The Oklahoma High quality Beef Community (OQBN) Vac-45 Program is a beef calf preconditioning program applied by Oklahoma State College Extension in partnership with the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Affiliation, with the objective of offering a value-added advertising and marketing alternative for cow-calf producers. For calves to turn into OQBN Vac-45 licensed, they should be weaned for no less than 45 days and obtain two rounds of vaccinations (preliminary vaccination and booster) towards pathogens liable for bovine respiratory illness (BRD) and clostridial micro organism that trigger blackleg. Viral pathogens liable for respiratory an infection embrace infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVD), parainfluenza virus kind 3 (PI3), and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV). It’s also essential to vaccinate towards the widespread respiratory bacterial pathogen Mannhemia haemolytica, which is an opportunistic colonizer of the decrease respiratory tract, typically inflicting calf morbidity and mortality following a major viral an infection.
Along with being weaned and vaccinated, calves should be bunk broke, castrated, and dehorned earlier than the date of sale, and deworming is really helpful. Oklahoma State Extension Brokers confirm that calves have met program necessities. As soon as verified, calves obtain OQBN Vac-45 Certification and will take part in OQBN Vac-45 Program-sanctioned gross sales, happening at varied Oklahoma livestock public sale services.
Every year sale information is collected by extension professionals for calves taking part within the OQBN Vac-45 program, different preconditioning packages, and calves not taking part in a branded preconditioning program. This sale information is beneficial in figuring out and evaluating present market tendencies and beef calf traits. Eleven years of OQBN sale information (2011-2021) had been not too long ago analyzed. Information was collected at 91 particular person livestock gross sales, which happened at 10 Oklahoma livestock services, with a median of 8 gross sales performed every year. A complete of 149,525 calves had been described utilizing 42 market traits for 12 market traits (the variety of assigned traits relied on the given trait).
There was a rise within the share of pink calves bought over time, rising from roughly 2% of whole gross sales in 2011, to roughly 12% of whole gross sales in 2021. Nevertheless, black-hided calves proceed to dominate the market and accounted for about 68% of whole gross sales in 2021.
Sale information indicated a lower within the sale of over-conditioned “fleshy” or “fats” calves, with a rise within the sale of calves in “common” physique situation, over time. Fleshy calves obtain market reductions for exhibiting extra physique situation. The lower within the sale of fleshy calves is proof of improved calf dietary administration.
This information additionally exhibits there have been will increase within the share of calves promoting as weaned and vaccinated, that weren’t a part of a selected preconditioning program, regardless that there seems to be worth in taking part in some type of preconditioning program.
From 2011 to 2021 calves enrolled within the OQBN Vac-45 Program acquired a median premium of $12.55/cwt in comparison with non-preconditioned calves bought in the identical gross sales. To this point this yr, preconditioned calf gross sales have began out with appreciable premiums over non-preconditioned cattle. The primary preconditioned calf gross sales in Oklahoma for the autumn of 2022 have preliminary weighted common premiums of over $15/cwt.
Supply: Oklahoma State College
