Livestock handling continues to evolve. Handling animals without stressing them is still one of the biggest challenges livestock producers face. Several new chute and animal-handling systems were among the products Farm Progress editors uncovered at recent farm shows. Source: Beef, November 28, 2017. The last decade has brought a move forward in understanding how animals … [Read more...]
Low stress handling yields benefits
Stockmanship practices are important to prevent physical defects such as bruising and stress-related injuries on beef tenderness and grade. These practices also influence public perceptions, as consumers increasingly expect producers adhere to animal-welfare standards as a necessary component in their perception of beef quality. Source: Drovers, November/December 2017, page … [Read more...]
Calving starts in fewer than 50 days
March 1 is often a target calving date. The third trimester is a critical time for beef cows who are not only growing a calf, but also trying to maintain their own condition, in spite of cold weather. Sandy Johnson shares insights into the critical third trimester. Source: Drovers, November 9, 2017. Producers need to take note of the start of the third trimester because … [Read more...]
Hoof lesions require forethought, prevention in dairies
About 25 percent of cows suffer from lameness, largely because of hoof lesions caused by digital dermatitis, sole ulcers or white line disease. Dr. Nigel Cook of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine discussed methods to correct the conditions that lead to hoof lesions, as well as claw corkscrew deformity during a webinar for dairy … [Read more...]
Women transform dairy farm management in western Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin-River Falls offers a two-year associate’s degree program in animal science management. The male-female ratio has changed noticeably over the last few years with female students dominating the numbers. Farmers are noticing, and benefiting from, the special connection many female workers develop with livestock. Source: Pioneer Press, December 15, … [Read more...]
Stay ahead of Coccidiosis in calves
Coccidia, a parasitic protozoa that colonizes in the intestinal tract of cattle, is one of the “biggies” of pathogens that cause scours in pre- and post-weaned calves. Eggs are produced internally and pass into the environment via shedding in manure. Nearly all animals on dairies will eventually be exposed to coccidia. Source: Dairy Herd Management, December 7, 2017. If the … [Read more...]
Opinion – South Dakota cows grow human antibodies
Thank God for scientists who continue to work toward solutions instead of kowtowing to popular consumer trends. I wonder what the GMO-free folks will do when offered a non-antibiotic treatment grown from a GMO cloned cow with human DNA. Source: Drovers, November 1, 2017. SAB Biotherapeutics, based in Sioux Falls, uses cloned cattle with certain human DNA. The cows are … [Read more...]
Make winter calf care a priority
Don’t let calf care take a back seat, writes Karen Anderson. Her article addresses feeding and housing concerns for those who raise pre-wean calves during winter. Just because animal health pros have been through these considerations many times is no excuse for avoiding the topic during farm visits. A key point Anderson makes is to consider each calf individually. Her tips … [Read more...]
Beef Quality Assurance launches new transportation program
“The BQA Transportation (BQAT) training and certification program has been a long time coming,” said Chase DeCoite, director of BQA for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. “By educating cattle haulers and producers on the best practices in cattle transportation, BQA is helping make improvements in cattle care and beef quality.” Source: Beef, November 16, 2017. Online … [Read more...]
Dairymen discuss hard-to-breed cows
All six of this year’s Platinum winners of the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council’s awards share insights on cows they they have problems breeding. Their comments on culling decisions will interest to dairymen and dairy veterinarians. Source: Hoard’s Dairyman, November 13, 2017. This article is part of a nine-part series detailing top reproduction tips from the Platinum … [Read more...]
10 things to double-check on facilities before working cattle
Every large animal veterinarian has at least one story about arriving at a client’s location to work cattle only to find out the client had not prepared. So, here’s a great list for DVMs to send to clients before making those time- consuming farm calls. Make sure your alleyway is the proper width so that cattle can’t turn around. Have your working facilities set up in a … [Read more...]
New video series promotes understanding of dairy management systems
A series of six new videos from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach have been created to help beginning dairy farmers learn about different types of dairy operations and management systems. Each video features a dairy farmer who discusses the different aspects of their operation. We agree these videos will also help generational succession changes required as older … [Read more...]
DVM posts dairy bull calf care tips on social media (includes videos)
Kudos to veterinarian Marissa Hake for using social media to share how to keep male dairy calves on a successful path of health. The series of videos were posted on the Facebook site of Mackinson Dairy Farm on October 27. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, October 30, 2017. Dr. Hake shares videos and photos of her day caring for veal calves. In the posts Hake offers tips on … [Read more...]
Cull the right cows without keeping records
What? no records? Cattlemen are often told to keep individual records on each cow and calf. Burt Teichert contradicts that and thinks that it is a waste of time. He says, you don’t really select cows. You eliminate or cull the ones you don’t want. You select bulls. Source: Beef, September 1, 2017. How do we cull the right cow without any paper or computerized records? It … [Read more...]
Its fall in mountain cattle country (photo essay)
With photos that look like slides from a cowboy movie, Shipping at the Basin Ranch is a modern day look at gathering and shipping cattle on the mountain ranch outside of Elk Mountain, Wyoming. The ranch is part of the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust. The group is dedicated to conserving Wyoming’s working family ranches and farms and the wide-open spaces, natural habitats and … [Read more...]
