Welcome back to another episode of 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. M. Wayne Ayers, Senior Technical Consultant Veterinarian for Elanco Animal Health. In this episode, Dr. Ayers and Dustin will dive into optimizing cattle health and the return of investment on dewormers for your cattle. 

Dr. Ayers emphasizes that nutrition is the foundation of every successful cattle operation. He explains that adequate protein, energy, and mineral intake are essential not only for reproduction and colostrum quality, but also for immune function. He introduces the concept of fetal programming or epigenetics, noting that poor nutrition during late gestation—such as when cows graze dry, low-quality forage—can have irreversible negative effects on calf performance and future reproductive capacity. He suggests that today’s strong prices create an ideal opportunity for producers to test new technologies and refine their health and nutrition protocols.

The conversation then turns to building resiliency in cattle health. Dr. Ayers stresses the importance of a sound mineral program and achieving proper body condition scores at calving to support high-quality colostrum, which he calls the most important factor in a calf’s life. He discusses vaccinating cows to prevent abortions and scours, and ensuring colostrum is rich in antibodies. For calves, he recommends planning ahead for branding, turnout, and eventual weaning by considering parasite and fly control, including strategic deworming and the use of fly tags to protect both cows and calves and preserve weaning weights.

Weaning is described as the most stressful period in a calf’s life due to separation, nutritional changes, commingling, and shipping. Dr. Ayers advocates for vaccination strategies that include boosters at weaning, coccidiosis control, and the use of feed additives like rumen modifiers to improve feed efficiency and daily gain.

Elanco Animal Health Optimizing Cattle Health

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