CARSON CITY — Shane Hall isn’t shy about why he’s in the cattle business. But as the third-generation rancher talks about the value of preconditioning, it’s easy to see it’s not just dollar signs he’s after. Cattleman Shane Hall is chasing a legacy.
“I’m not in love with the romance of the cattle business. I’m in it for the money,” Hall said. “The ranch is not going to last to the next generation if it isn’t viable. We have to balance tradition with economics.”
Five years ago, with economics and profitability in mind, Hall employed a new preconditioning program for his herd. Effective preconditioning is critical for healthy and productive cattle — and helps lead to a successful business. Hall decided to market his cattle through a verified preconditioning program, SelectVAC®, with Zoetis. He is proud to say their preconditioning efforts are paying off in a big way.
“If you enroll in a program and have program cattle, buyers know what they’re going to get. Buyers want uniformity, no surprises and they need to be 100% satisfied,” Hall said. “You want cattle that are low risk for the buyers. Buyers like the health and low risk of our cattle, and that’s a huge value.”
Preconditioning entails both vaccination and deworming, so cattlemen can help ward off sickness and prepare young calves for weaning, commingling and travel to feedlots. Harmful respiratory pathogens that threaten young calves include Mannheimia haemolytica, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus Types 1 and 2, and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV). Vaccinating calves with highly effective products at the right time, and controlling parasites, can help improve their overall immune response to respiratory pathogens. Simply put: A preconditioning program is like an insurance policy to help protect cattle from devastating health risks.
“If cattle prices are high, you can afford the vaccine, but if cattle prices are low, you can’t afford the potential health risks from unvaccinated cattle. You can’t go cheap on your calves,” Hall said.
To learn more about the upside of preconditioning programs, cattlemen can work closely with their local veterinarian. Together, they may identify primary disease concerns and health risks posed to their individual operation. To learn more about SelectVAC, visit with your local Zoetis representative or go to SelectVAC.com.
About Zoetis
Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS) is the leading animal health company, dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests, biodevices and a range of services. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals with sales of its products in more than 100 countries. In 2017, the company generated annual revenue of $5.3 billion with approximately 9,000 employees. For more information, visit zoetisUS.com.
–Zoetis
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