perhaps less has changed since 2022 than I’d hoped. One thing is for sure, the majority of the suckler cows are finally meeting their Body Condition Score (BCS) targets! After a […]
We’re aware of the negative effects of poor calcium, excess negative energy balance and poor anti-oxidant status on reproductive performance but some new studies go into more detail on this, highlighting the strong relationship each of these elements have for getting a cow back in calf.
A recently published paper […]
With turnout hopefully not too far around the corner, now is the opportune time to get Lungworm control fresh in your minds to avoid losses at a later date.
Lungworm (‘husk’, ‘hoose’ and ‘parasitic bronchitis’) is caused by the parasite Dictyocaulus viviparus. Animals are infected after grazing on contaminated pasture […]
Fodder beet can be an excellent cost-effective winter feed for sheep and cattle especially if conventional forage is in short supply. It can either be grazed in situ in the field or lifted and stored in a clamp or pile before being fed to housed animals. Beet contains high levels […]
In January my husband and I began farming in our own right, taking on my parent’s multi-coloured suckler herd of British Blue cross and Limousin cross cows. As ‘New Entrant’ farmers with a modest piggy bank, and being tight Yorkshire folk, every penny invested had to be carefully planned.
We’ve […]
