Flies, A Health Concern For Beef Cattle

Flies, A Health Concern For Beef Cattle

What’s the buzz around cattle pastures these days? The same that it always is when the weather turns warm: flies.

The winged intruders are more than just an annoyance to grazing cattle. Flies also can transmit diseases and stunt growth, said Ron Lemenager, Purdue University Extension beef specialist. Producers can protect their herds with insecticides, he said.

“For grazing cattle we’re really concerned about two different types of flies: face flies and horn flies,” Lemenager said. “Face flies tend to feed on secretions around the eyes and noses of cattle. They move from one animal to the next. The face fly is a major vector for M. bovis, which is a bacteria that can cause pinkeye.

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Beef industry benefits from breakthrough

Beef industry benefits from breakthrough
Sensors detect ailing, stressed animals

David Finlayson, The Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON – A made-in-Alberta world-first in cattle health monitoring will make the industry more efficient and less disease prone, producers heard Wednesday.

New technology developed at Alberta Research Council uses remote sensors and wireless transmitters to send real-time information on individual animals back to a central computer at a ranch or feedlot.

That allows early intervention on sick or stressed animals that is so critical in preventing costly treatment or even death, said Lloyd Osler, president of Ovistech, the Edmonton company that adapted its human pandemic surveillance software for use in cattle.

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Beef Up Your Biosecurity

Beef Up Your Biosecurity

by Boyd Kidwell, Angus Journal

Visitors to Back Creek of Mount Ulla, N.C., may never realize that Angus breeders Joe and Robin Hampton are taking biosecurity precautions as they show people their cattle.

“When we go look at our cattle, I always suggest that visitors ride in my truck, and I get out of the truck to open all the gates. Nothing we do is earth-shattering, but these steps reduce the chances that a visitor could bring something to our farm,” Joe says.

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Japan Agency Mulls Safety Checks On Beef Imports

Japan Agency Mulls Safety Checks On Beef Imports

Cattlenetwork.com

TOKYO (Nikkei)–Japan’s Food Safety Commission is considering implementing safety inspections for beef imported from outside North America, regions that it currently does not assess mad cow disease risks for, The Nihon Keizai

Shimbun reported in its Friday morning edition.

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South Korea delays resumption of US beef imports

South Korea delays resumption of US beef imports

Foodqualitynews.com

South Korea said yesterday that it will delay resumption of US beef imports, after finding problems at US meat processing facilities, reported Yonhap news.

US beef had been expected to reach shelves again later this month, after a ban of almost three years since mad cow disease affected US herds.

But the report said that Korean officials inspecting almost 40 meat processing facilities in the US last month had identified procedures that needed to be improved upon before the country lifted its import ban.

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RFID firm bullish on Canada cattle policy

RFID firm bullish on Canada cattle policy

UPI

MINNEAPOLIS, June 15 (UPI) — Minnesota’s Digital Angel said Thursday it expected an upsurge in its RFID tag business as Canada extends a program for electronic tracking of cattle.

Tracking livestock is a measure to prevent and control outbreaks of mad cow disease and generally employs an individual RFID (radio frequency identification) device affixed to each animal.

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Summer workshops focus on marketing cattle

Summer workshops focus on marketing cattle

Experts will share tips with SE beef producers.

Georgia Faces / University of Georgia

Beef cattle producers who want to better market their cattle should attend one of four Southeast Beef Cattle Marketing Schools set for this summer.

Specialists from Southeastern universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will combine hands-on learning and live animal evaluation with classroom examples to help cattlemen reduce their risks and improve their profits. Participants will learn about cattle cycles, how to anticipate prices and use futures and options to increase profits.

There will also be a session on using the Livestock Risk Protection insurance program. Finally, alternative marketing methods, such as video board sales, tele-auctions and marketing cattle, will be discussed in a producer panel.

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Desperate times on the High Plains

Desperate times on the High Plains

Drought forces ranchers to start selling cattle

By Carol Barrett
Journal-Advocate (CO) community editor

STERLING – Drought-scorched pastures and hay prices of $100 or more per ton are forcing northeast Colorado ranchers to start selling off some of their cattle. Hay normally sells for $50-$75 a ton.

May and June are normally quiet months at Sterling Livestock Commission Co., but sales have been busier this year.

“In May this year we sold 2,184 animals, compared to the 1,400 head we sold in May 2005,” said Becky Santomaso, who owns the livestock company with her family. “The second sale in May, we sold 1,000 head,” she added.

This was at a time when normally there might be fewer than 200 animals.

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Six Cattle Die Anthrax in Kittson County

Six Cattle Die Anthrax in Kittson County

KEYC-TV

State officials say six head of cattle died of anthrax in Kittson County last week. Five cows and one bull were found dead in the beef herd, which had not been vaccinated against the disease. Officials say it’s not the form of anthrax associated with terrorism.

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S. Korea to dispatch experts to examine U.S. livestock sector prior to FTA

S. Korea to dispatch experts to examine U.S. livestock sector prior to FTA

Yonngong News

SEOUL, June 16 (Yonhap) — South Korea will send a team of experts to the United States to examine the U.S. livestock sector before the two countries make headway in their negotiations to seal a free trade agreement (FTA), the Agriculture Ministry said Friday.

The 10-person delegation that leaves on Saturday for the eight-day trip will conduct on-site inspections of cattle ranches, pig farms and chicken farms. Dairy production facilities are also on the list of places that experts will visit, said a ministry official.

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Producers, Others Chewing over Standards for Grass-fed Beef

Producers, Others Chewing over Standards for Grass-fed Beef

Texas A&M Ag News
Writer: Paul Schattenberg, 210-467-6575,paschattenberg@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Rick Machen, 830-278-9151,r-machen@tamu.edu
Jose Pena, 830-278-9151,jg-pena@tamu.edu

UVALDE – The beef cattle industry is experiencing increased consumer demand for specialty beef products, including grass-fed beef, said a Texas Cooperative Extension economist. And a standard for “grass-fed” beef needs to be established for both producers and consumers of this product.

“As with organic and natural beef products, there will need to be a standard developed for producers so they can legitimately designate and market their product as grass-fed beef,”said Jose Pena, Extension economist in Uvalde. “This standard will also allow consumers to know just what they’re getting when they buy a product labeled ‘grass-fed.’”

The beef cattle industry is diversifying to meet consumer demand for specialty products, Pena said. But developing a standard for grass-fed beef products acceptable to the industry and consumers will be difficult.

“Though the food industry is anxious to capitalize on this under-served niche market, consumer research shows beef-buying decisions are based on taste and eating satisfaction,” he said. “Consistency is the key to providing a product, such as grass-fed beef, which serves a special market. But to achieve consistency, a production standard needs to be established.”

There has been some disagreement on grass-fed beef standards. Producer, trade organization, meat industry and consumer responses to a 2002 U.S. Department of Agriculture request for comment on these standards were “all over the board,” Pena said.

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