Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts

AABP

Have You Herd? is brought to you by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, an international association of cattle veterinarians and veterinary students dedicated to the health, productivity and welfare of cattle.

  1. 2D AGO

    Epi. 286 – The Veterinarian’s Role in Calf Consultation Programs

    AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Jon Richardson, associate veterinarian overseeing the professional services team at CalfCare in Manchester, Ind. He graduated from Purdue University in 2021. His professional work is focused on dairy-sourced calves and providing services to these operations.   We start by discussing the differences between an audit and a calf progress evaluation program to improve client satisfaction and compliance with these services. Richardson walks through each part of his progress evaluation and what he provides to his clients. Steps of the evaluation can include housing, bedding, ventilation, weaning, flies, body condition scoring, feeding, water, sanitation, inventory and health records.   Each step of the progress evaluation can include the use of tools to make quantitative assessments as well as general observations that can assist the client and management team with improving calf health and performance. Richardson also discusses the importance of utilizing veterinary technicians for making the collection of data for the assessment to improve practice efficiency.    Richardson gave a presentation at the 2026 AABP Recent Grad Conference and the recording of this presentation is available on the AABP Online CE Portal. Gingrich discusses the AABP Guidelines for Credentialed Veterinary Technicians in Bovine Practice which are now open for member comment period through April 17.    References: A.R. Wolfe, P. Rezamand, B.C. Agustinho, D.E. Konetchy, A.H. Laarman, Effects of weaning strategies on health, hematology, and productivity in Holstein dairy calves, Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 106, Issue 10, 2023, https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-22738    Recommendations for Calf and Heifer Housing Dimensions for Holsteins Summary of design suggestions for planning calf and heifer housing systems for Holstein dairy cattle; a starting point for the design process.

    58 min

  2. MAR 23

    Epi. 285 – AABP Continuing Education Events for 2026

    AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich discusses upcoming CE events for 2026. The mission of AABP is to provide support, continuing education, and advocacy for current and future veterinary professionals and the cattle they serve. Our primary mission when the organization was founded in 1965 was to provide continuing education for cattle veterinarians and this remains our priority today. AABP also is involved with advocacy and supporting the initiatives of the AABP Foundation, but this does not take away from our CE mission. In 2025, we had 26 RACE-approved live and recorded CE events and we will have even more for our members in 2026!   All CE opportunities can be found on the Continuing Education menu of the AABP website. Currently there are nine webinars scheduled that are RACE-approved for 1 hour of CE. Webinars can be found here. Gingrich also discusses AABP seminars which are small group meetings with a specific CE topic. We have four seminars scheduled for 2026 outside of our conferences which can be found here. The seminars include: Dairy Replacement Heifer Calf Seminar Birth to Weaning – May 1-2, Ashland, Ohio Feedlot Medicine Seminar – June 12-13, Montezuma, Kan. Cow-Calf Consulting Seminar – July 8-10, Crossfield, Alberta, Canada Edwin Robertson Beginning ET Seminar – August 3-5, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Va.   Gingrich also announces two upcoming conferences. The first AABP Virtual Conference will be on Emerging and Evolving Diseases June 24-25 with 11 hours of CE available. The conference will be virtual and open to current AABP members. The 59th AABP Annual Conference will be in Minneapolis, Minn. August 27-29. The conference theme is “Developing Practices of Excellence” and will feature dairy-beef sessions, general sessions, clinical skills, practice management, research summaries, student case presentations, mixed animal, dairy, beef and student sessions. We will also offer six preconference seminars on August 25-26. New this year will be the opportunity for AABP members to purchase a virtual option to expand the conference to those who may be unable to attend in-person. Registration for both the virtual and annual conference will open the second week of April.   Gingrich also reminds listeners that all webinars and conference sessions are recorded and available as a free member benefit. CE certificates from recorded sessions are stored in the BCI CE portal and live CE certificates can be found by hovering over your name after logging in to the AABP website and selecting My CE Certificates from the drop-down menu.   If you are not an AABP member, we welcome you to join us to not only take advantage of these many CE opportunities, but also to support the advocacy efforts of AABP for all cattle veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary students. Join us by going to this link.

