What Eyes Have to do with Pounds of Beef
By Progressive Farmer
Everyone plans for a good, heavy calf come sale time. Many invest in proven genetics to get them there. But a common, infectious disease can cut those pounds significantly, along with profit margins. Most folks simply call it "pinkeye." It's not so simple though.
Gerald Stokka, North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension veterinarian, says Pinkeye, or infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), costs producers money in several ways.
"These include increased labor, the cost of antibiotics, decreased weaning weights and decreased price paid at market for animals with scarred eyes" he says.