Minimizing stress on calves arriving in the feedyard can offer multiple benefits, potentially including reducing sickness and improving feeding margins. Iowa State University Extension veterinarian Grant Dewell, DVM, MS, PhD, discussed those advantages while presenting results of a recent ISU feeding trial to the Academy of Veterinary Consultants in August. The researchers shipped 136 freshly weaned calves from western Nebraska to an Iowa feedlot and randomly sorted them into four pen groups. Two of the groups received a conventional regimen the day after arrival. They were processed through a solid-sided alley and tub, receiving ear tags, vaccinations and implants, and moved to their home pens. The other two groups were allowed to acclimate for two days prior to processing, with caretakers working them using low-stress methods. They were processed the third day using a “Bud Box” corral and open-sided alley. They received the same treatments — ear tags, vaccinations and implants — as the conventional group. Crew members continued to work the calves in their pens using low-stress techniques for four days following processing. Over the feeding period, 18.8 percent of the conventional group required treatment for respiratory disease, compared with 7.4 percent for the low-stress group. Average daily gains were slightly higher for the low-stress group, and their hot-carcass weights averaged 757 pounds compared with 728 pounds for the conventional group. Visual observations of the cattle indicated the low-stress groups spent more time loafing near the feedbunks rather than milling around. Dewell acknowledged the study’s small size, and other issues suggest need for further study.