“The most formidable challenges of my veterinary career in food safety can be boiled down to the two primary foodborne pathogens of poultry: Salmonella and Campylobacter. I consider them my professional nemeses,” writes Foster Farms’ Robert O’Connor, DVM, MAM. He explains his approach to avoiding these pathogens in the kitchen. O’Connor reminds us that while chicken and other … [Read more...]
Consumers not coming through with animal welfare cash
Consumers often say they are willing to pay more for meat from animals raised with heightened welfare standards. Reality proves otherwise. This was one key finding during the 12th Expert Forum on Animal Well-Being, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Participants also noted the likelihood that farm assurance programs did not meet consumers’ expectations for animal … [Read more...]
The importance of county fairs
It is fair season. County fairs are a part of the livestock industry history. For some kids, the county fair may be the only show they participate in all summer. For others, it might be a stepping stone to state level contests or more. The common threads fair participants all share are lessons learned that include hard work, perseverance, sportsmanship, public speaking, animal … [Read more...]
Select chicken breeds that work best for city backyards
Persons wanting to keep chickens in urban backyards should consider breeds that can tolerate a more controlled existence. Keeping a rooster may be out of the picture, writes Pam Freeman. She discusses the benefits of sex-link chickens and shares information about bantam breeds that are preferred for smaller spaces. Source: Backyard Poultry, August 5, 2019. Link. Regardless … [Read more...]
Proper storage critical to vaccine efficacy
“Producers cannot afford to overlook the importance of how they store vaccine and handle it prior to injection,” says Glenn Selk. His article is a good reminder during hot summer months. It is important for producers to monitor storage temperatures. Veterinary clinic and retailer staffs need to be diligent in managing the cold chain for items that need refrigeration. If the … [Read more...]
New technology holds promise for monitoring sows
Advancements in technologies are sometimes blamed for taking jobs. But in the U.S. swine market, monitoring sow health prior to farrowing is a 24/7 business that often doesn’t get done. Now, new technologies in precision livestock farming may help by monitoring sows’ individual behavior. Source: National Hog Farmer, August 6, 2019. Link. Technology in the farrowing room will … [Read more...]
African swine fever virus inactivated by Virox products
Virox Technologies®, the creators of the patented technology Accelerated Hydrogen Peroxide® (AHP®), recently conducted an independent efficacy test against African swine fever. AHP technology is found in the Intervention farm disinfectant, known as Intervención in Mexico, and Prevail disinfectants in Canada. The results give swine producers an improved option from the points … [Read more...]
Modern approach to developing farmer rapport can pay dividends
Telling farmers what to do and expecting them to “just do it” doesn’t always work. Sarah Tomlinson, veterinarian with Westpoint Farm Vets in Ashbourne, England, shares her approach as part of the farm team. A few keys are to let farmers talk first, explaining the “why and how” and motivational interviewing, which, if you never heard of it before, involves a little bit of … [Read more...]
Ongoing training essential to animal welfare
Good animal care must become a habit and part of the culture, writes Dave Sjeklocha, DVM. Training workers and family members on animal handling and care has never been more important. Documenting this training equally important. And we must continue to train, retrain and redocument, he says. Dr. Sjeklocha recently reviewed recent activities by animal rights groups. He … [Read more...]
Group calls for national CWD strategy
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) strategies have historically been managed state by state. The fatal prion disease is now in 26 states and continues to spread. So far, fears it could cross species barriers to affect livestock or humans have not come to fruition. It has not been found in animals other than deer, elk and other cervids. Recently, a multidisciplininary team of … [Read more...]
Goats can’t safely eat everything
You may think goats can eat nearly everything. Katherine Drovdahl, MA, CA, CR, CEIT, DipHlr, QTP, tells us differently. Knowing what to feed goats involves education. Even good plants can develop into a dangerous toxic condition called enterotoxemia if goats overeat on any plant they are not used to. She shares a few common toxic plants and suggests consulting a local … [Read more...]
Heed OSHA heat stress requirements for dairies
Dairymen always worry about cows dropping milk production because of the heat, but may forget to keep workers cool, as well. Anna-Lisa Laca shares the Cal/OSHA rules for helping employees avoid heat stress when the temperature exceeds 80° F. Source: Milk, July 16, 2019. Link. Remember: When temperatures exceed 95 degrees, employers must implement "high heat" procedures, … [Read more...]
3 Vs drive U.S. chicken purchases
Versatility, value and variety are just a few of the categories that chicken ticks the box for in consumers’ eyes, according to new research presented at the 2019 Chicken Marketing Summit. Of course, taste is important for chicken and all meat buyers. However, it was less important to consumers of plant-based products. Lots of interesting protein stats, plus protein industry … [Read more...]
Boehringer Ingelheim introduces BVDVTracker.com
Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is an ongoing challenge facing the cattle industry. The virus often goes undiagnosed and the consequences are severe. To help producers address the challenges BI launched BVDVTracker.com. The website’s mission is to support veterinarians, producers and industry professionals in the control of BVDV. Source: Drovers, July 16, 2019. Link. … [Read more...]
Lack of understanding of livestock production driving trends
According to market intelligence firm IRI, 57 percent of U.S. consumers are motivated to purchase products based on factors within social strategy and cultural alignment. Animal welfare certifications on packaging and companies that promote responsible production are moving rapidly to capitalize on the growing influence of millennial and Gen Z purchasing power. For … [Read more...]
