AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by technical services veterinarians from Merck Animal Health, Dr. Jacque Fusilier and Dr. Dave Sjeklocha to discuss bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle. BRD has long been a challenge in the cattle industry but today, we are taking a fresh look. From shifting market dynamics to evolving herd management practices, we explore what is driving BRD today and what steps we need to take to stay ahead.

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Merck Animal Health as part of their sponsorship package for the opening reception at the 2025 AABP Conference in Omaha, Neb. Merck is also the sponsor of the Merck Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award which is the AABP Foundation’s scholarship program providing nine students scholarships of $10,000 each. 

Market influences can impact producers' willingness to provide interventions to manage disease risk. Merck Animal Health partners with Superior Livestock Auction to evaluate the economic impact of providing preconditioning programs for calves including the VAC45 and PrimeVAC programs. The data from 2024 indicates that this preconditioning program added $8.46/cwt compared to non-preconditioned calves. 

We also discuss beef-on-dairy crosses and labor challenges in our industry that can impact disease risk. Good animal handling, management and ensuring adequate colostrum delivery and vaccination can decrease BRD risk. Our guests discuss evaluating the risk of arrival calves by calculating shrink, backtags, other tags and evaluating manure consistency. Sjeklocha has a goal of less than 6% shrink.

Technological advancements have also played a role in disease monitoring and improving calf health while optimizing labor resources. Veterinarians can play a key role in monitoring disease, providing goals, evaluating records, and training producers and caregivers how to manage stress and improve handling and management of calves. 

For more information on the products available for BRD prevention, control and treatment, visit https://MAHCattle.com.