Catron Veterinary Services

24/01/2025

The same principles apply to lambs and kids! Please don’t swing them or hang them upside down

What should you do if a calf needs resuscitation? What is the proper calf recovery position? 🧰 We have you covered with our one-stop toolbox with helpful resources such as this calf recovery checklist at www.BeefResearch.ca/calf911.

📺Watch our video demonstrating effective calf resuscitation strategies: https://www.beefresearch.ca/blog/calf-911-new-video-demonstrates-effective-calf-resuscitation-strategies/

19/01/2025

Another great American Sheep Industry Association Annual Convention in the books! Saw some old friends, made some new friends, and even spoke on a panel about how we are using technology on the farm. If you aren’t a member of ASI or your state sheep association, I would highly encourage you to join.

17/01/2025

Excellent panel discussion on marketing lamb at American Sheep Industry Association Convention. Panelists were Four Hills Farms, Superior Farms, and Midan Marketing.

Biggest takeaways:
1️⃣ Tell your story
2️⃣ Invite consumers to try lamb
3️⃣ American lamb is healthy, sustainable, and has a quality eating experience.
4️⃣ American lamb is “10,000 miles fresher” and has “never been on a boat”

17/01/2025

Things that make you ponder… Graph showing lamb sales by region. If you consider where majority of lambs are raised and also processed (western US), there is an opportunity for producers to meet local demand in eastern states. American Sheep Industry Association

16/01/2025

Some interesting slides from ASI Convention this morning. These results are from the USDA NAHMS (National Animal Health Monitoring Systems) Study. Working with a veterinarian, record keep modality, FEC, and campylobacter were all touched on.

American Sheep Industry Association

14/01/2025

Great article and graphic of body condition scoring (BCS). A crucial activity this time of year so we don’t get caught with skinny sheep at lambing! For those that use us at scanning, we sample BCS throughout the day and help you assess what the flock looks like.

How confident are you in your Body Condition Scoring?

If you’re managing ewes through weaning, scanning, or joining, BCS is one of the most powerful tools at your disposal—quick, hands-on, and free. And, luckily for you, we have a free guide below👇.

We also have an article on our website where Darren Gordon breaks down the myths around BCS and explains how to condition score accurately, efficiently, and at the right times of year.

Learn how to prioritise feed for your most productive ewes and take the guesswork out of management decisions.



Read the full article again here 👉 https://buff.ly/402Qdgw.

11/01/2025

Here is one of our favorite tools for orphans and one we recommend clients build to make the chore of feeding them that much easier! Using this, our bottle lambs have grown better and act more like sheep than pets!

09/01/2025

We have some room on our schedule on 2/6 and 2/8 along this route. If you have been considering pregnancy scanning, starting a VCPR for medicine and vaccines, or another service we offer, don’t hesitate to reach out today!

07/01/2025

We are excited that so many commercial producers are utilizing pregnancy scanning as a way to make their operation more productive and profitable! Want to know what ways producers are using the data we give them? Reach out or give us a follow and we’ll try to share it over the next few days.

A special thank you to my wonderful wife, Sam! She joined for an 8 hour truck ride to TX to do 2200 ewes in 1.5 days. She’s my biggest cheerleader and will jump right in and do whatever needs to be done without a complaint, but the occasional request for coffee!

07/01/2025

If you listen to podcasts, look out for is on the Grazing Grass podcast! We could have talked for hours but we covered some great topics including biosecurity and our personal hair sheep flock!

🌾🎙️ New Podcast Episode Alert! 🎙️🌾

Dive into the world of hair sheep farming with our episode featuring Wyatt and Samantha Catron, we explore Paragon Ranch's strategies for breeding parasite-resistant, low-input hair sheep.

Discover:

🐑 Sheep breed selection for market demands and challenges.
🦠 Biosecurity measures to prevent disease and boost health.
📊 Efficient farm management tips, including record-keeping and using tools like the Australian auto feeder.
🧬 The role of genetics in breeding robust flocks.

Perfect for both seasoned farmers and newcomers, this episode is packed with insights to boost your operations.

03/01/2025

North of Lubbock, Texas. We made it to the hotel about 4:30 am and got around at 6:30 am. Preg scanned 1400 hd with a lot of great help! We finished earlier than we planned because everyone was worn out (us included). We’ll knock out the remaining 800 tomorrow.

31/12/2024

Rocked through a set of 520 ewe lambs this morning. Averaged 230 hd/hr even finding a few triplets! The weather was a little bitter out but the sheep cooperated fantastically!

Video of a set of twins.

30/12/2024

Wyatt was recently on the Cattlemen’s Call podcast! He joined Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, one of his mentors from Oklahoma State, to talk about rural veterinary practices. Thank you National Cattlemen's Beef Association for having us on!

Podcast Episode · Cattlemen's Call Podcast · 12/18/2024 · 44m

25/12/2024

Wyatt had too much fun with the AI generated photos on Canva. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! Enjoy some of the random content!

20/12/2024

It was so cold at one spot this morning, we had icicles from the scanning fluid! Wrapping up a 2 day trip with 990 goats and 230 ewes. It’s during times like this that I realize my good friend at For flocks sake - Sheep production services probably never has to worry about ice when he’s scanning!

17/12/2024

In Oklahoma, there are now 3 confirmed flocks with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. For farm flocks, there are fact sheets available for signs and symptoms of HPAI as well as how to prevent it and increase biosecurity.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a commercial flock in Adair County.

09/12/2024

Anthony Shepherd, one of eID Livestock founders and an experienced consultant at Sheepmatters, shares invaluable insights on maximizing Electronic Identification (EID) for better livestock management. 🐑🖥️

✅ Top tips from Anthony:
1️⃣ Know your long-term goals for your operation.
2️⃣ Start small and learn as you go.
3️⃣ Focus on traits that truly matter.
4️⃣ Use existing opportunities (like shearing) to collect data.
5️⃣ Let the data guide you—keep the performers, and cull the underperformers.

💡 As Anthony says, “It’s not about running the most sheep you can. It’s about improving productivity by focusing on the right animals.” Discover how EIDs can revolutionize your approach to breeding and farm efficiency. Read Anthony’s full article to take control of your destiny. 👉 Read the full article here - https://www.wool.com/news-events/news/control-your-own-destiny-with-eid/

Sheepmatters For flocks sake - Sheep production services Specialised Livestock Services

08/12/2024

Some great graphs and a table about the ideal ewe:ram ratio based on several factors. Another reason why you should always do a breeding soundness exam: what happens if your dominant buck/ram is sterile or has poor fertility?

Did you catch last week's article on optimising ram performance for better breeding results? 🐏 From managing the right ram-to-ewe ratios to ensuring your rams are in peak condition, small changes can make a big impact. Learn how to get the most out of your breeding season by reading the full article now!
https://buff.ly/3ZnPBmN