China approves use of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s African swine fever diagnostic workflow
China has approved Thermo Fisher Scientific’s PCR-based workflow to detect, monitor and help limit the spread of African swine fever (ASF). PCR is the preferred ASF testing method there. It allows for earlier detection of the virus compared to other diagnostic methods. The Thermo Fisher ASF workflow passed stringent validation protocol carried out by China’s Ministry of … [Read more...]
Lead change
You can meet resistance with resistance, but the winner only gets a loser who remembers it forever. Given that the objective of sales leadership is to obtain wholehearted customers for a given course of action, you need to create a whole new mindset when it comes to managing resistance and answering objections. Source: Vet-Advantage, Livestock Edition, Summer/Fall 2019. … [Read more...]
Decade-long study highlights the merits of 4-H for personal youth development
Amanda Radke summarizes key takeaways fom a 10-year study conducted by Tufts University evaluating the effectiveness of various youth programs. The study revealed that 4-H youth are: four times more likely to give back to their communities two times more likely to make healthier choices two times more likely to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering … [Read more...]
Prepare for chicken emergencies
Persons who own chickens inevitably have chicken emergencies. Unexpected illness or injury is part of raising chickens.. Ana Hotling offers five preparatory steps to help minimize owner panic so that the bird gets the best treatment. Have a hospital pen Designate a quiet space Have a vet’s phone number; one who is ready to help with chickens Keep disposable … [Read more...]
Weaning basics keep calves healthy
Heather Smith Thomas is bringing a series of articles about ranch management basics to help educate those new to the beef industry and dust off the knowledge of long ime cattle producers. These basics are especially important as we seek to gain value from preconditioning programs. She reviews two lower-stress weaning methods: fence-line weaning and nose flaps. There are many … [Read more...]
Black vultures perplex cattlemen, sometimes kill newborn animals
Missouri cattlemen have drawn attention to a little known predatory behavior of black headed buzzards (aka Black Vulture). Even Audubon describes the perplexing behavior in their description of the bird, “. . . May kill and eat young of some birds, sea turtles; sometimes eats newborn young of larger mammals.” < link > The black vultures hang out primarily during calving … [Read more...]
Activity monitors pay on dairy operation
Using neck collar activity monitors to measure individual cows’ activity plus rumination has paid for Hardscrabble Dairy in Wisconsin. Instead of blanket health or reproductive protocols for all cows, producers can treat and breed each cow at the best time for it. Dairies can find considerable savings in health costs and labor with payback in less than 24 months. Source: … [Read more...]
CRISPR may add more humaneness to the livestock industry
Alison Van Eenennaam’s research may revolutionize how we select for preferable traits of livestock. The University of California – Davis animal scientist is using the gene editing process known as CRISPR < link > for a series of experiments, including helping cows deliver more male offspring. She sees her research as making changes in animals faster than producers can. … [Read more...]
Infection control: watch those hands!
Jennifer R. Henderson provides us with simple, vivid reminders of the importance of hand sanitation in Never Touch These Parts of Your Body. In the few minutes it took to read this, I did three of the things she cautions against. Add a critter or four and the considerations expand exponentially. Too basic? Monitor yourself for five minutes! Source: Healthgradepro.com, March … [Read more...]
What’s in the (pet food) bag?
Kristi Reimer Fender’s shares challenges veterinary teams face when advising clients on pet food for their pets. Her article focuses on clearing up a storm of pet food myths, misconceptions, guiding clients and how food is integrated as part of the human-animal bond. Kudos to the DVM team for assembling this valuable collection of resources. Here’s what it comes down to: A … [Read more...]
Perdue discusses chicken welfare and comfort in 2019 Animal Care Report
The recently released 2019 Animal Care Report from Perdue is a testament to the challenges faced to keep animals healthy and comfortable while changing production practices. We continue to study and better understand how to provide what chickens want as well as what they need. This year we learned a lot about how enrichments encourage activity, began measuring chicken comfort … [Read more...]
Preconditioning STILL pays
Too many cow-calf producers still ignore the benefits of preconditioning. For as long as I can remember discussing cattle production health topics, pre-conditioning has been near the top of the list of economic factors. As animal health pros, we believe we’ve told the benefits to producers dozens of times. But, as with vaccination compliance, preconditioning is still not … [Read more...]
Assessing fat in colostrum
Kudos to the lab researchers who are digging into all the benefits of colostrum instead of just valuing colostrum by the level of colostral immunoglobulins. By studying herd data and a small test group they have concluded that fat, not protein, represents the primary energy source the cow packages into colostrum for the calf. The term fat broadly encompasses related compounds … [Read more...]
Beef-on-dairy production rapidly evolving
The advancements in genomics and sexed semen is making significant changes in how dairy producers manage cows. There is still a need for milk cows to have calves but not all calves need to be returned to the milking herd. By breeding the lower quality milk cows to beef bulls, dairy producers are building potential to impact the beef industry in a big way. <the author> … [Read more...]
Is an African swine fever vaccine getting closer to completion?
With African swine fever (ASF) virus moving across the globe, the race is on to be the first to develop a vaccine against the economically devastating disease. The Pig Site spoke to Dr. Linda Dixon, head of the African swine fever (ASF) group at The Pirbright Institute, about their current research and development efforts for an ASF vaccine. The Pirbright research focuses … [Read more...]