CALF_News_Feb_March_2019

37 CALF News • February | March 2019 • www.calfnews.net faced a situation in 2018 that caused them to take a different treatment track.“We saw an increase in respiratory disease and deaths,” Jim says.“That was even seen in good, preconditioned calves we placed that had been on a solid modified-live vaccine and weaning program. “Our home-grown calves even had problems. They had been on a typical MLV program, but we still had to doctor them while on wheat pasture.” That’s when Jim changed course and went with a killed vaccine program. He used Poly-Bac B3 from Texas Vet Labs. The vaccine was designed to help with Haemophilus somnus , Pasteurella haemo- lytica A1, Pasteurella haemolytica A6 and Pasteurella multocida A3. “The killed vaccine stopped it,” Jim says.“I haven’t doctored one of our home- grown animals since. I didn’t think I would ever use a killed vaccine again, but it worked. I’m not saying that’s the whole answer, and it’s still a hypothesis. We’ll be looking to try it again this year.” Home-grown crops fuel rations F-Troop’s grow ration consists of corn silage, corn, corn gluten and a finisher pellet. The finishing ration is corn, ground alfalfa hay, corn silage, wheatlage and corn gluten. “We grow about half of our silage or wheatlage needs,” Laramy says, adding that corn gluten is used to add protein and help dry down the silage-based ration.” Cattle are fed twice a day, except when they’re transitioning from a grow to a finish ration, when they’re fed three times a day. Jim says he prefers not to use a beta- agonist and let the cattle perform on their own. “They see good ADGs and good conversion rates,” he says.“We keep cost of gain as low as possible. By being able to supply some feedstuffs from our farm, we can reduce some input costs. “Most cattle are marketed through forward contracting with packers. That’s our best risk management tool. We also use put options to help secure a floor if the opportunities are there.” What’s in a name? The F-Troop name probably sounds familiar to Baby Boomers. The Friemel family farm where Jim grew up near Hereford was typical of other places that raised crops and cattle. There was a barn and chicken house. One year when the chicken house was idle, Jim made it his “fort.” And he hung a sign concocted after his favorite TV show – F-Troop . BELOW: Solid ADGs and overall performance keep F-Troop Feeders competitive. Continued on page 38 