Tightening calving seasons creates management and economic benefits. Done wrong, the benefits turn into costs. Les Anderson, University of Kentucky Extension beef specialist, says takes at least two years for producers to tighten a year-round calving season into a 75-day controlled calving season. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, September 2016. Anderson offers eight steps to … [Read more...]
Search Results for: cattle
BVD war turns 70
After 70 years, BVD still wages war on cattle health and producers’ wallets, writes Wyatt Bechtel. He presents economic losses for dairy, beef, stocker/feedlot and all cattle and calves as documented by studies in the U.S and summarized by Derrell Peel, livestock marketing specialist with Oklahoma State University. Source: Dairy Herd Management, September 2016, page … [Read more...]
Welcome Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc.
Animal Health Digest welcomes Addison Biological Laboratory, Inc., as a Supporting Sponsor. Headquartered in Fayette, Missouri, the company has manufactured and marketed exclusive veterinary technologies for more than 30 years. Founder J. Bruce Addison is recognized as a leader in veterinary diagnostics and herd-specific bacterin production. In addition, Addison companion … [Read more...]
Industrial farms contribute to sound environmental practices
Livestock producers and farmers often get lumped together in terms such as, big ag, industrial farms and factory farming. These are not negative terms. In fact, industrial farms are good for the environment. Jayson Lusk, Oklahoma State University agricultural economics professor explains why in this well-researched op-ed. Source: New York Times Sunday Review, September 25, … [Read more...]
2-step calf weaning
Pressure from consumer groups challenges all levels of food animal care. It also makes our industry consider other ways to approach “what we already know.” Our team liked this article as it challenges the nomenclature for shipping fever and introduces a possible solution that more closely fits natural herd behaviors. “There is no event we impose on cattle more stressful than … [Read more...]
New resource helps people understand expanded feed directive
Human and animal health experts agree that antibiotic resistance is a public health concern. This is why some agriculture groups, including the Animal Health Institute, National Pork Producers Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Animal Agriculture Alliance launched a new educational website, togetherABX. It offers information about how the Food and Drug … [Read more...]
Collectively curing beef’s $35 million bruise
Cattle today are bigger than they were 30 years ago, thanks to improved genetics and better husbandry. In fact, finished cattle have outgrown the trailers used to haul them. Industry consensus and research show that larger cattle being hauled in equipment designed in the last century are creating welfare and product quality issues, resulting in $35-million-plus industry wide … [Read more...]
USDA Veterinary Services needs feedback
Emerging animal diseases have the potential to negatively affect animal health, public health, and trade. Continuing work begun in 2014, this week, the Veterinary Services (VS) division at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service released an update titled “Emerging Animal Disease and Preparedness Plan.” The agency seeks comments on the document, which expands on the … [Read more...]
It’s a lousy time of year
Cooler weather brings a greater risk of lice. The USDA estimates that U.S. livestock producers lose $125 million each year to it. Protecting cattle includes understanding the life cycle of lice, recognizing the potential damage and using effective methods of control. If not controlled, a single adult female in September can result in approximately 1 million lice by … [Read more...]
Booster vaccinations for beef calves questioned
Proven protocols, even booster vaccinations, are under full scrutiny these days. As vaccine technology advances, the need for these vaccinations is being questioned. Most protocols developed by marketing programs and manufacturers continue to include booster vaccinations as standard practice. However, more of today’s vaccines do not offer label instructions to repeat … [Read more...]
Packgoats? Yes, packgoats!
“Packgoats are the premier pack animals on the planet,” said Dwite Sharp, who breeds, raises and trains packgoats in Morris County, Kansas. Goats raised to be pack animals are used for backpacking, camping and other outdoor recreational activities. Although does may be used, packgoats are usually wethers, or castrated male goats.” Source: Midwest Ag Journal, August 29, … [Read more...]
Feeding for the perfect (cow) pie
Dan Gary, an Amarillo, Texas, ranch consultant, suggests that you can use cow-pie-ology to monitor the nutritional status of a cow herd. He relates cow pie configuration to nutrient balance. If nothing else, we believe you’ll get a chuckle out of the discussion of the perfect cow pie. Source: Beef, September 2016. 'There is no better method of determining the nutritional … [Read more...]
Calf weaning methods compared
Steve Boyles, Ohio State University (OSU) Extension specialist, recently compared pasture weaning to drylot weaning in an OSU Beef Cattle newsletter. Boyles looked at a recent study that compared three weaning methods for calves averaging 180 days old: drylot weaning + complete visual and auditory separation from dams pasture weaning + fence-line contact with dams … [Read more...]
Pinkeye remains a challenge in the fall
The main cause of pinkeye in cattle is the ever-changing bacteria, moraxella bovis. Many subtypes of the bacteria can be found even in one infected animal. This can make it difficulty to treat and preventing. Pinkeye can rob producers of weight gain in addition to the labor costs of treatment. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, August 17, 2016. Vaccination, fly control, … [Read more...]
Preconditioning basics pay off
Cow-calf producers need not worry that their preconditioning program isn’t a mirror image of what’s described in textbooks. Fact is, there is no single definition of a preconditioning program to fit every operation, according to Brad White, DVM and interim director of the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University. Source: Drovers, August 2016. If we properly prepare … [Read more...]
Anaplasmosis becoming more prevalent across the U.S.
