Vaccinations for the Beef Cow Herd

Vaccinations for the Beef Cow Herd

James G. Floyd, Jr., Extension Veterinarian, Professor, Animal and Dairy Sciences, Auburn University

Vaccination programs for beef cow herds are designed to protect animals in the herd against disease caused by infectious organisms, such as viruses or bacteria. Vaccines contain killed or modified live organisms which do not cause disease but stimulate the animal’s immune system to mount a response. The immune system will then “remember” how to mount a response against the organism if it is infected with that organism later. A vaccine cannot prevent infection but will increase the animal’s ability to throw off the infection or lessen the severity of the disease.

The majority of cattle vaccines are injected, although some may be given by other routes, such as intranasal or oral. Although antibiotics, such as penicillin or tetracycline, are also often administered by injection, treating an animal with one of those drugs is not a vaccination.

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Avoid nitrate toxicity in the first snow storm

Avoid nitrate toxicity in the first snow storm

Dr. Glenn Selk, Extension Cattle Specialist, Oklahoma State University

Almost as predictable as the coming of the winter season will the quickly spread horror story of the death of several cows from a herd that was fed “the good hay” for the first time after snow storm.  Ranchers that have harvested and stored potentially high nitrate forages such as forage sorghums, millets, sudangrass hybrids, and/or johnsongrass, need to be aware (not fearful) of the increased possibility of nitrate toxicity.  Especially if the cows are fed this hay for the first time after a severe winter storm.  Cattle can adapt (to a limited amount) to nitrate intake over time.  However, cattlemen often will feed the higher quality forage sorghum type hays during a stressful cold wet winter storm.  Cows may be especially hungry, because they have not gone out in the pasture grazing during the storm.  They may be stressed and slightly weakened by the cold, wet conditions.  This combination of events make them even more vulnerable to nitrate toxicity.

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Anaplasmosis Fact Sheet

Anaplasmosis Fact Sheet

Cattlenetwork.com

Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne rickettsial disease caused by Anaplasma marginale.

Endemic in many areas of the world including the United States; currently not found in Canada.

Higher prevalence in southern USA; prevalence and burden of disease thought to be low in northern USA.

Many domestic and wild ruminants can be infected but clinical disease is seen only in cattle and giraffes.

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Iowa Beef Expo Dates and Consignment Deadlines

Iowa Beef Expo Dates and Consignment Deadlines

Cattle Today

Mike Nolin, Iowa Beef Breeds Council President, announced February 10-17, 2008 to be the official dates for the 32nd Annual Iowa Beef Expo. The Iowa Beef Expo will be held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa with events being held in the Cattle Barn and Livestock Pavilion. These dates reflect the traditional second Sunday in February starting date for the show.

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Laura’s Lean Beef honored as a Top 50 Marketer for 2007

Laura’s Lean Beef honored as a Top 50 Marketer for 2007

Winchester Sun

Laura’s Lean Beef Company, founded by Laura Freeman of Clark County, has been named one of the top 50 marketers for 2007 by Advertising Age, an advertising industry trade publication.

For their annual Marketing 50 honor, Advertising Age identifies and highlights 50 companies who have executed unique and effective brand marketing strategies.

Laura’s Lean Beef has promoted its beef in retail grocery chains for more than 22 years and is now a firmly established national brand with a product line that addresses the needs of health-conscious shoppers, the publication said in a statement.

Laura’s Lean Beef has successfully executed an integrated marketing strategy to educate both customers and health professionals about the real benefits of Laura’s products, according to Advertising Age.

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Computer Can Help Manage Herd

Computer Can Help Manage Herd

By: Mark Schuler

Mark Schuler Linn County Ag Extension Agent

KC Community News

A successful cow herd nutrition program should meet the changing needs of the cows at minimal cost. Such a program needs to take into account the nutrient demands of gestation, lactation, body condition and feeding environment. But with feed — primarily winter feed — accounting for roughly half the costs in a cow-calf enterprise, a successful producer must take the time to develop rations that can meet changing needs at lowest cost possible.

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Cattle Producers Urge Congress To Rein In USDA

Cattle Producers Urge Congress To Rein In USDA

Sullivan Independent News

After the recent massive recalls of beef due to E. coli contamination, and after many other recent food scares, members of R-CALF USA were pleased to learn that Sen. Tom Harkin, D-IA, has announced he will again mandate a Presidential Commission on food safety in the Senate version of the 2007 Farm Bill. Such a mandate was included in the 2002 Farm Bill, but was never constituted or allowed to meet.

Harkin pointed out that the recent Interagency Working Group on Import Safety, established in July, will review only imported foods. This is a shortsighted goal given the increasing number of food safety recalls happening with food produced in the United States, he said in a statement.

“To examine the safety of both imported and domestically produced food, comprehensive recommendations from a Food Safety Commission are needed to examine the entire system,” the statement said.

