Wet ground and colder temperatures the last couple months have made conditions more difficult for producers during the spring calving season.

ISU Extension Beef Specialist Erika Lundy says muddy ground can cause cattle to exert more energy in order to move around a property, which means they’re potentially eating more, so maintaining cattle body weight is key. Lundy shares what’s been the biggest hurdle for beef producers, “So most of the health risk and kind of concerns that we’re seeing and hearing is from the calf side. So newborn calves have a pretty low immunity, so when they have (been) born in kind of muddy conditions there’s an increased risk for navel infection is something we’re hearing a lot of. And then also too, calf scours, so just some things that we’re hearing that will definitely have a big impact on the calf health, and making sure that they stay healthy and we can keep them up and going.”

Cold and wet conditions contribute greatly to calf scours, or diarrhea. Lundy recommends a clean, dry, and draft-free environment for calves. Pre-calving vaccination of pregnant cows is a proactive method of increasing antibodies in colostrum for calves’ consumption. To hear more from Lundy on the spring calving season, listen to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program on air and online at raccoonvalleyradio.com.