Pipestone Veterinary Services News

Midwest Sale at Sedalia was a tremendous success again this year. I believe a $1.8 million sale, similar to last year’s number but less sheep resulting in a higher average. The wether thing gets a bit crazy, similar to Suffolks years back. Katahdins had the largest number of breeding sheep...

By: Dr. Larry Goelz Last week, I had a client text me a photo of a necropsy on a lamb which died unexpectedly.  It had characteristic yellow discoloration to the fat…a classic sign of copper toxicity. I immediately called the client, an experienced shepherd, and we discussed the likelihood of copper...

Helpful Terminology! Boars: Intact male pigs V-Boars: Intact male pigs that have undergone a vasectomy procedure. They act like an intact male but aren’t able to father their own litters. Kraft and his buddy Duke before a day of hard work on the farm. The hardest working pigs on a...

So far, 2015 has proven to be a fairly mild year for PEDv infection compared to the devastation that hit in 2014.  Nonetheless, it is a concerning virus for pork producers and continued focus for Pipestone Applied Research (PAR).  In 2014, PAR proved that contaminated feed could serve as a...

The Sioux Empire Fair celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2014, but it was a new exhibit — and the newborn animals inside it — that caught the attention of thousands of fairgoers. The Pipestone Discovery Barn opened its doors during the 2014 fair to share with visitors the story of animal...

By Dr. Brett Kroeze Every year there is the question of when should I or should I pull out the bull away from the cows.  A lot of this decision depends on how long of calving season you want next spring and how drawn out your calving season was this...

A Minnesota dairy farm family is using leading edge technologies to improve the genetics of their dairy herd. Brad Nosbush and his brothers David and Leroy own and operate Nosbush Dairy near Fairfax, Minnesota.  Their father started milking cows at the farm in 1955 and the sons formed a family partnership in...

By Dr. Curt Vlietstra Risk management is nothing new to livestock producers.  Whether your primary business involves raising beef cattle, selling milk, or raising replacement animals for your clients… many of your decisions are based on managing risks.  Think about it: If you knew that the top bull at a...

There is no doubt that Avian Influenza (AI) has been a devastation to the poultry industry, just as PEDv was to the swine industry eighteen months ago.  The mortality rate for AI stands at 100%, and as of May 26th, 2015, 41,034,973 birds have died or been euthanized as a...

County fair, and livestock show season is underway.  These are great events that celebrate agriculture and our rural communities.  We at Pipestone encourage everyone to attend and support these events. The presence of swine at these events poses a biosecurity risk for all of us that work on and visit...