    43 min

  3. MAR 16

    Epi. 284 – Staying Sane in the Truck – Hacks to Improve Mental Health on the Go

    AABP District 1 Director Dr. Liz Brock is the guest host for this episode of the Have You Herd? podcast today. Guests for this episode are AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich, Dr. Earl Brady, owner of Cold Hollow Veterinary Services in Vermont, and Dr. Jennifer Kauf, owner of Legacy Livestock Veterinary Service in Pennsylvania. This episode of Have You Herd? is developed by the AABP Mental Health and Well-Being Committee.   Our guests provide tips they utilize for staying sane in the veterinary truck. We all recognize that busy bovine practitioners often face stressful situations every day that are unavoidable in many circumstances. Each guest discusses how stress and burnout has presented itself to us in practice and how we addressed it. We also discuss the strategies we employ to regularly keep up on our mental health.    It is also important for clients to understand the stresses and mental health challenges that their veterinarian may be experiencing. We talk about how to discuss this with clients, set boundaries while providing good services and care, and providing the space needed to not be a veterinarian during specific times.    If you are interested in this topic, please consider joining the AABP Mental Health and Well-being Committee. We also encourage members to join our every-other-Wednesday peer discussion group. The information to join this one-hour virtual discussion group to share and support each other is found here.

    46 min

  4. MAR 9

    Epi. 283 – Parasite Resistance and Sustainable Parasite Management – Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

    AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Christine Navarre, Extension Veterinarian at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and Dr. D.L. Step, Senior Professional Services Veterinarian for Cattle and Boehringer Ingelheim. Parasite resistance is increasingly documented in U.S. beef herds and is influenced by product use and management decisions. In this episode, we explore what veterinarians are seeing in the field, how resistance develops and the role diagnostics, refugia, combination treatment and integrated herd and pasture management play in preserving long-term dewormer effectiveness.   Veterinarians play a key role in assisting producers in managing resistance to parasites through effective treatment and diagnostic programs. Some strategies that have historically been used contribute to parasite resistance. Veterinarians can ask key questions to clients to mitigate this resistance pressure and provide guidance on effectively using the products not only to minimize resistance patterns, but also to ensure that cattle health and productivity are not being negatively impacted by parasites.    For more information about sustainable parasite management options, visit this link.

    35 min

  5. MAR 2

    Epi. 282 – Assisting Your Beef Producers with Bull Selection

    AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by current AABP President-Elect Dr. Mark Hilton to talk about opportunities for beef cow-calf veterinarians to assist their clients with bull selection. Hilton emphasizes that the number one conversation starter for offering consultative services is to ask questions and listen to your clients.   The first question is to ask your clients what are their goals? Veterinarians can assist producers, but having the client outline their goals is a way for the veterinarian to develop the programs to achieve those goals. The next question to ask is “would you like help with that?” Your clients may not be aware of your expertise on a topic which can be delivered in an unbiased manner to help the producer achieve their goals.   When selecting a bull, the veterinarian should also help the producer identify disease risk. Asking the seller if you can discuss the herd with their veterinarian is a good way to identify any disease risks to the purchaser. The veterinarian can also ask specific questions about what they want to accomplish with their bull purchase. This can include identifying if the bull will be used in heifers or cows to identify where you want to rank calving ease of the bull. The bull should also optimize heterosis for the cow herd. Incorporating cross breeding has a potential value of $400 per cow due to increased longevity, increased pregnancy rate and increased weaning weights. The veterinarian should also evaluate if the herd is retaining heifers and ask how they market calves.   Hilton reviews the EPDs and selection indices that he ranks as important for bull selection. When looking at the calving ease differential EPD for bulls used in heifers, this trait is 9 times more accurate than actual birth weight of the bull, which can be influenced by other factors. It is also important to understand the breed differences in EPDs and to review EPDs and selection indices by breed.   Veterinarians can play a key role in working with their clients on achieving their goals and how bull selection plays a part in that process. Hilton also mentions the AABP Cow-Calf Consulting Seminar which will be held in Alberta, Canada July 8-10, 2026. Registration is open and limited to 12 attendees. Bull selection and genetics will be one component of this seminar which will provide practical information on the pillars of beef cow-calf consulting practice. For more information on this seminar and to register, go to this link. The seminar is also held during the Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Races and is close to the world-renowned Banff National Park for entertainment options while you are in the area.

