Feedyard Manager Insists Good Health And Quality Genetics Go Hand In Hand

When it comes to calf health at Chappell Feedlot in southwestern Nebraska, manager Tom Williams gets down to details with customers. Each load is unique, based on their history.

“If we have some health issues, depending on what they are we’ll go back to the ranch for instance, a lot of ranches will have some mineral deficiencies, mineral issues, which may be a problem for adequate development of the immune system,” Williams said. “So in several cases we’ve had people go back and soil test and change their minerals.”

That one-on-one counseling shows in the finished cattle leaving the feedyard and their beef in the grading coolers, but the good health must start on the ranch. Williams advises that calves should be vaccinated twice if possible. He suggests vaccinating once while still nursing and again a couple weeks before moving them to the feedyard. He recommends that cattle be returned to their pens immediately after any doctoring to reduce the chance of reestablishing viruses.