Anaplasmosis, associated with the bacteria Anaplasma marginale, is a tick-vectored disease that can be spread by biting insects, such as flies and ticks, and mechanically from syringe needles. Infection occurs through blood transfer, primarily from ticks, which serve as the primary vector. The disease has spread from its traditional area in the Gulf coast into the Midwest and … [Read more...]
Trichomoniasis is still big trouble
Trichomoniasis could be the most economically damaging disease cow-calf producers face. The trich pathogen, Trichomonas foetus, is a single-cell protozoa, transmitted through sexual contact. Bulls are the primary sources for spreading the disease. Thus, testing bulls is the most effective means of controlling or eliminating trich from cow-calf herds. Source: Bovine … [Read more...]
Canadian wood bison reproduced in vitro
Four wood bison calves were born at the University of Saskatchewan Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Native Hoofstock Center in July. Three of the calves were born using in vitro fertilization. The fourth calf was produced from a frozen embryo that was taken from a bison cow in 2012 and transferred to a surrogate mother in 2015. Both are reproductive firsts for the bison … [Read more...]
Beef bacon alternative growing
Bacon! Schmacon! “Schmacon is delicious and different than anything else on the market,” shared Howard Bender, owner of Schmaltz Deli in Naperville, Ill. “It has about half the calories and half the fat, and it tastes great.” The beef bacon product was launched in 2015 and comes from the underbelly of cattle. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, July 24, 2016. It is a new way for … [Read more...]
Progress on foothill abortion disease
After more than 50 years of research, scientists have built a better understanding of the unusual biology of the disease pathogen and vectors for epizootic bovine abortion (EBA). The pathogen, transmitted by the Pajaroello tick, typically does not cause disease in cows or heifers, but does affect the developing fetus in pregnant females, resulting in abortions or … [Read more...]
Love, hate, indifference on antibiotic rules
John Maday reviews preliminary qualitative feedback from an online survey currently in process. The rules in question include: FDA’s Guidance for Industry 213, which removes performance or production claims from the labels of medically important antibiotics. Expanded veterinary feed directive (VFD) rule which ends over-the-counter purchases of medically important … [Read more...]
A validation of technologies monitoring dairy cow feeding, ruminating, and lying behaviors
Dairy personnel work constantly to improve management processes to maximize output while managing cow comfort and inputs. A recent study evaluated commercially available precision dairy technologies against direct visual observations of feeding, rumination and lying behaviors. Results show that the evaluated precision dairy monitoring technologies accurately monitored dairy … [Read more...]
Consumers dazed and confused by food labels
According to a national survey released recently by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, consumers don’t know the true meaning of phrases such as “free-range” and “grass-fed,” but their perceptions of the terms can have a major influence on animal agriculture and the practices used. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, July 13, 2016. The article … [Read more...]
Livestock need quality water
Cattle need plenty of water, especially during summer months when forages tend to dry out. When levels of dissolved solids, such as iron, sulfates and salts get too high, they can cause decreased water consumption. Performance can suffer. Chance Farmer, cattle consultant, offers ways of testing for dissolved solids in this article. Source: Purina Mills. This is not an issue … [Read more...]
Fly sex and a golden goose
The title of this article is enough to pique curiosity. Science from the 1950’s recently earned the Golden Goose Award. The research laid the groundwork for modern day approaches to insect pest controls. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, June 23, 2016. Through their work on the basic biology of adult flies, the late Edward F. Knipling and Raymond C. Bushland developed a way to … [Read more...]
Breed cows to match forage resources
“The beef industry is on an unsustainable path because aggressively selecting for enhanced mature size, muscle and milk potential isn’t necessarily good for the commercial operation given typical forage resources,” said David Lalman, Oklahoma State University extension beef cattle specialist. He says we need to do a better job of breeding cows to match forage resources found on … [Read more...]
Feral horse population growing; draining resources
The Bureau of Land Management announced last week that as of this March, there an estimated 67,000 wild horses and burros in the West public rangelands, a 15% increase over the estimated 2015 population. This is more than twice the recommended number of horses on the range under BLM land-use plans. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, May 31, 2016. Unfortunately, all the money in … [Read more...]
Effects of shade and feeding zilpaterol hydrochloride to finishing steers
Zilpaterol hydrochloride, or Zilmax®, is a beta-agonist approved to be fed to finishing cattle the last 21 days of the feeding period. Researchers wanted to determine if feeding Zilmax to finishing cattle affected response to heat stress, mobility and body temperature, performance, or carcass characteristics when fed in the open or in shaded pens. Source: Drovers … [Read more...]
Ranch sorting grows in popularity as a horse show event
Ranch sorting takes skill and cow savvy. It also relies heavily on a competitor’s horsemanship skills. Source: America’s Horse Daily, June 15, 2016. Two riders, two horses, two pens, 11 head of cattle – and only 60 seconds to work. INSIGHTS: Representatives who are not horse people can use this article to get more familiar with customers who are into equine athletic events … [Read more...]
Meet Wayne Pacelle
To some in the animal welfare community, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, is equivalent to Prince Charming. To some in livestock production, he’s Satan incarnate. Dan Murphy shares Pacelle’s own words in this five-part series. Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, June 10, 2016. When I started in 2004, I told the [HSUS] board that the … [Read more...]