W. Mark Hilton, DVM, DABVP

There is a perception that a rural practitioner has a much harder time achieving "success" than if that same doctor had gone into small animal practice in the big city.

When discussing replacement heifers in a beef herd, a few questions must be answered before we even select our first potential replacement.

With the recent increase in prices of feedstuffs used in beef rations along with the increasing availability of by-product feeds, now is the time for veterinarians to become more involved in nutrition consultation with their beef clients.

The 2008 National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) data indicates 77% of bull calves in the U.S. are castrated before marketing and 75% of those are castrated before three months of age.