Cattle Chat Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Drones, Tariffs, Rotating Ionophores
Date: June 6, 2025
Host: Dr. Brad White (A)
Panelists: Dr. Bob (B), Dr. Philip (C), Dr. Dustin (E)
Special Guest: Dr. Haley Larson (D), Assistant Professor of Animal Nutrition and Health, K-State Olathe

Episode Overview

This episode explores cutting-edge research and practical implications for the beef industry, focusing on three main topics:

• Using drones and AI for feedlot and pasture management (with insights from Dr. Haley Larson's latest work)
• The impact of tariffs on bovine veterinary products and producer margins
• The science and potential benefits of rotating ionophore feed additives to improve cattle performance and sustainability

Throughout the conversation, the hosts and Dr. Larson balance scientific detail with practical advice for ranchers, consultants, veterinarians, and extension professionals.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Dr. Haley Larson: Background and Research Focus

[00:33 – 01:57]

• Dr. Larson explains her role bridging industry and academia in ruminant nutrition, based at K-State Olathe in the Kansas City metro area.
• Notable for leveraging new technology in feedlot management, particularly drones and AI.

2. Drones and Camera Technology in Feedlot & Pasture Management

[04:09 – 11:57]

Overview of Feedlot Drone Research

• Dr. Larson describes partnering with K-State Salina's aviation research center to use drones in feedlots:
  • Goal: Go beyond basic cattle inventory and explore environmental monitoring for pen management, focusing on heat stress, manure output, and moisture detection.
  • Approach: Use drones to capture hundreds of thermal images, creating detailed environmental maps.

Quote:
“Thermal imaging and moisture are very highly correlated. So it's a great predictive tool... I think one of the biggest misnomers with drones is a lot of folks think you send your drone up and it takes one image of that pen. Actually, it's a series of hundreds of images... that then have to be recombined back together.” – Dr. Haley Larson [05:07]

Key Findings and Practical Applications

• Drones can detect:
  • Moisture and dust levels in pens, allowing for targeted pen maintenance and dust management.
  • Water leaks—helpful for large feedlots where daily checks are hard.
  • Cattle behavioral patterns: thermal imaging revealed cattle congregate in cooler microclimates, such as along pen perimeters during heat.

Quote:
“We know cattle are the masters of their environment... they know everything about that pen. We don't always know everything about that pen.” – Dr. Haley Larson [07:13]

Expansion to Pasture Settings

• Drones used to estimate biomass depletion in winter wheat grazing trials—challenging due to pasture size and flight limits with recreational licensing.
• Commercial tools exist for tasks like cattle counting, but widespread use for environmental monitoring is emerging.

Future Potential

• Integrating AI with drone imagery could one day automate biomass estimation and provide real-time management advice at the ranch level.
• Drones may enable producers to build year-to-year forage databases, streamlining grazing management.
• Use of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) for estimating forage biomass noted as an emerging application.

Quote:
“With the drone, it actually sounds kind of fun.” – Dr. Brad White [11:38]

3. Tariffs and Their Effects on Animal Health Products

[11:57 – 17:00]

Broader Economic Context

• Dustin describes how tariffs (government-imposed taxes on imports) can lead to retaliatory actions from trade partners.
• Key impact for beef producers: Potential reduction in export demand, leading to lower prices for calves and beef.

Quote:
“If we impose a tariff on some country and then they turn around and impose a retaliatory tariff, let’s say, on our beef, well then the demand for our exports will go down, which then could ultimately lead to a downward pressure in prices.” – Dr. Dustin [12:31]

Direct Impacts on Veterinary Medicine

• Many animal health products (e.g., vaccines, antibiotics, vitamins, amino acids) are imported from countries like China, India, or Brazil.
• Tariffs on these goods can increase costs for U.S. vets and producers, potentially leading to:
  • Reduced use of preventive care (fewer or delayed vaccinations)
  • Short-term supply chain disruptions

Quote:
“You cut preventative care... vaccines might be a place that you delay or maybe cut altogether.” – Dr. Dustin [13:36]

Perspective on Costs

• Animal health products comprise a small portion of total annual cow costs (approx. $30–$50 per year out of $700–$1000 total). However, tight margins can push producers to reduce preventive spending.

Quote:
“A percent, a few percent increase in animal health cost is not going to overall change your bottom line... but if margins are really tight, you may cut some costs.” – Dr. Brad White [15:28 & 15:49]

Role of Extension and Vets

• Importance of extension and veterinarians in educating producers about the high ROI of preventive health spending despite rising input costs.

4. Rotating Ionophores: Research and Rumen Microbiology

[17:05 – 24:05]

What Are Ionophores?

• Ionophores (e.g., monensin, laidlomycin, lasalocid): Feed additives—not used in human medicine—that alter rumen microbial populations, improving feed efficiency and helping prevent coccidiosis.
• U.S. regulations require “continuous feeding” (minimum 14 days per ionophore).

Research Question

• Dr. Larson’s research: Does rotating between ionophores (vs. just feeding monensin) enhance cattle growth and efficiency?
  • Conducted in commercial feedlot, rotating monensin and laidlomycin in 28-day intervals for 112 days (heifers on limit-fed growing rations).

Key Findings

• Rotational group outperformed the monensin-only group:
  • 8.6% improvement in average daily gain (ADG)
  • No statistical or numerical difference in feed intake (due to limit feeding)
  • Rotating ionophores could provide synergistic shifts in rumen fermentation, as hypothesized.

Quote:
“We found that those heifers that were on the rotation had an 8.6% improvement in gain over their monensin-only counterparts.” – Dr. Haley Larson [21:53]

Environmental/ Sustainability Angle

• Initial greenhouse gas data: Methane emissions increased in the rotational group, underlining the complex impacts of different fermentation pathways.
• Methane reduction via monensin and shifts in fermentation patterns are still under analysis.

Quote:
“...There was an increased methane emission from the rotational group compared to the monensin-only group. But that's somewhat expected too...these are different molecules, they work differently on the rumen.” – Dr. Haley Larson [23:10]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Cattle and Microenvironments:
  “They found it and they know it... you're telling me a whole lot more about your environment than I knew when I walked in.” – Dr. Haley Larson [08:12]

• On Technology:
  “The cool thing about the drones is you don't have to touch the animals. Yeah, you can go over, fly over. You're very indirect...” – Dr. Brad White [06:24]

• On Animal Health Expenditures:
  “What we spend on animal health is very small relative to the total cost... feed, pasture, depreciation are your larger expenses.” – Dr. Dustin [15:13]

• On Regulatory Caution:
  “Rotating ionophores in Canada is...common, but they have different regulations. In the US, all ionophores are labeled for continuous feeding—definition: 14 days.” – Dr. Haley Larson [20:03]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:33–01:57] – Meet Dr. Haley Larson: academic and research experience
• [04:09–11:57] – Drones for feedlot and pasture management: technology, findings, and future
• [11:57–17:00] – Tariffs: Economics, veterinary products, producer margins
• [17:05–24:05] – Rotating ionophores: study design, results, microbial implications

Concluding Remarks

Dr. Haley Larson’s research exemplifies how traditional animal health strategies and advanced technologies intersect to push the beef industry forward. The roundtable underscores both the practical utility of drones for daily management and the nuanced economic pressures producers face in a globalized market. The segment on ionophore rotation points to new frontiers in balancing productivity and sustainability in feedlot operations.

For further information, listeners can contact the team at bci@ksu.edu.