CALF_News_October_November_2021

33 CALF News • October | November 2021 • www.calfnews.net young calves. He revealed that some calves have been vaccinated three times before arriving at the feedlot. They are more likely to contract bovine respira- tory disease than those that have been worked less, and modified-live vaccines contribute more to the problem than killed vaccines. Calves most affected by this are the high-performance, well-bred stock. They can develop hard lesions in their lungs at 40 to 60 days on feed. Becky Funk, DVM, assistant profes- sor at the UNL Great Plains Veteri- nary Education Center, followed with “Immunologic Memory of Cows.” Her takeaway was, giving pre-breeding shots often causes an inflammation of the uterus. These vaccines need to be given far ahead of breeding season. (For more information on vaccines and their effect on reproduction, see story on page 28.) Producer Panel Jaclyn Wilson of Lakeside, Neb., and Clarissa Feldman of Litchfield, Neb., were at the front of the room during a producer panel discussion about home- raised beef direct marketing. The two ladies head up their families’ business of producer-to-consumer beef sales. It is a good example of diversification provid- ing additional income as family members mature and join the ranch. Questions were fielded on the complex business of federal meat inspection, promotion and physically handling perishable product that can be shipped around the country, as well as the world. New Nebraska Packing Plant Rusty Kemp of North Platte gave a report on Sustainable Beef LLC. The company rolled out plans in early 2021 to build a 300,000-plus square foot packing plant in North Platte, with construction to begin this fall. The project was hatched as a result of several “black swan” events that have disrupted packing plants in the past couple of years. Cattle feeders were left with a severe backlog of inventory needing to be harvested, with literally no place to go. This problem reached a peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, making every livestock producer aware that changes needed to happen. The plant is scheduled to open in early 2023. Afternoon Sessions Later sessions were held outdoors and included six additional UNL staff: David Boxler, UNL Livestock Entomol- ogy Extension Educator, "Flies and Lice." Travis Mulliniks, UNL range cow production specialist; Kacie McCarthy, UNL beef cow-calf specialist; and Yijie Xiong, UNL precision livestock manage- ment specialist, “Gudmundson Sandhills Lab Beef Research Update.” Mitch Stephenson, UNL range and forage specialist, and Jerry Volesky, UNL range and forage specialist,“Gudmundson Sandhills Lab Range Research Update.” Rick Funston, UNL beef cattle repro- ductive physiologist, “Pregnancy Check- ing Demonstration.” All indoor presentations may be streamed at https://mediahub.unl.edu/ . The Gudmundson Open House is highly recommended, not only for learn- ing but for seeing and experiencing one of the most beautiful places in the world – the Nebraska Sandhills. Plans are underway for the 2022 open house.  TEXAS FEED FAT CO., INC. P.O. Box 1790 • Durant, Oklahoma 74702 Ted Kirkpatrick, Owner We specialize in Quality Feed Fat and Quality Service. Leaders in the feed fat industry since 1974! With 2 locations to serve you. Call Us Today! TEXAS FEED FAT CO., INC. Durant, Oklahoma Kirk Sehi (580) 924-1890 Hereford, Texas (806) 363-6490