In this special episode, we're bringing you practical takeaways from the American Association of Bovine Practitioners 2026 Annual Conference with veterinarians sharing new tools, techniques and approaches that can help improve cattle health and veterinary practice. Covering topics from targeted thoracic ultrasound and cattle restraint to feed additives and recycled manure bedding, with a focus on what's new, how it works and where these innovations fit into everyday bovine practice.

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Join Dr. John Kastelic, professor emeritus of theriogenology at the University of Calgary, for a deep dive into the science and practice of bull fertility. From breeding soundness exams and ultrasonography to heat stress, early-life nutrition and emerging technologies, Kastelic shares practical insights gained over decades of research and clinical experience. Learn what today's BSE can — and can't — tell you, how new diagnostic tools are changing fertility evaluation, and why a bull's reproductive potential begins long before breeding season.

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Bovine respiratory disease remains one of the biggest health challenges facing the cattle industry, despite decades of research and advances in prevention and treatment. In this episode, Dr. Paige Schmidt-Rios and Dr. Melissa Cantor explore both sides of the equation. Dr. Schmidt-Rios shares practical insights into diagnosing and treating BRD in today's feedlots, while Dr. Cantor discusses development of the CalfHealth system, an innovative research project using behavior monitoring and artificial intelligence to identify calves before clinical signs appear. Together, they examine where BRD management stands today and where new technology could take it next.

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New World screwworm has been detected in the United States, creating new challenges for veterinarians and livestock producers. In this special episode, Dr. Diane Kitchen, state epidemiologist for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, discusses what practitioners should know about identifying suspect cases, collecting diagnostic samples, treating affected animals and supporting eradication efforts. She also explains current movement restrictions, reporting expectations and why daily animal observation remains one of the most important tools in the response.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
TAHC Monitoring and Reporting: https://www.tahc.texas.gov/emergency/nws.html
Interstate Animal Moving Requirements: https://www.interstatelivestock.com/
FDA Approved Drugs List: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/safety-health/new-world-screwworm-information-veterinarians
USDA Screwworm Home: screwworm.gov

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For decades, estradiol-based protocols have been central to fixed-time artificial insemination in beef cattle, but growing scrutiny of estrogenic compounds has prompted researchers to explore alternatives. In this episode, Dr. Jaswant Singh and Dr. Carlos Leonardi discuss their research on Cetrorelix, a human fertility drug that may offer a non-steroidal approach to follicular wave synchronization.

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Routine, whole-herd deworming is giving way to a more strategic approach as veterinarians grapple with resistance, subclinical production losses, and changing management goals. In this episode, Dr. Megan Bollin and Dr. Nancy Jackson discuss diagnostics, refugia, combination therapy, and every day management practices shaping the future of parasite control in cattle.

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This episode brings together three expert perspectives to tackle milk fever from every angle. Together, they unpack why milk fever is more than just a calcium deficiency and how better transition cow management, nutrition and early intervention can reduce both clinical and subclinical cases.

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You can't see fertility, feed efficiency or disease risk, but genomics can. In this episode, host Andrea Bedford sits down with Dr. Tom Short and Dr. Kent Andersen to discuss how genomic testing is helping reduce risk, improve profitability and move from herd-level decisions to individual-animal precision.

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In a special episode coming from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention, I do a series of rapid-fire interviews with the companies behind the latest pharmaceuticals, tech, and equipment and finding the answer to the important question: How will these new products actually impact your daily veterinary practice

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Mastitis detection has advanced rapidly, with new technology promising better outcomes. In this episode, we explore mastitis as a systems-level problem shaped by housing, labor, management decisions, and data interpretation, not just pathogens. Dr. Justin Hess, a bovine veterinarian in Michigan, and Dr. Alon Arazi, chief veterinarian at Afimilk, discuss with me where current detection tools perform well, there they fall short, and why subclinical mastitis remains one of the biggest blind spots on dairies. We discuss how automated monitoring systems flag abnormal patterns, why they are not a diagnostic on their own, and how false positives can undermine trust if sensitivity and specificity are poorly balanced. The conversation also looks ahead to the future of mastitis detection, including earlier risk identification, predictive modeling, and the potential for insight into pathogen type. 

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