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Heifer
Health

Fertility

Losses

Performance

Beef

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The Future of your herd lies with your heifers

There are large opportunities to substantially improve the management of northern Australian beef enterprises.^1,2 Zoetis are supporting a practical path towards optimal herd performance through improved reproductive performance by focusing on:

1. Minimsing calf losses

2. Maximising heifer growth

Maximising reproductive performance

Northern Australian Beef Fertility Project (cashcow)

CashCow was a three year, independent project investigating the fertility of 78,256 beef breeders from 75 selected commercial enterprises across northern Australia from June 2007 to July 2012.¹ The project showed that herd performance can be simply measured and quantified against realistic benchmarks as shown below.

MEASURE	SOUTHERN FOREST	CENTRAL FOREST	NORTHERN DOWNS	NORTHERN FOREST
Annual pregnancy rate - heifers (5)	93	87	94	81
Pregnant within 4 mths of calving - first lactation cows (%)	80	68	69	18
Losses from pregnancy testing to weaning - heifers (%)	4	4	7	11
Death rate - cows (%)	3	2	4	6
Weaner production (kg/cow)	240	220	183	112

_{Adapted from: McGowan M. et al, 20142}

An Optimised Production System

There are existing opportunities to better control key production-limiting diseases and boost the rate of genetic gain in your beef herd. The key areas that should be addressed to successfully manage your herd are:

Genetics

GENETICS

Why it’s important

Genetic gains are cumulative, permanent and obtainable by selection of herd sires from performance-recorded herds, bred in a tropical environment
Need to balance the selection of fertility, growth and carcass traits in both male and female cattle

Key actions

Select polled bulls where possible
Target heifers to be above breed average for their genetic merit (Estimated Breed Values/EBVs) for key measurements of fertility, growth and carcass
Generate selection indices ($ indices) depending on product goals and target markets using EBV data

Mesaurement

MEASUREMENT

Why it’s important

Allows productivity to be monitored from one year to the next
Allows progress to be monitored over the long term
Helps assess the impact of any management interventions

Key measurements

Opening numbers by class of stock
Closing numbers by class of stock
Sales by dollar and heads
Purchases by dollar and heads
Total kilograms of cattle sold
Total operating costs

Disease Icon

DISEASE PREVENTION

Why it’s important

Reproductive and other diseases will slow weight gain, lower reproductive rates and result in higher death rates
Poor worm control may reduce cattle growth rates

Key actions

Vaccinate against common diseases that affect production
Drench to control internal parasites
Control coccidiosis

Nutrition Icon

NUTRITION

Why it’s important

Nutrition is one of the key factors contributing to fertility³
Achieving critical mating weight can increase herd profitability, productivity and longevity³
Supplementation will get heifers in calf at the right time and, in many cases, 12 months

earlier than if not supplemented¹

Key actions

Select heifer paddocks with good quality pasture
Manage stocking rate to ensure optimum pasture quantity and quality
Use strategic supplementation of phosphorus and protein to achieve optimal growth from weaning to mating and throughout their first pregnancy¹

Give your Heifers the Best Chance of Reproductive Success

Managing Disease

Managing disease is an important component of risk management for any beef enterprise. The first step in managing disease on your property is to define when and where losses are occurring. The table below outlines the key sources of loss due to disease and the role Zoetis products can play in their prevention.

PROBLEMS TO BE MANAGED	HOW TO MANAGE
CAUSES OF LOSSES FROM BRANDING TO WEANING
Clostridial diseases¹ (tetanus, malignant oedema, blackleg)	Vaccinate with Ultravac 7in1 (or Ultravac 5in1)
CAUSES OF POST-WEANING LOSSES
Pestivirus¹	Vaccinate with Pestigard®
Blackleg¹	Vaccinate with Ultravac 7in1 or Ultravac 5in1
Botulism¹	Vaccinate with Longrange®
3-day sickness/Bovine Ephemeral Fever (BEF)¹	Vaccinate with a BEF vaccine. Speak to your veterinarian
CAUSES OF JOINING AND BREEDING RELATED LOSSES
Pestivirus¹	Vaccinate with Pestigard
Vibriosis¹	Vaccinate with Vibrovax®
Leptospirosis¹	Vaccinate with Ultravac 7in1
CAUSES OF WEIGHT LOSS/INADEQUATE WEIGHT GAIN
Parasitism¹	Treat with Dectomax® Injection or Dectomax® Pour-On

Cattle Best Practice Vaccination and Drenching Instructional Videos

Introducing the Heifer Performance Program from Zoetis

Keep your herd on track for a more profitable future with the Zoetis advantage.

	THE ZOETIS ADVANTAGE	4 WKS-6 MTHS PRE-JOINING	2-4 WKS PRE-JOINING	PREGNANCY TESTING
Pestigard	The only Australian vaccine against Pestivirus	(priming dose)	(initial dose)	(annual booster)
Vibrovax	Only Vibrovax prevents the spread of vibriosis and cures infection in bulls and heifers
Ultravac 7in1 (or Ultravac 5in1)	Ultravac 7in1 prevents your cattle shedding leptospirosis, protecting them, your staff and your family with a low dose formulation			(annual booster)
Dectomax	Protects cattle for longer against more of the key worm types in Northern Australia (as well as effective tick control)
Longrange	The fastest available protection against botulism, in a single dose			(annual booster)
3-day sickness /BEF†	The only vaccine against bovine ephemeral fever (BEF) or a 3-day sickness in Australia	(priming dose)	(initial booster)	(annual booster)

_{*Assuming heifers are mated at >18 months of age.}

_{†BEF vaccination programs may be integrated into your Annual Vaccination Program for beef heifers.}

_{Consult your veterinarian.}

Cattle Vaccine Storage and Handling

References

1. Northern Beef Management Guidelines, 2014. Zoetis Data on File.

2. McGowan M. et al. Northern Australian beef fertility project: CashCow. Meat and Livestock Australia Final Report B.NBP.0382, 2014.

3. Zoetis Repro Active Tech Note, Critical Mating Weights, 2014. Zoetis Data on File.

4. Reproductive diseases. 2012. Meat and Livestock Australia.

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Heifer
Health

The Future of your herd lies with your heifers

Northern Australian Beef Fertility Project (cashcow)