NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — Just like cattle producers, bison ranchers are working to rebuild their herds. The National Bison Association (NBA) is taking action, launching a new initiative with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“We’ve got a new bison-specific grant that’s been awarded to us and a couple of other organizations that is going to allow us to revamp our educational products, top down,” explained NBA Executive Director Jim Matheson. “So, in the next two years, you’re going to see a lot more new, innovative educational materials coming out of the NBA, including print handbooks, of course, but also things like video training series and online training series.”
Matheson says the NBA is also exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology for the first time, specifically to support members and meet the growing demand for bison products.
The first cold snap is hitting much of the country — and while some of us are hoping for a warm spell, livestock producers, from bison to dairy farmers, face a bigger challenge in mitigating the difficulties of herd rebuilding amid winter weather that strains cattle.
Dr. Nate Haas, a leading veterinarian at Bio-Vet in Wisconsin, warns that sudden temperature swings can stress herds, putting both the animals and the farm at risk.
“What we end up seeing is production losses, and the possibility of issues with gestation and breeding,” said Dr. Haas. “So, we’re always on the lookout for that, and it’s kind of a trailing indicator, right? We don’t always see those acute cases, but we will see that it’s kind of a slump going on and on over weeks. And so, what we try to do is maintain hydration — keep those animals eating — as part and parcel of what Bio-Vet does with our direct-fed microbials and nutritional supplements. So that’s one of the biggest things that I’m going to be looking for.”
Hass noted livestock producers often associate respiratory issues with summer but overlook them in winter.
“We’ll see more respiratory issues in the summer than we see in the wintertime in the veterinary world, and that’s counterintuitive, right?” Dr. Haas said. “But the reason for that is that cows have a horrible time blowing off heat. They only have so much surface area for these huge masses, so one way they get rid of heat is by increasing respiration. And so, sometimes if you have an animal with a low-level pneumonia or low-level respiratory issue, you won’t even see it until they start really exerting that breath, and that oftentimes happens just trying to blow off that heat. So that’s always a problem that we see with cattle. It’s a little bit different from what we think of in the wintertime. In wintertime, we think of colds from a human standpoint. Their respiratory issues oftentimes manifest themselves with the stress of the heat and over the months of that hot period of time during the summer.”
Haas added that proper nutrition can help cattle transition to winter, and that smoothing out their gastrointestinal tract can help them battle the physiological challenges that come with drastic weather changes.
