World Pork Expo activities are underway at the Iowa State Fair Grounds, in Des Moines. More than 450 companies are exhibiting their products, innovations and ideas for 20,000 producers and pork professionals, including some 1,000 international guests. With more than 50 hospitality tents, the air is filled with smells of smoke and barbecue. Source: NPPC, June 4, 2017. Expo … [Read more...]
7 “what if” questions every rancher should ask
Burt Teichert offers challenging questions for producers to consider as they evaluate the profitability of their operations. Veterinarians and sales representatives can use these questions to work with producers to increase their cow herd values. Source: Beef, June 12, 2017. Here’s a sample of the seven questions Teichert offers: What if every replacement heifer was … [Read more...]
Texas A&M researchers model illness onset in cattle
Respiratory disease causes 60 to 90 percent of the morbidity or sickness in feedlot cattle, Dr. Bill Pinchak says. Diagnosis is a challenge and primarily relies on visual appraisal to determine illness. This can vary by degrees of individual experience in diagnosing. “Typically, the accuracy is about 60 percent. So there are a lot of animals that are not diagnosed and end up … [Read more...]
Larger dairy herds have a size advantage
Carl Zulauf evaluated USDA’s cost-of-production data to estimate the price to produce 100 pounds of milk among different herd sizes. It’s not fair to say that big farms are bad and small farms are good, or that farms milking more cows are better than those with fewer cows. What we can say, though, is that on average, larger herds are able to produce milk less expensively than … [Read more...]
Don’t hug your chickens
America’s love affair with backyard chickens is making a few of us sick. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says eight salmonella outbreaks linked to petting pet poultry have occurred in the U.S. this year. They’ve sickened more than 370 people in 47 states, 71 of whom had to be hospitalized. No one has died this year – yet. Last year, three people died … [Read more...]
Editorial: Crowding nursery pigs negatively impacts performance
There has been a large amount of research studying the effects of space allowances on grow-finish pigs. However, little information is available about the effects on nursery pigs. Production management systems, facility constraints and establishing optimal space allowance requirements for pigs requires economic, health and welfare considerations. Sometimes, articles titled … [Read more...]
How to bottle-feed a kid
The bottle-feeding process is easier than you might think. Plus, it ensures proper nutrition and forms more docile milk goats. Lisa Seger gives a detailed primer on bottle feeding goats by choice or by necessity through week 12. She covers what to feed, the frequency of it and includes instructions for bottle-feeding as the kid grows. Source: Hobby Farms, May 22, … [Read more...]
First-calf heifer conundrum
Jason Smith, University of Tennessee tackles the fundamentals of first calf heifer management. The first calf heifer is a different beast compared to mature cows or replacement heifers. As such, being proactive can help develop these individuals’ value to a cow-calf operator. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, May 16, 2017. Generally we think of a heifer as being mature once … [Read more...]
Speaking of birds
Ana Hotaling provides an experience-based introduction to the discussion of three common myths about aging hens. She recounts the story of losing a seven- year-old hen and offers insight about these myths: Chickens have short life spans Hens stop laying after age 2 Older hens are flock freeloaders Source: Hobby Farms, May 24, 2017. Hens continue to lay longer … [Read more...]
Poultry farm biosecurity improving since the 2015 HPAI outbreak
More than 42 million commercial poultry, mostly layers, died in the 2015 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the U.S. The catastrophe pointed to biosecurity gaps that needed remediation to reduce the risk of future outbreaks. Iowa State University’s Yuko Sato, DVM, MS, DACPV, surveyed the industry to see if behaviors and processes have changed. The results … [Read more...]
Seed-spitting goats
Just for fun! The Argania trees of Morocco have a unique seed dispersal method: climbing, spitting goats. Some of the local goats have developed a distinctive approach to grazing during dry periods: They climb up in the thorny branches to get at the tree’s leaves and fruit, sometimes with help from herders. Source: Atlas Obscura, May 25, 2017. If the behavior is as common … [Read more...]
A good veterinarian-producer relationship is priceless
The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) has increased interest in creating or improving relationships with veterinarian. Joe Paschal, an Extension livestock specialist with Texas A&M University, offers some down-to-earth perspective about the value these relationships can offer. Source: Progressive Cattleman, May 16, 2017. Since your veterinarian is not as familiar with … [Read more...]
Dairy industry’s changing face
Imagine cow cameras in the parlor so dairy consumers can view on their smartphones cows on a dairy being milked. Tom Haren thinks consumers will also influence how we house cows. His reasons for the change: transparency, sustainability and technology. Dairy site size will likely shrink while dairy enterprises will grow substantially. Source: Milk, March 2017. Automation … [Read more...]
First screw flies, now cattle fever ticks
The Texas Department of Agriculture has allocated an additional $3.7 million in funds to the existing $8.5 million allocated for 2017 to combat the spread of the cattle tick fever in South Texas. The ticks spread intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites that cause Babesiosis. Source: The Monitor, May 9, 2014. Cattle fever ticks are known scientifically as Rhipicephalus … [Read more...]
Accelerated calf growth programs, economics and effects
Jud Heinrichs, Penn State Dairy Extension, writes that feeding the dairy calf and heifer can be likened to a double-edged sword; we want to feed the heifers as much as possible to get rapid growth so that they begin lactating early in life, with a large body size at calving relative to their mature weight. However, there are issues related to rapid growth and a high level of … [Read more...]
