Welcome back to Cattlemen & Veterinarians, a Partnership in Bovine Health, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Kaid Panek and Dr. Shynia Peterman, and they sit down with Dr. Dalton Newell, DVM of Oklahoma Beef Consultants. In this episode, they will dive into some tips and tricks for fair time to keep your animals as healthy and strong as possible.

Dr. Dalton Newell was raised on a backgrounding operation in Minco, OK, where his family preconditioned cattle, sheep, and goats. Dalton judged livestock at Redlands Community College, Oklahoma State University, and graduated from OSU College of Veterinary Medicine in 2021. Dr. Newell is a production animal veterinarian with the Oklahoma Beef Consultants; a consulting firm reaching from Nebraska to Texas and Missouri to California. Along with the services and consulting provided to producers, Newell volunteers as animal health official for Cattlemen’s Congress, the Oklahoma Youth Expo, EYO at the State Fair of Oklahoma, and the California Ag Youth Expo. Dalton, his wife Kass, who is the Executive Vice-President of OYE, and daughters Nyla and Nellie reside in Yukon, OK.

Dr. Newell begins by explaining the importance of Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs). Requirements vary by state and by show, and can change rapidly with emerging disease threats such as screw worm, Theileria, and tick-borne conditions. Exhibitors are encouraged to review each show’s rules well in advance and provide those requirements to their veterinarian to streamline CVI preparation and avoid last-minute problems. He notes that CVIs are typically valid for 30 days, but that window may shorten during disease outbreaks.

The conversation then turns to foundational husbandry. Dr. Newell stresses that preparation starts on day one of owning the project. Quarantine of new arrivals, daily observation of feed and water intake, clean bedding, appropriate vaccination protocols, deworming, and coccidia control are presented as non‑negotiable basics. At the fair, three pillars of husbandry—clean water, fresh feed, and a comfortable environment—are described as essential across species. Timing hauls to avoid heat stress, pre‑bedding stalls, running fans, managing water familiarity, maintaining feeding schedules, and using hay strategically all help keep show cattle eating, drinking, and coping with stress.

For terminal shows, Dr. Newell highlights the critical importance of drug withdrawal times and meticulous treatment records to protect food safety. He recommends simple, consistent recordkeeping systems such as spreadsheets or shared digital documents, noting that documentation is vital if an animal ever tests positive on drug screens.

Biosecurity when bringing animals home is addressed through quarantine, close observation for 7–10 days, and attention to equipment, trailers, and footwear to reduce disease spread. Dr. Newell closes by underscoring the life skills, work ethic, and human–animal bond developed through 4‑H, FFA, and showing livestock, encouraging families and educators to prioritize both animal welfare and biosecurity while enjoying the show barn lifestyle.

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Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Larry Gran and Jamie Wolf with Jorgensen Land & Cattle. In this episode, they will dive into Jorgensen’s data-driven Angus program, the role of genomics in commercial cow herds, succession planning, and the broader state of the beef industry. 

Gran explains his responsibilities for cattle procurement, DNA program oversight, and managing relationships with Jorgensen’s genetic partners. Wolf describes his work in marketing, genetic sales, and customer consulting, emphasizing the operation’s commitment to telling its story through video, social media, and educational content about technology in use on the ranch.

The conversation highlights Jorgensen’s long-term data collection, dating back to handwritten cow cards from the 1950s, which underpins their Ideal Beef Evaluation (IBE) developed in partnership with Zoetis. Gran and Wolf stress that genomic testing is particularly powerful for smaller producers who cannot afford to keep the wrong replacement heifers. By identifying top and bottom performers early, producers can cull unproductive females sooner and design complementary matings that accelerate herd improvement, regardless of herd size.

The pair also discuss tools like Ag Boost, which simplifies EPD interpretation into a one-to-ten scoring system, making genetic decisions more accessible for time-pressed producers. They emphasize that Jorgensen’s team routinely works with customers to analyze data, align bull selection with herd goals, and ultimately improve sale-day checks.

