Cattle Chat

Latest Episodes:

Veterinary School Application Process and Simple Record Keeping Metrics Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Cattle Chat, the team discusses what it takes to get into veterinary school, including prerequisites, gaining diverse experience, standing out in the application process, and preparing for interviews. They also explore ways to encourage interest in rural and livestock veterinary practice. The team answers a listener’s question for a 125-cow producer, highlighting simple metrics like pregnancy rate, pounds of calves sold, and winter feed use to measure progress over time.

4:38 Veterinary School Application Process

16:36 Simple Record Keeping Metrics

For more on BCI Cattle Chat, follow us on X at @ksubci, Facebook, and Instagram at @ksubci. Check out our website, ksubci.org. If you have any comments/questions/topic ideas, please send them to bci@ksu.edu. You can also email us to sign up for our weekly news blast! Don’t forget, if you enjoy the show, please go give us a rating!

Bull Buying Decisions and Beef Tech Innovations Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of BCI Cattle Chat, the team discusses what producers should consider when purchasing a bull, emphasizing fertility, structural soundness, EPD accuracy, and aligning genetics with herd goals. They highlight the importance of avoiding information overload by focusing on economically relevant traits and practical fit. The group also explores emerging technologies in the beef industry, including drones, virtual fencing, remote water monitoring, and calving cameras. Throughout the conversation, the focus remains on balancing proven fundamentals with new innovations that can improve efficiency and decision-making.

4:40 Buying Bulls

16:52 New Technology

KSU Legacy Bull Sale Information

A woman stands confidently in front of a cattle pen, wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans, smiling at the camera with cows in the background. — **Guest Dr. Christine Navarre, Liver Flukes, Emergency Preparedness** Feb 13, 2026
Show notes

This episode of BCI Cattle Chat covers liver flukes and emergency preparedness in cattle operations with guest Dr. Christine Navarre. The experts discuss how liver flukes damage the liver, can contribute to sudden death, and may show up in feedlot cattle long after exposure in endemic regions. They emphasize accurate diagnosis, targeted deworming, and vaccination. The team also highlights the importance of planning ahead for disasters by ensuring access to water, feed, power, communication, and secure records to improve outcomes and protect both cattle and producers.

2:55 Liver Flukes

12:03 Emergency Preparedness

For more on BCI Cattle Chat, follow us on X at @ksubci, Facebook, and Instagram at @ksubci. Check out our website, ksubci.org. If you have any comments/questions/topic ideas, please send them to bci@ksu.edu. You can also email us to sign up for our weekly news blast! Don’t forget, if you enjoy the show, please go give us a rating!

**Guest Information**

**Adjunct Professor**

**Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences**

LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

**Extension Veterinarian, LSU AgCenter**

**Professor, LSU School of Animal Sciences**

Research Update: Liliana Rivas and Cow Efficiency Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

On this week’s BCI Cattle Chat episode, graduate student Liliana Rivas updates us on her research about leaky guts in yearling calves. She conducted this by feeding the calves a restricted diet and measuring indigestible sugars in the bloodstream over 36 hours. The experts also discussed cow efficiency, measured as pounds of calf weaned per pound of feed consumed per cow exposed. A key finding was that the nutrition models in the study underestimated the extent to which energy restriction harms reproduction.

3:10 Research Update

12:27 Cow Efficiency

Managing Body Conditioning in Cows, Cause and Management of Weak Calves Jan 30, 2026

Show notes

The experts discussed whether it is more costly to have thin or fat cows going into the calving season. Thin cows are generally more costly because they are at high risk of having calving issues. Determining when to be aggressive with supplementation is important when addressing thin cows. The team also answered a listener’s question regarding weak calves. They discussed the factors that could be causing the calves to be weak. The key takeaway is that weak calves are associated with long or difficult births, weather stress, and poor nutrition. Better monitoring of heifers and calving progress can prevent many issues.

2:35 Thin vs Fat Cows

19:53 Weak Calves

When to Start Treatment, Treatment Protocols, Antimicrobial Resistance Jan 23, 2026

Show notes

On this week’s BCI Cattle Chat episode, the experts debate whether you should start treatment as soon as signs of the disease appear or if you should wait for the signs to develop to have a clear diagnosis. The ability to modify the therapeutic plan can be valuable, but it needs to be balanced with consistency that allows better evaluation of treatment outcomes. The team also debated treatment protocols. Being flexible in planning is important, but deviations from the protocol should be kept to a minimum. Lastly, they discussed antimicrobial resistance and its role in the cause of death with respiratory diseases.

2:37 When to Start Treatment

10:03 Treatment Protocol

19:31 Antimicrobial Resistance

Epigenetics and Udder Quality Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

On this week’s BCI Cattle Chat episode, the experts answer a listener’s question comparing two genetically identical bulls raised in different environments. The group discusses whether early development and nutrition can influence fertility, longevity, or even the genetics passed on to offspring, diving into the emerging science of epigenetics. Lastly, the team tackles a listener question on udder quality, exploring how heritable udder traits are and when producers should use them as culling criteria in the herd.

3:13 Epigenetics

17:31 Udder Quality

Dr. Dustin Pendell’s Trip to Taiwan, Fog Fever in Wyoming Cattle, Welfare Practices in Australia Jan 09, 2026

Show notes

On this week’s Cattle Chat episode, the experts answer a listener’s question that Dr. Todd Gunderson brought to the group from his recent trip to Wyoming. Listener Dr. Glenn Gamble asked the group’s opinion on how to combat Fog Fever. Dr. Dustin Pendell also shared with us about his trip to Taiwan. Lastly, Cameron Best from Australia answers some of Dr. Eduarda Bortoluzzi’s questions about how the welfare practices in Australia differ from those in the United States and Brazil.

2:49 Fog Fever in Wyoming Cattle

10:37 Dr. Dustin Pendell’s trip to Taiwan

16:38 Australian Welfare Practices

Research Update: Katherine Shirley, When to Preg Check, Guest: Cameron Best, Australia vs U.S. Beef Production Jan 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Cattle Chat, Dr. Brad White and the team welcome graduate student Katherine Shirley, who discusses her summer research on heat stress and cardiopulmonary issues in feedyard cattle. She explains how environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and hide color can influence cattle health and mortality. The crew then answers a listener’s question about pregnancy checking, covering ideal timing, methods, and the causes of early pregnancy loss. Finally, Cameron Best from Australia joins to compare U.S. and Australian cattle production, highlighting differences in climate, forage systems, and market structures.

2:42 Research Update from Katherine Shirley

8:09 When to Preg Check

19:55 Cameron Best Compares Australian and U.S. Beef Production

Guest: Dr. Stephan Hughes, KSU Resources, Bull Fertility Dec 19, 2025

Show notes

In this week’s episode of Cattle Chat, Bob Weaber interviews Dr. Stephan Hughes, a veterinarian from South Africa, while on a trip. Hughes shares how he started listening to Cattle Chat and how beef production differs in South Africa. They also talk about the different tools Kansas State University has that can enhance your operation, not only in the United States but also abroad. The team then transitions to a listener question about bull fertility. The experts emphasize the importance of testing your bull’s fertility, especially as he ages.

2:20 Dr. Stephan Hughes interview

8:25 KSU Resources

17:30 Listener Question: Bull Fertility

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