Dr Austin delves into the importance of implementing a regular vaccination programme for livestock animals. He explains that cattle farmers should consider a closed breeding season as opposed to an open breeding season. In addition, Austin elaborates on the increased profitability of implementing an optimised vaccine programme. “A structured vaccination programme with appropriate benchmarks and measurable will allow you to track how many cows have fallen pregnant, how many losses you have incurred during a breeding season, and so on. Tracking this can give you vital information about the techniques you used, help you to get as many cows pregnant as possible, and convert these pregnancies into full-term births. You can then always strive to maintain these benchmarks or keep improving them,” says Dr Austin. Austin concludes by saying that if farmers are seeking assistance with a structured approach for your vaccination programme, it may be best to seek the appropriate information from a reputable source. He also encourages farmers who want to learn more about the Farm to Fork initiative to speak to their local veterinarian to find out if they are participating.

OFM News/Lee Simmons