Could rushing cattle through management decisions be compromising their resilience?

According to Professor Ronaldo Cook, planning ahead is one of the most effective ways to support immunity, welfare, and performance.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, he explains why clustering stressors—such as transportation, processing, and adapting to a new environment—can reduce cattle resilience. He also highlights the importance of implementing nutritional strategies, including probiotics, before stressful events occur, so cattle are better prepared to respond.

When it comes to supporting resilience, timing matters just as much as the intervention itself.

▶️ Watch the video to learn why a proactive approach can make all the difference.

Why do some animals thrive under stress while others struggle?

Even within the same breed, age, and management group, some cattle are naturally more resilient than others.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, Professor Ronaldo Cook explains why resilience varies between animals and explores the role that genetics may play in helping cattle better cope with stress and disease.

As our understanding of resilience grows, it could open new opportunities to improve herd health and productivity through both genetics and management.

▶️ Watch the video to learn what sets resilient animals apart.

The first weeks in the feedlot can shape an animal's entire performance.

For newly received cattle, adapting to a new environment, diet, and social group creates significant stress. How those challenges are managed can have a lasting impact on health, welfare, and productivity.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, Professor Ronaldo Cook explains why stress management should be a priority from day one. He also discusses how proactive strategies—including nutritional interventions such as prebiotics and probiotics—can help cattle better cope with these early challenges.

▶️ Watch the video to learn why supporting resilience starts the moment cattle arrive.

A healthy gut does more than support digestion—it helps build resilience.

The gut is the body's largest immune organ, playing a critical role in pathogen recognition, antibody production, and immune cell activity. That's why gut health is closely linked to an animal's overall health and performance.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, Professor Ronaldo Cook explains why maintaining a healthy gut is essential for resilient cattle and how science-backed nutritional strategies, including probiotics, can help create a healthier gut environment to support immunity.

▶️ Watch the video to learn why gut health is the foundation of resilient, productive cattle.

Different stressors. One common outcome: lost performance.

Whether it's heat stress, transportation, or social stress, cattle respond through the same biological pathway: cortisol production.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, Professor Ronaldo Cook explains how cortisol helps animals cope with stress—but at a cost. Breaking down body tissues to fuel the stress response requires energy, increases inflammation, reduces feed intake, and ultimately impacts performance.

Understanding how stress affects cattle is the first step toward developing management and nutritional strategies that help protect resilience and productivity.

▶️ Watch the video to learn more.

Could one management decision unintentionally compromise cattle resilience?

According to Professor Ronaldo Cook, rushing cattle through stressful events can have lasting consequences for immunity, welfare, and performance.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, he explains why planning ahead is one of the most effective ways to support resilience. By spreading out unavoidable stressors and implementing nutritional strategies—such as probiotics—before animals face a challenge, producers can help cattle better cope with stress.

The timing of your management decisions can make all the difference.

▶️ Watch the video to learn why proactive planning supports healthier, more resilient cattle.

What's one of the most overlooked drivers of immune competence in feedlot cattle?

Stress.

Stress doesn't just affect animal welfare—it directly impacts immune competence. When stressors such as transportation, processing, and handling accumulate, cattle are less able to respond to health and nutritional interventions.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, Professor Ronaldo Cook explains why managing stress is the foundation for success. Even the best vaccination programs, feed additives, and nutritional strategies can only deliver their full value when cattle are in the right condition to respond.

▶️ Watch the video to learn why reducing stress is essential for building resilient, productive cattle

What's the earliest sign that an animal is starting to lose resilience—even before clinical symptoms appear?

One of the first changes is often a decrease in feed intake.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, our expert explains why appetite can be an early indicator of declining resilience—and why looking beyond herd averages matters.

Rather than focusing only on total pen intake, observe individual animals at the feed bunk. Cattle that are slower to approach feed or show less interest in eating may be signaling that something is changing before clinical signs become visible.

Early observation can support earlier intervention and help maintain herd health and performance.

▶️ Watch the video to learn what to look for.

Great research starts by understanding the challenges producers face.

In this Feed Smarter Spot, Professor Reinaldo Cook from Texas A&M University shares how his work in beef cattle nutrition, immunology, reproduction, and welfare is guided by one simple principle: solving the problems that matter most to producers.

Discover how science and practical experience come together to develop solutions that support healthier, more productive herds.

▶️ Watch the video to meet the expert behind the research.

Feed Smarter Spots by Novonesis is a series of bite-sized videos where leading industry experts answer practical questions about cattle health, nutrition, and performance. In under a minute, each episode delivers science-backed insights you can apply to help build more resilient, productive herds.