On the industry outlook, Gran notes historically strong cattle prices but urges caution due to high interest rates, limited grass availability, and inevitable market corrections. Both guests underscore the importance of having the best cows in place before a downturn and of using technology and planning—rather than emotion—to guide culling and investment decisions. Wolf adds concerns about generational transition and describes Jorgensen’s structured succession planning and robust internship program as models for bringing capable young people into the industry.

They close by stressing that beef demand remains strong, and that sustained success depends on producing a high-quality product while continuing to tell the beef industry’s story and its multi-generational, land-based heritage.

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Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Austin Woltemath with Merck Animal Health. 

Merck Animal Health’s SenseHub technology supports both cow-calf and feedlot operations through continuous, data-driven monitoring. SenseHub is an overarching livestock monitoring platform built around wearable devices that function like a smartwatch or Fitbit for cattle. These tags collect biometric and behavioral data, establish baselines for “normal,” and flag outlier activity so producers can make earlier and more accurate management decisions.

On the cow-calf side, SenseHub Cow Calf is positioned as a reproductive efficiency and labor-saving tool. The system is self-installed by the producer and relies on pairing a monitoring ear tag and an electronic ID to each animal via computer or mobile app. Once online, it provides 24/7 monitoring for activity patterns associated with heat and estrus. This allows artificial insemination and embryo transfer programs to pinpoint optimal breeding windows, increase the percentage of females settled in the first 21-day cycle, and track cyclicity in heifer development. The technology also acts as an ongoing heat-checking tool after breeding, helping identify animals that may have come back into heat. A light on the tag simplifies locating specific animals, making the system especially valuable for producers juggling off-farm jobs or limited hired help.

For feedlots, SenseHub Feedlot uses an ear tag that measures inner ear temperature and activity to identify cattle that may be in the early stages of disease, often one to three days before visual signs emerge. Rather than diagnosing conditions, the system flags animals that deviate from their normal behavior and generates actionable pull lists. This supports earlier intervention, improved treatment outcomes, and reduced mortality. Unlike the cow-calf system, the feedlot platform requires a four- to six-week installation handled by Merck’s technical team, followed by onboarding support from a customer success group. Across both segments, Woltemath emphasizes that SenseHub does not replace people but enables operations to do more with less skilled labor, enhancing accuracy, timeliness, and overall herd health and productivity.

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Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Gale McKinney, he's the Owner of American Cattlemen Media, and he chats with Joe Pettit, the Owner of Stud Wagyu Auction and Kentucky Stud Wagyu. In this episode, Joe and Gale will dive into the Big Texas Sale, held at 6:30 PM CT on May 30th, 2026, at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Joe details the Big Texas Sale, which serves as both a premier Wagyu genetics event and part of the Texas Wagyu Association’s annual gathering. The 2026 sale marks the third year in Fort Worth and is held at Billy Bob’s, where a dedicated building can accommodate several hundred attendees. Cattle are sold from their home operations via photos, videos, and comprehensive genomic data, allowing consignors to offer elite genetics without transporting animals to town.

The offering includes approximately 60 females and 15 bulls, with the front end of the catalog featuring some of the highest-indexing, high-genomic heifers in North America. Many of these females are open and near flush age, giving buyers the opportunity to accelerate their genetic programs through embryo production. Several influential AI sires will also be available, including a semen straw from the top indexing genomic bull in North America.

Joe emphasizes the value of Wagyu genetics for both seedstock and commercial producers. He notes that when fullblood Wagyu bulls with strong pedigrees are crossed on conventional commercial cows, calves retain growth and appearance similar to the base herd while dramatically improving carcass quality, marbling, and overall grading. He also highlights the breed’s longevity, structural soundness, fertility, and docile temperament, describing Wagyu cattle as long-lasting and highly functional.

The conversation concludes with an overview of sale logistics and shipping, underscoring that sellers coordinate health paperwork and work with buyers to move cattle efficiently once the auction is complete.

