Calves don’t read the playbook, so we wrote one that actually works on the ground. We brought in Dr. Jeremi Wurtz, a beef cattle technical consultant and veterinarian with Elanco, to map out a clean, science-first path from the first sip of colostrum to a calm, productive post‑weaning period. The focus is simple: reduce stress, build immunity, and protect gains with choices that pay back in healthier calves and better margins.We start where lifetime health really begins—colostrum. You’ll hear why poor passive transfer can multiply BRD risk and how that early immunity shapes everything that follows. From there, we get practical with low-stress weaning: fence-line or two-step approaches, gentle handling that keeps cattle thinking instead of reacting, and the small facility tweaks that make processing days smooth. Then we stack a smart vaccine plan on top, dialing in timing so calves get a priming dose before separation and a booster after they settle. Nutrition and preconditioning take center stage as we talk bunk training, water access, and the role of ionophores like Rumensin in boosting average daily gain, feed efficiency, and coccidia control. If you’re developing heifers, you’ll learn how small efficiency gains bring more heifers into puberty earlier, improving conception rates and lifetime productivity. If you’re shipping steers to a feedlot, we outline how to hit intake fast and hold health steady to lower cost of gain. Finally, we dig into parasite control with real numbers.

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