Apogee Animal Health, Inc.

Fall Herd Health Check List Category Status Cow BCS ☐ Good ☐ Needs attention Preg Check ☐ Complete ☐ Needs scheduled Cow Vaccination ☐ Current ☐ Review Calf Vaccination ☐ Current ☐ Review Calf Growth ☐ On target ☐ Review Bull BSE ☐ Complete ☐ Needs scheduled Mineral Program ☐ Appropriate ☐ Review If you would like input from Apogee on any of these items (or others) before you jump into fall, please feel free to reach out to us.

Flexible Herd Work with Our Haul-In or Portable Facilities At Apogee Animal Health, we know that managing your herd requires flexibility and convenience. That’s why we offer access to our leased haul-in facilities at the old salebarn west of Sabetha. Whether it’s routine herd work, individual animal exams, or hoof care, our facility provides a safe, accessible space to get the job done efficiently. For added convenience, we can also bring our portable hydraulic chute and/or d

Bull Breeding Soundness Exams There are many bull-related factors that can reduce fertility and ultimately result in fewer calves to sell at weaning. Performing a breeding soundness exam (BSE) on your bull before turnout can prevent major headaches and save money in the long run. A good BSE helps avoid the unpleasant surprise at pregnancy check that your bull didn’t get cows bred. A BSE evaluates several factors to ensure a bull is capable of successfully breeding females. 1)

Calving season can be one of the most labor intensive, but also most rewarding parts of a cattleman’s year. Once the calf is born, proper environment, nutrition, and health are important considerations. Early observation, and intervention, if needed, can help set up calves for a lifetime of good health. Environment: Ensuring the calf is born into a warm, clean environment significantly reduces health complications such as scours in the first weeks of life. Reducing mud an

Mud may not be on your radar during single-digit temperatures, but it should be. When the temperatures warm up, the frozen ground is going to get soft. If we add in some spring rains, things will change and just 4–8 inches of mud (pastern deep) can reduce feed efficiency by up to 13%. Why? Cattle eat less because they visit the bunk less More energy is burned walking through mud Wet hair coats increase maintenance needs by 2% for every degree below 30°F This “mud tax” applies

For beef producers, maximizing reproductive efficiency is a cornerstone of profitable cattle operations. One of the most influential factors in achieving high pregnancy rates is adequate nutrition. Body condition scoring is a practical management tool that assesses the amount of fat reserves on a cow and allow us to gauge whether they are receiving the appropriate amount of nutrition. Understanding and managing BCS can make a significant difference in reproductive performance

As weather cools and cattle are more confined, lice can become an issue. We don’t see this external parasite during the summer months because cattle are often spread out and have shorter hair coats, deterring these animal specific insects. However, with declining temperatures comes longer haircoats and cattle congregating in dry lots and other areas to help stay warm. Signs of lice in cattle include scratching and hair loss, which can become significant. Balding areas such as

If you have open heifers to breed that will calve at 22-24 months of age, there are things to do now to set them up for success. The old recommendation was to breed heifers at 65% of their mature body weight. For a 1450# cow – yes, that is likely the average for the Midwest (and too big in my opinion, but that is another article)– 65% of mature weight is 943#. Due to some excellent research out of Nebraska the target has been reduced to 58-60% of mature weight or 841-870#. If

Preconditioning your calves pays, no matter what their destination is; whether you are planning to sell weaned calves, retain ownership through feeding, or keep replacement stock. Weaning can be one of the most stressful times in a calf’s life and a cattleman’s year, but a small amount of planning can go a long way. Proper care and nutrition during this time can result in a lifetime of health for cattle, increased rate of gain during the weaning period, and decreased death lo

It’s warming up and grass season is upon us. Producers are almost as eager as the cows themselves for the day of pasture turnout. A...

Dystocia, or difficult birth, is a concern for every cow/calf producer during calving season. Despite following best practices such as...

Seen or Unseen I think it is no secret that our goal here at Apogee Animal Health is to be an asset to your beef business. We love what we do, and it is obvious to us that you also love the beef business. Our work will always consist of pregnancy checking cows, semen checking bulls and treating sick animals, but we get more and more questions about other areas of the beef business. One of these areas is questions about genetics. After asking about herd goals and hearing “I wa

A Business Decision Imagine that you own an agricultural business where you employ 25 full-time employees. You grow 7 different crops, have livestock, and started a retail store that is thriving. Your workers are all from the surrounding community and you have known them or their parents for many years. They depend on you and your business for their livelihood and you are proud of providing for them. Your workers put in long hours – 7am to 6pm – every day and as a bonus for t

We're excited to announce we now offer in-house blood pregnancy and Johne's tests for all ruminants, and CL and CAE/OPP tests for...

Many cattle producers and feedyard managers can attest to the challenges in securing good help on their operations. Perhaps you are one...

As we embark on another year, consider these 10 resolutions from K-State's Beef Cattle Institute to help keep your cattle and your...

Check out these articles in the Hiawatha World and Sabetha Herald about our recent JumpStart grant and new chute! Hiawatha World: Local...

Our portable chute is here! Last week Dr. Aaron picked up our new Silencer hydraulic squeeze chute with scales, and we've already put it...

We enjoyed a great turnout for our second beef producer meeting last night. While our guest speaker wasn't able to make it because of the...