Study finds dairy has anti-inflammatory effect (includes video)
“Dairy products, particularly fermented dairy products, have anti-inflammatory properties in humans not suffering from allergies to milk,” said Bradley Bolling, citing research from University of Wisconsin during the World Dairy Expo. Source: Dairy Herd Management, October 5, 2017. A UW study involving 132 women over nine weeks, yogurt provided some anti-inflammatory … [Read more...]
Antimicrobial stewardship guidelines now available
“Key Elements for Implementing Antimicrobial Stewardship Plans in Bovine Veterinary Practices Working with Beef and Dairy Operations” is the title of a new document recently created by AABP. It was compiled to help veterinarians with best practices for designing, implementing and monitoring antimicrobial stewardship programs with clients and to help beef and dairy operations … [Read more...]
Value-added calves are the result of good pre-conditioning
According to survey numbers, the value of pre-conditioning or back-grounding calves post-weaning is growing rapidly. Since its inception, the Beef Quality Assurance program has given beef producers a template on how to do things right. More than one-third of producers are BQA certified according to the survey results. Source: Beef, October 2017, page 22. Dan Thompson, DVM, … [Read more...]
FDA video outlines drug resistance in parasites (includes video)
Dr. Aimee Phillippi-Taylor hosts this video and stresses the value of using fecal egg count reduction tests and recordkeeping to detect resistance in parasite populations. In addition to basic management, she encourages producers to work with their veterinarians to monitor the efficacy of deworming programs and adjust as needed. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, October 5, … [Read more...]
Pinkeye often flares in fall
“Pinkeye, or keratoconjunctivitis, is an infectious disease of cattle that costs producers money in several ways,” says Gerald Stokka, North Dakota State University Extension veterinarian. He and Neil Dyer, an NDSU pathologist, notes that the bacteria Moraxella bovis is one of the primary agents in pinkeye, although Moraxella ovus and Moraxella bovoculi have also been isolated. … [Read more...]
Watch out for anaplasmosis
Cattle producers should be aware that the parasitic disease, anaplasmosis is no longer a Southeastern U.S. malady. The Great Plains and the Midwest have experienced an increased number of cases in the last few years. A.J. Tarpoff, Extension beef veterinarian for Kansas State University offers five tips to manage the disease. Source: Progressive Cattleman, September 21, … [Read more...]
Audubon: beef, habitat, quail and songbirds
Audubon is introducing a certification program to benefit ranchers and grassland birds. The Audubon Conservation Ranching program links consumers to beef produced on farms that provide good grassland bird habitat. The goal is a profitable program for cattle ranchers. It also helps reverse steep population declines during the past half century by grassland birds, such as … [Read more...]
Tips for a successful weaning/preconditioning program
Planning now for spring calf weaning and preconditioning makes sense before producers are taxed with the work of calving. Weaned and preconditioned calves can bring more dollars at sale time. As veterinarians meet with producers for VFD consultations, preconditioning is a topic that adds value to the compliance visits. Source: Beef, September 7, 2017. There are numerous … [Read more...]
51st World Dairy Expo opens next week
World Dairy Expo® is a five-day event showcasing dairy cattle and the newest technologies available to the dairy industry. The annual show takes place at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. It is a unique animal health gathering. Plus, Wisconsin’s fall colors often provide postcard-like scenery. Source: World Dairy Expo, September 2017. World Dairy Expo … [Read more...]
Help cows and heifers during fall calving
Managing the amount of time heifers or cows are in labor before getting help is a challenge ranchers face during calving season. Glenn Selk offers some timing perspectives. Consider using this article in discussions with cow producers this fall. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, August 23, 2017. Research information shows that calves from prolonged deliveries are weaker and … [Read more...]
10 steps for milking excellence
Each year, regardless of milk price, the top 20 percent to 25 percent of dairy producers show some profit per cow. Pamela Ruegg, DVM, identified 10 smart things dairy farmers do to achieve milking excellence: Set performance goals. Rapidly identify problems. Milk clean cows. Standardize milking routines. Train staff. Maintain and update milking systems. … [Read more...]
Everything dairy; Journal of Dairy Science, October 2017
Animal health pros servicing dairy farmers, dairy veterinarians or marketing products for dairy use need to skim the studies in this month’s issue. Our team found two papers of interest: Dairy calf management—A comparison of practices and producer attitudes among conventional and organic herds Effect of prepartum exercise, pasture turnout, or total confinement on hoof … [Read more...]
Review BRD protocols now
Jim Sears, DVM with Bayer Animal Health, reminds producers to review and train on the bovine respiratory disease protocols before a shipment of cattle arrives. He offers a few simple tips to simplify your protocol decisions and help operations be efficient in treating BRD: Make protocols as simple as possible. Be objective – when selecting products, evaluate why each … [Read more...]
A quadrillion reasons those microbes matter
When cattle are fed, producers feed an ecosystem of bacteria, protozoa and fungi. Rumen microbes work together to break down what a cow eats, turning the feed into energy and protein. Keeping microbes flourishing can keep cows productive and in the herd. The numbers are mind-boggling. Source: Beef, August 24, 2017. Three main microorganisms are responsible for breaking down … [Read more...]
Flood resources now available
A new pamphlet for preparing, responding and recovered from flooding is now available from the University of California’s vet school. You can get it here. A second pamphlet deals more with dairy farms and evacuations due to flooding. Get it here. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 8, 2017. Following one of the wettest seasons on record in California, the University of … [Read more...]