    43 min

  6. FEB 23

    Epi. 281 – The Role of Copper in Ruminant Nutrition - Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

    AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Bob Van Saun, professor and extension veterinarian at Penn State University. He is also a member of the AABP Nutrition Committee. If you are interested in beef or dairy nutrition, consider joining the committee by visiting this page.    This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) Line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.   Van Saun begins by reviewing the important biologic role of copper for ruminants and why it is a critical mineral for ruminants. We also discuss some clinical diseases or conditions where a veterinarian may be triggered to look at a copper deficiency. This includes bleaching of the haircoat (achromotrichia), anemia, reproductive performance, growth, and disease consequences due to the role copper plays in innate and humoral immunity. Some of these syndromes may be clinically apparent, but a large portion may be subclinical, and the practitioner should evaluate the entirety of the mineral program to evaluate.    Van Saun discusses the interplay between copper and other minerals and how this interaction can affect copper metabolism. We also discuss general guidelines copper in ruminants and diagnostic procedures for evaluating copper metabolism in a herd.    Due to the impacts of copper on many production and disease issues in ruminants, veterinarians play a critical role in evaluating herds for copper deficiencies by performing a diagnostic work-up and evaluating potential interventions.

    49 min

  7. FEB 16

    Epi. 280 – Beef Calf Colostrum Management and Replacement Strategies – Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

    AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich discusses colostrum management programs with Dr. Lisa Gamsjäger, Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University.    This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.   According to research studies, approximately 30% of beef calves have failure of passive transfer and are below 10 g/L of IgG. These calves are 8x more likely to have a disease and 19x more likely to experience mortality. There may be some fundamental differences in colostrum for beef calves, and management strategies between the two production systems are vastly different which can present unique challenges for beef producers. Veterinarians are in a unique position to provide consultation to their beef clients to be prepared to intervene with assistance and/or providing a colostrum replacement product.   We discuss a study that examined various feeding protocols of colostrum replacer and its impacts on passive transfer, morbidity, mortality and average daily gains. We also discuss areas for future research on beef calf colostrum management and replacement products. Veterinarians should prepare their clients for the upcoming calving season to ensure that calves receive appropriate passive transfer of immunity by proactively discussing these strategies.   References: Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Windeyer MC. Impact of volume, immunoglobulin G concentration, and feeding method of colostrum product on neonatal nursing behavior and transfer of passive immunity in beef calves. Animal 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2021.100345   Mitman SL, Jenkins H, Chamorro MF, Mzyk DA, Foster DM, Gamsjäger L. Impact of 3 colostrum replacement strategies on immunoglobulin G absorption efficiency, passive immunity, health, and growth in beef calves. J Am Vet Med Assoc. July 2025. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.25.03.0139   Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Campbell J, Windeyer MC. Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 1: Risk factors. Prev Vet Med. November 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106026   Gamsjäger L, Haines DM, Pajor EA, Lévy M, Campbell J, Windeyer MC. Total and pathogen-specific serum Immunoglobulin G concentrations in neonatal beef calves, Part 2: Associations with health and growth. Prev Vet Med. November 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105993

    35 min

  8. FEB 9

    Epi. 279 – The Veterinarian’s Role in Semen Strategies for Herd Replacement and Beef-on-dairy Decisions – Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim

    AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich discusses how veterinarians can get involved with semen selection strategies for their clients. Guests for this episode include Dr. Julie Adamchick, post-doctoral candidate at Cornell University and AABP liaison to the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST), Dr. Daryl Nydam, Professor of Dairy Production and Health Management at Cornell University and incoming AABP Vice-President, and Dr. Michael Capel, Perry Veterinary Clinic and Past-President of AABP.   This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the PYRAMID(R) line of vaccines, a premier choice to protect calves from BRD. Get relentless protection at PyramidVaccines.com.   Advances in youngstock management and reproduction programs has provided an opportunity for dairy producers to utilize gender-selected semen to maintain the correct number of replacement heifers while taking advantage of the increased revenue from the sale of beef-on-dairy calves. Producers should develop a strategy with their dairy clients to plan three years in advance for the number of replacement heifers the herd will require. The veterinarian can play a role in not only assisting with implementation of these programs, but also monitoring reproductive performance and semen selection strategy monitoring to ensure success. The value that is added from maximizing beef-on-dairy calves produced can be equivalent to $2-$3 per cwt of milk. Our guests also provide tips for avoiding pitfalls and what to discuss with clients during the implementation and monitoring phase of this program.    Cornell University has developed a tool to assist veterinarians in consulting with clients on use of gender-selected and beef semen in their herds. You can find Semen Solver 2.0 at this link.    If you have feedback about the tool, please contact Dr. Julie Adamchick at jms349@cornell.edu.

    37 min
See All (278)

Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

Have You Herd? is brought to you by the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, an international association of cattle veterinarians and veterinary students dedicated to the health, productivity and welfare of cattle.

Information

  • Creator
    AABP
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    278
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts
  • Show Website
    Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts

You Might Also Like