The webinar kicks off with Dr. Michelle Arnold, DVM, MPH, DABVP (Food Animal) Ruminant Extension Veterinary at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Dr. Arnold gives an overview of preconditioning in beef calves. There are many risk classifications upon arrival of beef calves including light weight calves, the kindergarten effect, exposure to BRD pathogens, transportation details, appearance and more.
Why bother preconditioning? It is more work, but it adds value. Many buyers look at preconditioning factors when purchasing. This makes the calf worth more because it decreases the buyer’s risk.
Alfredo DiCostanzo is a professor of beef cattle nutrition management at the University of Minnesota (23 minutes 18 seconds). Alfredo discusses feeding and management approaches to backgrounding cattle. Cow-calf producers make the animal and cattle feeders manage the output of the animal. “Backgrounding is an opportunity to state cattle while enhancing value.” A conclusion from the research provided by Alfredo is that “price conditions in the last 5 years tend to favor backgrounding fall calves and running stockers in the summer.”
The final speaker is Galen Erickson, Nebraska Cattle Industry Professor of Animal Science at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (55 minutes). Galen focuses on the feedyard sector and gives an overview of what happens at the feedyard. There are beef cattle raised across the United States but the feedyards are mainly located within the plain’s region. Feedyards consider a few things as success when buying: health, performance, and economics.
Listen as these speakers dive deeper into their topics and let you in on how to add value to your feeder calves.

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