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Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Dustin Hector, he's the Director of Business Development for American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Shane White with Ceres Tag. 

Shane grew up on a cow-calf and seedstock operation in Wester Colorado. Educated at Colorado State University, Shane has been engaged in some facet of the beef supply chain his entire life.

Shane describes Ceres Tag as the world’s first direct-to-satellite animal intelligence system, using solar-powered, smart sensor ear tags equipped with a 3D accelerometer and geolocation capabilities. The tags continuously capture behavioral data such as minutes spent grazing, resting, ruminating, walking, and drinking. This information feeds into algorithms that estimate forage intake with approximately 95% accuracy by combining animal behavior, satellite geolocation, and NRCS grass-type data. The resulting insights allow producers to evaluate individual animal efficiency, such as how much forage it takes a cow to wean a given calf, and to make more precise genetic selection, culling, and management decisions based on real unit economics rather than decades-old assumptions like standard animal unit metrics.

The discussion also highlights the platform’s role in reproductive management. The ear tags automate estrus, calving alerts, and mounting scores, enabling producers to better time synchronization, avoid wasting expensive hormones and semen on poorly timed animals, and track return-to-estrus and predicted next estrus windows through intuitive dashboards. On the grazing side, Shane explains how integrating Ceres Tag data with range management software such as RangeView by INVU allows producers to combine biomass estimates with real-time utilization patterns. This supports more accurate stocking decisions, grazing rotations, and use of leased ground, which is increasingly important given high land prices and drought pressure.

Shane emphasizes that Ceres Tag operates as an open-platform, API-driven system compatible with multiple ranch management and range software solutions. Producers can choose and change software partners while retaining their historical data. He stresses that the goal is not to replace producer knowledge, but to provide unprecedented, peer-reviewed, externally validated data that helps ranchers improve efficiency, profitability, and ultimately the long-term viability and legacy of family ranch operations.

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Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Aaron McKinney, he's the field editor for American Cattlemen Media, and he chats with Robert Scott, with Red River Performance Beefmaster. 

The Red River Performance Beefmaster group emphasizes milk production, disposition, performance, fertility, structural correctness, and longevity, aiming to supply females that add long-term value to commercial and seedstock operations.

Scott outlines key sires represented in the sale, including LL Kid Rock 804, Elbar Resource, Isa Beefmasters Diamond H2 23, JHB 145, and cattle carrying Clark Jones genetics, along with daughters of J2 Light It Up and a high-carcase Genesis bull featured in Lot 7. He notes the role of influential bulls such as 3112 and En Fuego in accelerating progress, combining calving ease, carcass merit, and the polled trait. Buyers also have the option to AI heifers after the sale to select sires, further enhancing genetic value.

The discussion closes by underscoring customer service, genetic diversity, volume-buying opportunities, and the long-term performance and warranty mindset behind the Red River offering, positioning the sale as a “can’t lose” opportunity for cattle producers.

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Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Dustin Hector, he's the Director of Business Development for American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Trista Brown Priest, Chief Executive Officer for Cattle Empire. Cattle Empire, LLC is a family owned and operate custom cattle feeding operation in Satana, Kansas. Cattle Empire has been a leader in the industry for nearly 50 years and is in the third generation of Brown Family Management. 

Trista describes growing up in Satanta and initially intending never to return after attending Kansas State University, where she earned degrees in management, marketing, and an MBA in agricultural economics and finance. Graduating during the 2008 financial crisis brought her back to the family’s enterprises, first managing a dairy repair business and ultimately committing to Cattle Empire.

She recounts the company’s origins in 1978, when her grandfather Paul Brown began feeding cattle as a hedge to farming. A pivotal moment occurred during a failed Alabama backgrounding partnership, where thousands of supposed cattle did not exist. Her father, Roy Brown, then an agricultural bankruptcy attorney, navigated the legal aftermath while Paul secured financing to make customers whole. That decision, widely noted in the cattle community, fueled rapid expansion from roughly 12,000–15,000 head to a peak capacity of about 250,000 head, making Cattle Empire the fifth-largest cattle feeder in the United States.

