Feedback On ... RANGE CATTLE

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VACCINATION. Blackleg was once the greatest killer of cattle on the Great Plains, and would still hold that dubious honor today if it weren't for the almost universal use of a vaccine to prevent the disease. This little item may set you back as much as eight cents per head of your herd . . . but just think of how much of the medicine you can buy for the price of one animal needlessly lost! Check with local stockmen about other diseases (such as anthrax, rednose, vibriosis, etc.) that might be prevalent in your area, because any one of the ailments could cost you your shirt-not to mention your whole herd—and all of them can be prevented.

It's true enough that many livestock diseases are with us because of overcrowding and improper nutrition, but lots of us find that our cattle have to live with one or both of these conditions. If you find that your animals must be closely confined in pens or corrals, try to convince them to eat from racks and bunks rather than off the ground . . . a soiled pen is a good place for parasites of several varieties to breed. Nothing is more natural than that the animal itself produce the necessary antibodies to fight off these diseases, but there are times when your livestock must be helped with a little preventive medicine.

WINTER FEEDING. Finally, watch the straw you feed to mature, pregnant cows through the winter. It's always low in vitamin A or the substance—carotene—from which it is produced. Vitamin A deficiencies cause hundreds of bovine abortions yearly in my practice and every last one of them could have been avoided. Mixing the straw with good quality green hay or dehydrated alfalfa pellets will stop the problem. Injections of vitamin A are also available for less than 200 per head . . . and the shots can bail you out if your stock is already in trouble.

And here's another potential problem: Straw from grains raised under droughty conditions may have excessive levels of nitrate in it, which can cause abortion storms in your herd and effectively put you out of the cattle business. Before feeding your pregnant cattle the straw, submit a sample to your county agent. He can get it tested for you and advise you of its deficiencies.

There will still be plenty of unexpected things that come up to challenge you from time to time if you raise livestock, so don't be afraid to take all available simple and inexpensive precautions for KNOWN problems. Such action will pay off for both your herd . . . and for you.

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