Keep Scouring Calves Hydrated

Producers understand neonatal calf diarrhea is a problem on their farms. National Animal Health Monitoring System data from 2007 reported an average calf mortality of 8% annually, with scours as the leading cause of death in unweaned calves at 56.5%. Most causes of scours are preventable. However, the infectious causes of neonatal diarrhea are typically bacteria, viruses or protozoa. Other noninfectious causes that may contribute to neonatal diarrhea are:

 

■ poor-quality colostrum

 

■ poor sanitation

 

■ stress

 

■ inadequate ventilation

 

■ adverse weather conditions

 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.