Dakota Farmer

Communication helps keep neighboring herds safe and healthy.

Kevin Schulz, Editor

February 17, 2022

4 Min Read
closeup of cow
HEALTHY HERD: Sound biosecurity practices that are properly implemented go a long way in maintaining herd health and promoting ultimate production performance.Kevin Schulz

Todd Tedrow warns livestock producers and ranchers about a number of diseases that either are endemic or may emerge to impact the health of their animals, but he stresses that producers can help themselves to stave off herd health issues.

“I think we could pay more attention to biosecurity,” says Tedrow, a staff veterinarian with the South Dakota Animal Industry Board, “and that would be a tremendous help for our cattle, sheep and poultry producers. With everything these producers are dealing with, biosecurity sometimes takes a backseat. The swine industry has widely adopted sound biosecurity practices, but there’s always room for improvement.”

He sees biosecurity measures as going a long way in preventing the introduction of diseases. Tedrow says his move from private practice to working for the animal board opened his eyes to the importance of biosecurity, specifically when dealing with cases of trichomoniasis, a disease that is transmitted between cows and bulls during breeding and can result in early-term abortions.

“You talk to those producers whose herds have been infected, and you ask where they think they got it. ‘Well, my neighbor brings these cattle on and off, and they get comingled with mine,’ Tedrow says. “And then I say, ‘Well, wait, your cattle were comingled with some that you know nothing about?’

“Then I ask, ‘Well, who is responsible for maintaining the fence?’

“‘Well, that’s not my problem; it’s their fences.’”

It does become a problem for producers, Tedrow says, when they have “millions of dollars invested in their cow herd, and there’s a potential disease risk in the next pasture.” He advises producers to work with their neighbors to fix fences, so commingling doesn’t occur.

Another approach may be to communicate with neighbors to determine when cattle will be in their pasture and use that information to decide on the best time to place your cattle in the pasture that abuts theirs.

“Maybe you can move your cows to a different pasture and have a buffer zone” between the two sets of cattle, he says. “It’s just another way to look at biosecurity that will effectively minimize risk of disease spread.”

Livestock diseases

To protect your livestock from disease, Tedrow says a good place to start is developing or strengthening a good working relationship with a private veterinarian, “because they can help you with setting up a biosecurity program, as well as a herd health program.”

Also, be aware of diseases currently in your area, Tedrow says, as well as diseases that may be prevalent in the area from where your stock originate. “It helps to work with reputable sources when looking for replacement cattle, or any replacement livestock,” he says.

This may not be at the top of every producer’s to-do list, but setting up a parasite control program with your veterinarian is recommended, Tedrow says. “Some of that too is pasture management, because that is where they pick them [parasites] up,” he says.

Tedrow advises producers watch for these diseases in various livestock:

Cattle. “If we’re talking about the cattle industry, Johne’s disease — that’s a big one that causes unseen production losses,” he says.

Also on his radar is bovine viral diarrhea virus, as well as the “grab bag” of bovine respiratory diseases, “which is a bunch of different diseases altogether,” he says.

BVD can be a production robber, “and you might not even see it,” he says. “You get calves that get BVD, and they just don’t perform like they should. So instead of selling a healthy 550-pound calf, you end up selling a 400-pounder,” he says. “So you put all those resources into that cow, feeding her all year long, growing her all that time, and then you don’t get the optimum production on the other end.”

Sheep. Ovine progressive pneumonia can cause production losses in a flock. Tedrow says producers may not even see clinical signs of the disease.

Just as in beef and dairy cattle, Johne’s disease can also affect small ruminants.

Swine. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome has pestered the swine industry for quite some time, “and those swine folks are really digging into that,” he says. “Again, going back to re-evaluating biosecurity practices to figure out how to keep it out, because that’s one disease syndrome that appears to crack that biosecurity code.”

South Dakota’s hog producers learned the importance of strict biosecurity when porcine epidemic diarrhea virus hit the industry in 2013, much as the state’s poultry industry learned from the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2015.

According to Tedrow, the other livestock industries fortunately have not yet had to deal with a highly contagious disease outbreak “that highlights the usefulness of biosecurity.”

Tedrow says he can’t “beat the biosecurity drum” enough, as well as the importance of a relationship with a veterinarian to prevent disease and the spread of disease, but there’s another piece that cannot be overlooked — nutrition.

“You can’t do enough nutritional-wise to get the most production out of your critters. We’ve learned that from the dairy industry. They have well established the need for good nutrition,” he says.

About the Author(s)

Kevin Schulz

Editor, The Farmer

Kevin Schulz joined The Farmer as editor in January of 2023, after spending two years as senior staff writer for Dakota Farmer and Nebraska Farmer magazines. Prior to joining these two magazines, he spent six years in a similar capacity with National Hog Farmer. Prior to joining National Hog Farmer, Schulz spent a long career as the editor of The Land magazine, an agricultural-rural life publication based in Mankato, Minn.

During his tenure at The Land, the publication grew from covering 55 Minnesota counties to encompassing the entire state, as well as 30 counties in northern Iowa. Covering all facets of Minnesota and Iowa agriculture, Schulz was able to stay close to his roots as a southern Minnesota farm boy raised on a corn, soybean and hog finishing farm.

One particular area where he stayed close to his roots is working with the FFA organization.

Covering the FFA programs stayed near and dear to his heart, and he has been recognized for such coverage over the years. He has received the Minnesota FFA Communicator of the Year award, was honored with the Minnesota Honorary FFA Degree in 2014 and inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame in 2018.

Schulz attended South Dakota State University, majoring in agricultural journalism. He was also a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and now belongs to its alumni organization.

His family continues to live on a southern Minnesota farm near where he grew up. He and his wife, Carol, have raised two daughters: Kristi, a 2014 University of Minnesota graduate who is married to Eric Van Otterloo and teaches at Mankato (Minn.) East High School, and Haley, a 2018 graduate of University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is married to John Peake and teaches in Hayward, Wis. 

When not covering the agriculture industry on behalf of The Farmer's readers, Schulz enjoys spending time traveling with family, making it a quest to reach all 50 states — 47 so far — and three countries. He also enjoys reading, music, photography, playing basketball, and enjoying nature and campfires with friends and family.

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