Pasteur described an organism causing fowl cholera in 1880. In 134 years we have progressed from crude vaccines for Pasteurella, to some refined vaccines, to a name change (Mannheimia), to autogenous vaccines (back to crude). In the last 25–30 years, we have attempted to mitigate the problem of bovine respiratory disease with antimicrobials and subsequently have a high incidence of multi-drug resistance. All of these attempts have resulted in little if any improvement in morbidity/mortality. Is it time to focus on the animal's response or lack of response to infectious pressure? Instead of focusing on the 10–50% morbid cattle should we focus on the 50–90% that are not compromised and determine why they stay healthy under the same environmental conditions?

Cow–calf enterprises in the USA are widely divergent in size, locale, resource availability, management skill, and market focus. Furthermore, variation exists in dependence on the cow–calf enterprise as a primary source of income, perception about the utility of a particular management practice or technology, and assessment of cost: benefit resulting from implementation impact decisions. Enterprises with larger cow inventories, greater dependence on income from the cattle enterprise, and that retain ownership further into the supply chain beyond the cow–calf operation are more likely to institute management protocols such as vaccination programs, defined calving seasons, and reproductive technologies. Successful cow–calf managers place the highest priority on herd nutrition, pasture and range management, herd health, financial management marketing, production management, and genetics. Management practices are more likely to be adopted when they align with a manager's perception of the utility, labor availability, favorable cost: benefit outcomes and profit motivation.