Following the deaths of Trista’s grandparents, the family executed a major restructuring. To buy out Roy’s siblings, three-quarters of the business were sold in 2018, and the operation was right-sized to roughly 50,000–51,000 head, now owned by Roy and Laura Brown and daughters Trista and Becca. Today, Cattle Empire primarily feeds customer-owned heifers, manufactures its own feed, and runs a notable resale program that backgrounds and resells cattle to clients, supported by an educational blog series.

Trista highlights several technological and management innovations, including a water reclamation system that recycles overflow tank water and reduces annual usage by about 20 percent, a new mill that improves steam-flaking efficiency, and the Alenco Pinpoint camera system for data-driven sorting into optimal marketing groups, adding carcass weight and value for customers. She ties these operational decisions to broader themes of succession planning, work–life balance, and the emotional work of separating personal identity from the family business, while still leading a team-oriented, family-focused feedyard culture.

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Welcome back to Genetics & the Gavel, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have Aaron McKinney, he's the Field Editor for American Cattlemen Media, and he sits own with Jake and Nick Welter, Owners of Welter Bros Angus. In this episode, Jake and Nick will dive into the Welter Bros Inaugural Production Sale, held on May 15th, 2026, at 6PM CST, in Onslow, Iowa. 

At Welter Bros Angus they've built their herd to deliver maternal strength, longevity, performance, and the kind of phenotype that stands out in the pasture. They believe maternal merit and pounds drive profitability, and take a practical, commercial-minded approach to their seedstock operation. Their motto is "If it doesn't work for our customers, it doesn't work for us".

Jake and Nick describe how the dairy background of previous generations shaped their philosophy toward maternal function, fertility, structure, and longevity. As teenagers, they began AI’ing commercial cows, gradually building a purebred Angus herd and moving to a closed bull battery based entirely on their own genetics. Today, their program emphasizes proven cow families, embryo work from elite donors, and cattle that balance phenotype with carcass and performance traits that work for commercial customers.

Much of the discussion highlights specific sale offerings for the May 15, 2026, evening sale at the farm near Onslow, Iowa. The brothers walk through key bulls, beginning with Nobility sons that are maternal siblings to PA Ultra, followed by War Buck progeny out of a high‑carcass donor and several bulls backed by influential cows like PA Rita 079, the C 773 line, and the 955 Pathfinder matriarch. They stress strong EPD packages, carcass merit, ribeye and IMF ratios, and structural quality, frequently referencing multi‑generation performance records.

The interview also covers Musgrave Colossal and related sons, Woodhill Evergreen and blueprint-related cattle, power bulls like Magnum 28 from the Morning Jill 539 cow family, and a group of mature bulls consigned by Foots Brothers, including maternal and full siblings to Cracker Jack. Jake and Nick then outline five elite open heifers, led by a Nobility daughter that is a full sister to lead bulls in the sale, along with Pinnacle, Commerce, and Isabelle-line females designed to generate future herd builders.

The episode concludes with practical sale details, including the May 15 sale date, free trucking within 250 miles, bulls ready to ship immediately and held until June 15, and the availability of online bidding through DV Auction, supported by the CK6 crew and other industry professionals.

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Welcome back to the American Cattlemen Podcast. Just ahead, we have Dustin Hector, he's the Director of Business Development for American Cattlemen Media, and he sits down with Dr. Will McCauley, Director of Industry and Government Relations Manager for Medgene. In this episode, Dr. McCauley and Dustin will dive into everything ectoparasites including, some examples of ectoparasites, how they harm cattle, and some preventative measures producers can take to minimize their damage. 