Pre-weaned calves at risk for BRD
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) remains a common problem in pre-weaned calves. South Dakota State University veterinarian Russ Daly said pre-weaning BRD affects about 20 percent of cow-calf operations each year and is the leading cause of mortality in calves from three weeks to weaning. Source: Drovers, April 19, 2017. Researchers at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in … [Read more...]
Study suggests potential for pathogen transmission via feed
In preliminary findings, a study conducted by Pipestone Applied Research and South Dakota State University shows the potential for PRRS and other viruses to contaminate and survive in feed ingredients, including soybean meal and dried distillers’ grains. Source: National Hog Farmer, May 12, 2017. The study results suggest a subset of contaminated feed ingredients could … [Read more...]
Rented chickens hatch backyard bonanza
If a client asks where to buy some chicks so they can start gathering eggs in the backyard, renting may be a better option. Yes, renting. Rent the Chicken was launched in 2013 and has been expanding since. The service offers two to four layers, feed, a waterer and a coop for a specified rental period. When the time is up, its personnel pick things up. Source: John Deere’s … [Read more...]
Adjust artificial insemination practices during heat stress
If hot weather arrives during the AI season, some management and breeding alterations may be helpful. Research with rumen temperature boluses has shown that the core body temperature of beef cows peaks at two to five hours after the highest daytime temperature. Elevated core body temperatures have been implicated from other research in reduced pregnancy rates in heat stressed … [Read more...]
Feral hogs: bad beasts, good treats
We continue to watch developing feral hog management challenges. They probably do more than $1.5 billion damage nationwide each year, according to the USDA. The problem is only getting bigger. From 1982 to 2012, the invasive species spread from 17 states to 36. It turns out that feral hogs are tasty. Their popularity is growing for a few slaughterhouses that supply chefs and … [Read more...]
Sponsored Content – 6 milestones for backyard chickens
The backyard chicken craze is growing rapidly. Veterinarians and retail associates are frequently challenged to help new chicken growers succeed. Purina offered this content promotionally, but we found the life stages information worthy of referencing. Source: Morning Ag Clips, April 25, 2017. As we get started on the journey with baby chicks, it’s important to look forward … [Read more...]
Ear tags profiled
This article is valuable to help industry pros understand non-electronic ear tag options. It is a good guide to compare various brands of ear tags. Source: American Dairymen, April 2017, page 32. … [Read more...]
Cows witnessing wolf attacks suffer PTSD-like symptoms
Cows that have witnessed wolf attack display physical signs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A new study from Oregon State University affirms this and is also the first study to reveal PTSD biomarkers in cattle. The findings have been published in the Journal of Animal Science. Source: Progressive Cattleman, May 4, 2017. Wolf attacks create bad … [Read more...]
Cleaning protocols promote calf health
Management practices impact overall herd health in any livestock operation. Cleaning procedures and written protocols are imperative to raising healthy calves and will lead to increased average daily gain and decreased disease incidence. Source: Dairy Herd Management, March 28, 2017. Although equipment may look clean, in reality it may be caked with invisible bacteria. … [Read more...]
Understanding the stocker
Stocker, or backgrounding, provides vital production and marketing system values to the beef industry. Stocker production happens in a variety of situations and environments throughout the country. As such, the stocker sector is an essential shock absorber for the beef industry but little data exists to analyze the segment. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, March 29, … [Read more...]
Heat stress even affects unborn calves
Heat stress can have a huge impact on unborn calves that reaches well into their adulthood. “Cooling is pretty important for the fetus,” says Geoff Dahl, a dairy physiologist with the University of Florida. Source: Dairy Herd Management, March 30, 2017. Unborn calves of heat stressed dams will have lower birth and weaning weights, and might produce 2,500 lb. to 3,000 lb. … [Read more...]
Cull ornery, grumpy cows
Culling cows assertively is one of the more effective strategies for improving cow herd profitability and satisfaction. University of Florida animal scientists have found that cows with poor dispositions are less likely to conceive when mated with bulls. Disposition had previously been associated with reduced artificial insemination results. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, … [Read more...]
Time-lapse cameras improve dairy feeding
“Moo,” you’re on candid dairy camera. It brings up silly images, but time-lapse photography is proving valuable for monitoring and correcting feed delivery to dairy cows. What Todd Franz has found isn’t pretty. “Only one out of 20 farms or one out of 30 is not letting cows run out of feed,” he says. “Our current on-farm record for cows with no feed is 11 hours.” Source: … [Read more...]
NHF Blueprint dives into antibiotic research
All animal health pros can gain valuable perspectives on the issues surrounding antibiotics and how to decrease or avoid their use in this Blueprint from National Hog Farmer. Though dedicated to swine production, the research has parallel meaning in other monogastric mammals. Source: National Hog Farmer, April 2017. This Blueprint issue examines antimicrobial use, … [Read more...]
Shortage of approved medications for turkeys continues
A shortage of effective, FDA-approved medications is still the top health issue for the U.S. turkey industry, according to a survey conducted by Steven Clark, DVM. “And it has remained No. 1 since the survey began 16 years ago,” he said. Source: Poultry Health Today, April 25, 2017. The ability to control and prevent animal disease and/or treat those that are sick is … [Read more...]