The Impact of Disease Nutrition and Management on the Beef Production Chain

Animal health and nutrition can have significant impacts on beef cattle herds. If the nutrition, health or husbandry of the herd is compromised there will be adverse consequences with accompanying economic losses. The number one health concern in beef cattle production is respiratory disease commonly referred to as BRD or Bovine respiratory disease. The number one production concern for cow calf herds is reproductive efficiency. The beef industry has come a long way in understanding the various pathogens, nutritional, environmental, husbandry and genetic factors associated with disease and production loss. This knowledge is utilized in developing improved vaccines, treatments, nutrition programs and management options. However, the reality is that the incidence of BRD and other diseases within the cattle industry has not changed or has changed only slightly. The explanations for lack of improvement are not entirely clear but probably include, intense production, lack of efficient methods for disease prevention, animal movement and transport, genetic susceptibility, selection for production traits with less concern for health traits, a market system for beef cattle which combines enhanced pathogen exposure with collateral stress and production cost constraints. While new approaches hold promise, the beef industry could reduce losses associated with disease and improper nutrition by applying current knowledge regarding; adequate nutrition for the entire herd, management of dams during parturition, optimum heifer development, low stress handling, weaning, transport, preconditioning programs, ranch biosecurity and comprehensive herd health programs. With beef producers working with their herd’s veterinarian, nutritionist and other industry professionals as a team utilizing the expertise within that team toward management of the herd. While it is beyond the scope of this paper to address all of the health management and nutrition programs which have an impact on beef production, selected health concerns and associated production losses will be discussed for cow-calf production, backgrounding and the fed cattle phase.