A three-time graduate of Texas A&M University, Dr. McCauley earned his DVM and MBA in 2012 and 2010, respectively. His career spans clinical practice, regulatory leadership, and corporate relations, including his previous role as Director of Corporate Relations at the Texas A&M Foundation. He is heavily involved in professional advocacy, serving on the Texas Veterinary Medical Association Board of Directors and maintaining active roles with the AVMA and the Brazos Valley VMA.

Dr. McCauley explains that ectoparasites cause harm in two primary ways: as vectors transmitting infectious diseases and as a direct drag on performance. He highlights ticks as a major economic concern, noting that they cause billions of dollars in losses globally, largely due to the diseases they spread rather than their feeding alone. A timely example is Theileria, a blood-borne protozoan transmitted by the invasive Asian longhorned tick, which is spreading across parts of the United States and producing clinical signs similar to anaplasmosis, including anemia, lethargy, respiratory difficulty, and jaundice.

Ectoparasites also reduce productivity even when they are not transmitting disease. Horn flies illustrate this second category of harm. These flies are widespread and feed aggressively, biting cattle dozens of times per day. High fly pressure leads to behavioral changes—such as bunching in corners, seeking shade or brush, or standing in ponds—that reduce grazing time, slow weight gain, and decrease milk production, resulting in substantial economic losses for producers.

Dr. McCauley reviews traditional control methods such as medicated ear tags, pour-ons, and fly bags, noting that their effectiveness has declined over time due to parasite resistance and longer parasite seasons associated with milder winters. He then describes Medgene’s prescription platform vaccines, which take a generational approach by reducing parasite populations over time, largely by decreasing reproductive output rather than causing an immediate knockdown. Because these are prescription products, he emphasizes the importance of a strong veterinarian–client–patient relationship and a multi-tool strategy that combines vaccines with other management practices to sustainably manage ectoparasite pressure and protect herd productivity.

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Welcome back to Cattlemen & Veterinarians: A Partnership in Bovine Health, powered by American Cattlemen Media. Just ahead, we have our hosts Kaid Panek and Dr. Shynia Peterman and they chat with David Jensen and Cesar Melgar with Hawkeye Breeders. 

Jensen explains that Hawkeye Breeders is a custom bull collection facility that does not own or market bulls but provides semen collection services for artificial insemination, embryo transfer, and IVF for a global customer base. He traces the history of artificial insemination from cooled semen shipped in milk fat on milk trucks to modern frozen semen, sexed semen, genomic tools, and advanced reproductive technologies.

Jensen outlines the semen collection process using trained teaser steers and artificial vaginas, emphasizing the importance of evaluating motility, morphology, and concentration. He stresses that breeding soundness exams are critical “cheap insurance” to ensure bulls are structurally sound, reproductively normal, and capable of settling cows, especially given today’s high cattle prices and demand for herd growth.

Melgar details laboratory evaluation, including microscopic assessment and computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA), along with verification of concentration using a nuclear counter. He explains dose differences between beef and dairy semen and the importance of progressive motility. Jensen then describes the industry’s adoption of sexed semen, the role of flow cytometry, and collaboration with major providers. Because of extensive quality control, bacterial testing, DNA verification, and packaging steps, turnaround time for sexed semen is typically about two weeks, compared to roughly a day for conventional semen.

The discussion shifts to health, disease testing, and nutrition. For domestic use, tuberculosis and brucellosis testing are standard; for export, bulls and semen undergo extensive testing for leukosis, BVD, IBR, Campylobacter, trichomoniasis, and more. Vaccination strategy becomes more complex when export is anticipated, since some markets restrict vaccinated animals. Melgar emphasizes deworming plans, vitamin supplementation, and comprehensive mineral programs, highlighting key trace elements such as zinc, selenium, copper, and manganese, and treating bulls like athletes ahead of breeding or collection. Listener questions cover age at first collection, bull longevity in the breeding battery, mineral timing before turnout, and protocols for retesting bulls that initially fail a breeding soundness exam. Dr. Shynia Peterman closes by reinforcing proactive health, testing, nutrition, and early planning as essential to a successful breeding season.

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