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NALF, BEEF to Co-Host Cybercampfire Producer Outreach Webcasts

NALF, BEEF to Co-Host Cybercampfire Producer Outreach Webcasts

Cattle Today

As a service to all cattle producers, the North American Limousin Foundation (NALF) and BEEF magazine will co-host two free CyberCampfire webcasts on DVAuction.com in December. Both begin at 7 p.m. MST.

In “Crossbreeding Strategies” on Dec. 11, Kent Andersen, Ph.D., and Frank Padilla from NALF will lead a practical discussion about making the most of breed complementarity and heterosis (hybrid vigor) without mongrelizing your cow herd to hit mainstream carcass targets. Simple, sensible, sustainable crossbreeding with a focus on uniformity, consistency and reliability can create productive, long-lasting replacement females and efficiently produce high-yielding, high-quality, value-added carcasses.

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Keep It Simple, Eh?

Keep It Simple, Eh?

by Ed Haag

Angus Journal

Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s, the world’s largest purveyor of retail beef patties, could well have been thinking of the Canadian cattle identification (ID) system when he coined his now famous KISS phrase — Keep it simple, stupid.

“We started with a very basic system,” says Julie Stitt, executive director of the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA). “Animals are tagged when they leave the farm and are read when they die or are exported.”

Canada’s mandatory cattle ID program was fully implemented July 1, 2002. By that fall it was reported that the program had achieved 92%-95% compliance.

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Manage feed for best result

Manage feed for best result

By GARY TILGHMAN

Glasgow  Daily Times

GLASGOW — Monday night, Oct. 29, we met to discuss winter feeding issues and a large group of our local producers were able to attend. Dr. Roy Burris and Kevin Laurant, beef cattle specialists with the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, were our guest speakers.

A news story was later released about Dr. Burris’ comments, which were presented the next morning in Bowling Green at the State Grazing Conference.

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Retired MSU Director Enters Hall of Fame

Retired MSU Director Enters Hall of Fame

Cattle Today

MISSISSIPPI STATE — Ronald A. Brown of Starkville recently earned national recognition for his career of service to agriculture and Extension programming.

Brown, the executive director of the Association of Southern Region Extension Directors, recently was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service. The CSREES is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s agency that administers the Extension Service system nationally.

The Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have worked in activities exemplifying CSREES’ efforts to promote excellence in research, education and extension on local, regional, national or international levels. Hall of Fame members have demonstrated a measurable and positive impact on the agency.

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World overreacted to U.S. mad cow discovery: industry

World overreacted to U.S. mad cow discovery: industry

By Christopher Doering

Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Major U.S. beef customers, including Japan and South Korea, overreacted to the United States’ discovery of mad cow disease four years ago, the meat industry told an independent trade panel on Thursday.

Major U.S. trading partners banned American beef soon after the United States found its first case of mad cow disease in December 2003. Since then, the U.S. has struggled to open major trading markets. This year the U.S. will export about 5 percent of its beef, compared with 10 percent in the past.

“BSE is a case study in overreaction,” John Reddington, vice president for trade at the American Meat Institute, told an International Trade Commission panel. The bans by Japan and South Korea “have no basis” in science and conflict with international animal health guidelines.

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Giant cattle, ethanol plant draws critics

Giant cattle, ethanol plant draws critics

North Country Public Radio

A New York City-based firm is pushing ahead on a project that would combine a massive feedlot with alternative energy in St. Lawrence County. Bion Environmental Technologies touts an environmentally friendly way to raise 84,000 beef cattle and produce ethanol in the process.

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Key IRS provision helps some cattle farmers

Key IRS provision helps some cattle farmers

By JIMMY SETTLE

The Tennessee

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee cattle farmers who sold off part or all of their herds this year because of the drought’s damage to livestock food and water supplies may be enjoying a brief windfall now, but the wrath of the Internal Revenue Service looms unless careful plans are made before 2008, experts say.

“It’s been a very tough year,” said Jerri Lynn Sims, a specialist in farm management for the University of Tennessee Extension Service. “I’ve received several phone calls from people because the sale of their cows has greatly increased their income for the 2007 tax year.

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Japanese cattle farmers are highly subsidized

Japanese cattle farmers are highly subsidized

Melody M. Aguiba

Manila Bulletin

TOHOKU REGION, Japan — The Filipino farmer may be surprised to hear of Japanese farmers enjoying a help on capital and subsidy from government to put up and run their own cattle farms.

Three years ago, Munemitu Watanabe established his own barn in Tome City, Miyagi province at Japan’s northern Tohoku region where he now tends 100 head of dairy cattle.

This cost $ 1.5 million of which government’s financial support was significant.

“It was in the form of money. Sixty to 70 percent of cost was given by government,” Watanabe said in Japanese in an interview.

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