Spring roundups are happening! This is the time of year when cattle owners gather their livestock, take stock of their herd health, sort through cows and work calves. There are several actions that typically take place during these workings; including vaccinating, branding, castrating and tagging. Vaccinating calves and cattle is an important part to any ranching operation. It helps to keep them healthy and safeguard against diseases that could potentially lead to death. While buying the vaccine and actually giving it to the animal is imperative, there are other factors that need to be taken into consideration to ensure that the animals really will get their protection. The way in which the vaccine is handled is imperative to the success rate of it. Improper handling will decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine, leading to potentially costly losses. If the vaccine has specifications for storage temperatures make sure to follow them; when out working cattle utilize an ice chest with cool packs to keep vaccine cool if the guidelines indicate that medicine needs to be refrigerated. Change needles regularly, using the same needle throughout the whole day can spread diseases and cause big problems throughout your herd. It is also important to disinfect castration tools in between uses, using alcohol of another such disinfectant will help curb the spread of diseases throughout the calf crop. Branding is another aspect of spring workings that is imperative in our area of the country where you may not see your cattle every day. Cattle theft is a serious problem, but having a registered brand on cattle can help to trace stolen cattle back to the rightful owners. All in all there may be a lot happening during roundup time, but taking steps to ensure the health and safety of your cattle can result in larger paychecks, better herds, and less problems down the road!