Bovine Respiratory Disease Studied

Kansas State University scientists are using a $375,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to discover ways to manage bovine respiratory disease.

The researchers said bovine respiratory disease complex has multiple causes, both viral and bacterial, making it sometimes hard to classify and predict. It also costs the beef industry more than any other disease — an estimated $690 million during 2006.

The three-year Agriculture Department grant is being used to analyze data from feedlots to develop decision-making tools that will make it easier for producers to manage the health of their cattle.

The research team led by Assistant Professors David Renter and Brad White is using existing data while working toward several objectives, including developing a system to classify distributions of disease events within feedlot pens. They also are working toward generating estimates of what effect certain risk factors have on the multifaceted bovine respiratory disease complex.

Renter said the research is important in that the team is looking at data from multiple sources and will share their tools with people in the industry.