Article by Dustin Petrik, Lab Director and Co-Founder, Bullseye GX
Published in Progressive Cattle, April 12, 2024
Cattle with the high-risk genotype of BCHF are 28 times more likely to develop the disease than a low-risk genotype. Early results could eliminate 30% of all heart failure. This begins with awareness, use of the tools and information that is available and management.
Travis Lutz, with his wife, Pam; and father, Jim, has been working on his family farm and ranch for more than 40 years. He is a fourth-generation owner of the operation in Dundy County, Nebraska, tucked in the corner of the state near the Kansas and Colorado borders. With 1,100 to 1,200 calves per year and a 3,000-head feedlot, it is safe to say that he has seen and experienced a lot of challenges. So in 2018, when they began to face an additional 3% to 5% deaths on top of their normal losses, it was clear that something was wrong.
The Lutz feedlot is primarily Angus, with a few reds, Charolais and crosses. With most of their animals going direct sale to Cargill, and an increasing number of farm-to-table and retail cuts, reputation in the industry means everything. After a number of days on feed, the affected animals would begin to show signs of illness. The animals were treated like respiratory disease, but there was no recovery; death would occur within 10 to 14 days later. While the exact cause of death was unknown, this was just the beginning of a more widespread issue that was being observed and studied nearby.