September 2026 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN 13 less time pacing pens and standing idle while spending more time lying down, eating and drinking. “If we wean our calves, we want them to go to the feed bunk and eat and go to the water trough and drink,” Bicalho says. “Those are the two things that every cattleman knows are associated with health.” Those behavioral changes have been accompanied by encouraging health results in larger commercial studies. In one recent feedlot trial involving nearly 1,600 calves, researchers observed substantially lower rates of bovine respiratory disease, mortality and removals among treated cattle compared to untreated cattle. A Nebraska Perspective While several previous studies have focused on higher risk calves in other regions of the country, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) researchers wanted to evaluate the technology under Nebraska conditions. Galen Erickson, Ph.D., UNL cattle industry professor of animal science, says the study intentionally looked at a different type of animal than many previous trials. “This was a commercial study,” Erickson says. “These were big yearlings, so not real high-stress cattle. I think it’s important to have different types of cattle from different regions included.” The Nebraska study found only modest differences in overall performance, but researchers did observe a small improvement in hot carcass weight along with a tendency toward improved feed efficiency. According to Erickson, those findings resulted from small numerical differences in both feed intake and gain rather than dramatic changes in either measurement individually. “They’re not huge differences,” Erickson says. “But these are the types of biological data you need when deciding whether a technology is economical to use.” Perhaps most surprising, Erickson says he had not expected to observe a measurable response in such low-stress cattle. “I didn’t expect it to have any response with these lowstress, big yearlings,” he says. “Having an efficiency response that I think is repeatable was a bit of a surprise.” Matching the Tool to the Situation Although the Nebraska results were more modest than some previous studies, Erickson cautions against comparing individual studies too closely. Different research projects involve different cattle, environments and stress levels. Just as other well-established technologies produce varying responses from study to study, he says researchers rely on multiple trials across different production systems to understand average performance. “Some studies are going to be smaller responses and some are going to be larger responses,” Erickson says. “When you average them together, you have a really good idea of whether it will work for you or not.” Based on the available research, Erickson believes the greatest opportunity for mBAS is likely during higher stress events. “I think it’s got more of a place in high-stress situations,” he says. “The highest priority use would probably be newly received calves around weaning time.” Bicalho agrees that weaning remains one of the most valuable opportunities to use the technology. “Weaning is always going to be stressful,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what management system you’re using. Just removing the offspring from the mother is, by itself, a scientific model of stress.” Research Continues While researchers have learned considerably more about how mBAS influences calf behavior and performance, both experts agree that continued research remains valuable. For Bicalho, the recent studies have strengthened confidence in the effectiveness of FerAppease across multiple applications in the beef industry. Erickson, meanwhile, believes future work will help determine the best timing for application and further define where producers can expect the greatest return. “I think more research is certainly needed, particularly to better understand responses under different management situations and to identify the best opportunities for using the technology,” Erickson says. For producers, the message is a practical one. Weaning stress cannot be eliminated, but it can be managed. As research continues across different cattle types and production systems, mBAS is emerging as another management tool that producers can evaluate alongside sound nutrition, vaccination programs and low-stress handling practices to help calves make one of the most difficult transitions of their lives. ~NC~
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