Health Management of Newly-Arrived Beef Cattle into a
Backgrounding/Stocker Operation E.J. Richey & D.L. Prichard2
University of Florida Backgrounding (a stocker operation)
describes a management system where recently weaned calves or
yearling cattle are grazed for a period of time before they are
placed in the feed yard. After they reach a desired size, or at
the end of the “grazing” season, they are sorted into uniform
loads or pen-size lots and placed in a feedlot. Sounds rather
simple, but in reality, the successful management of a
backgrounding operation can be rather complex. Backgrounding is
a part of the cattle industry that most cow/calf operators and
veterinarians are not comfortable with, especially when dealing
with the problems of health management in backgrounding cattle.
Ethanol’s uncertain future —Studies begin to question
sustainability of the ethanol industry. Western Livestock
Journal The ethanol industry, the focus of much attention after
corn prices skyrocketed last year, has been experie