Multiple pathogens complicate calf scours
Drovers
One of the reasons why calf scours is such a challenging disease for producers is that it can be caused by a combination of two or more pathogens.
“There are four major pathogens that cause calf scours, and a host of minor ones,” says Jerry Olson, DVM, MS, senior veterinarian with Pfizer Animal Health. “In most cases, more than one of the causative agents is involved in clinical scours.”
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Family blog puts a face on animal ag
ROWENA PLETT
Peabody Gazette Bulletin (KS)
Anyone who has ever wanted to learn about the everyday life of a farm and ranch family can go to the Kansas Beef Council Web site, http://www.Kansasbeef.org, where a new blog is posted by Kim Harms of Harms Plainview Ranch, Lincolnville. A link to “Ranch Family Blog” is provided on the home page.
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‘From conception to consumption’
MICHAEL D. BATES
Hernando Today
When shoppers go to the grocery store and pick up three pounds of ground chuck or roast beef, they seldom think of the process leading up to the meat sitting in the refrigerated butcher aisle.
Sam Coleman does. He is involved with the cows that yield the meat "from conception to consumption,’ he says.
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Kansas gov: Taiwan to ease US beef restrictions
JOHN MILBURN
Seattle Post Intelligencer
Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson said Wednesday that he has been assured Taiwan will soon ease restrictions on imports of U.S. beef.
Parkinson met in Taiwan last week with President Ma Ying-jeou during a trade mission to the island nation. Parkinson said Ma indicated Taiwan would soon begin accepting shipments of U.S. beef, although no timetable was given.
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Timely tips for the beef herd
Brandon Sears
Richmond Register (KY)
Spring-calving cows
— Schedule a pregnancy examination of cows if not done previously. Winter feeding costs can be minimized by eliminating open cows prior to winter feeding.
— Wean calves before cows lose body condition.
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Re-Branding Cattle
Fort Worth Weekly
Well, that calm after the hyphen storm didn’t last long. Here’s Chow, Baby’s latest wild-eyed rant: In case you didn’t know it, Angus is just a breed of cow. Like Hereford, Jersey, Holstein, Elsie. Honestly, the only real difference is that Angus has a huge advertising budget. Thirty years ago, in a truly brilliant feat of marketing, the American Angus Association started advertising its very best cuts as "Certified Angus Beef," a fuzzy label that encourages people to hear "Blah blah Angus blah blah best." Top that with three decades of cross-promoting, licensing, fast-food partnerships, and more advertising, and by now every beef-eater in America thinks all Angus is holy cow.
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Cattleman’s Days scheduled in four Nebraska locations
The Fence Post
Extension educators have planned Cattleman’s Day and Trade Show events for Mon., Nov. 16, 2009, in North Platte at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds; Tues., Nov. 17, 2009, Ogallala, Grey Goose; Mon., Nov. 23, 2009 in McCook, Red Willow County Fairgrounds; and Tues., Nov. 24, 2009, in Imperial, Zion Lutheran Church, said University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Educator Randy Saner of North Platte.
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Nebraska beef industry summit to cover pricing
KRVN
Beef production and pricing are atop the agenda for the fourth annual Nebraska Cattlemen Beef Industry Issues Summit. The meeting is set for Nov. 17 at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. The morning session topic title is “Potential Policies Affecting Beef Production.”
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A world without meat is an unappetising idea
Kate Colquhoun
The Telegraph (UK)
Imagine a world without the cow, pig or sheep. What you’re actually seeing, according to Lord Stern of Brentford , is the future – in which we’ve all turned vegetarian to save the planet.
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The Moral Ferocity of Eating Animals
Dr. Andrew Weil
Huffington Post
Editor’s note: Stories of this ilk are included in the blog to inform those in our industry how agriculture is being presented to and perceived by the public.
It is a rare human act that is utterly reprehensible. Some glimmer of grace, some hope for redemption shines through nearly all of our efforts.
And then, Jonathan Safran Foer reminds us in his new book, Eating Animals there is factory farming of living creatures.
Perhaps you have seen the film Food, Inc. Maybe you have read the works of Michael Pollan. You may have heard of confined veal calves pumped full of antibiotics and collapsing in their own excrement; or seen the video of bushels of baby chicks, alive and cheeping, dumped into a grinder.
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The goal of every beef cattle producer should be to save every calf born on the farm.Every calf saved, adds to the profits of the farming operation. By understanding the birthprocess a producer can provide assistance to cows that are having difficulty.
more about "Video Feature: Save Every Calf", posted with vodpod
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A Chill in the Air
KATRINA WATERS
The Cattleman
After a long, hot summer, fall’s cooler temperatures are a welcome change throughout the region. But a few brisk mornings in a row can put cattle under cold stress, increasing their nutrient requirements and even indirectly affecting their health.
Emalee Buttrey, a doctoral student at West Texas A&M University and an Extension assistant at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Amarillo, says it is a common misconception that cold stress only occurs in the Panhandle or only in a rare snowstorm. In actuality, a "not-so-cold" day — a day you might not even need a jacket — could cause cold stress in cattle, depending on other environmental factors.
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Bovine Leukosis
Jeanette L. Floss, MU College of Veterinary Medicine, Richard F. Randle, Commercial Agriculture Program, University of Missouri
Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) is characterized by the development of tumors of lymphatic tissues (lymphosarcoma), such as the thymus, spleen and lymph nodes. These specialized organs are an integral component of the defense system that protects the animal against infection by producing antibodies and specialized cells which attack bacteria or viruses. Lymphoid cells are also found in other organ systems and circulating in the blood.
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Q&A: Is there any OBJECTIVE data proving that smaller cows eat that much less than larger cows?
Dr. Matthew Spangler, Assistant Professor of Animal Science, Animal Science, University of Nebraska
In fact smaller (lighter weight) cows do need less for maintenance than do larger cows (heavier weight) if other factors, such as genetic potential for milk production, are equal.
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What the Body Condition Score Can Tell You
Becky Mills
DTN/Progressive Farmer
It’s September 10, and Alan Graybeal is not a happy man. This time of year he’s normally taking paddocks out of his grazing rotation to stockpile cool-season forages. It’s his standing hay in the winter. But not this season.
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NCBA Continues to Call for Death Tax Reform
Beef Today
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is continuing to urge Congress to pass legislation providing additional relief and permanency in the tax code for America’s farmers, ranchers and other small business owners. As part of these ongoing efforts, NCBA is supporting H.R. 3905, the Estate Tax Relief Act of 2009, introduced last week by Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), along with Representatives Kevin Brady (D-Texas), Devin Nunes (R-Calif), and Artur Davis (D-Ala.). Over a 10-year period, H.R. 3906 would increase the estate tax (“death tax”) exemption to $5 million while decreasing the rate to a level of 35%.
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Farm-State Senators Raise Climate Concerns
Hoosier AG Today
Missouri Senator Kit Bond fears a cap-and-trade system aimed at limiting carbon pollution, like the one proposed by Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry, would place a heavy burden on Midwest producers. That was one concern he raised during the opening Senate Environment Committee hearing on the Boxer-Kerry bill.
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Hip Height and Frame Score Determination
Sally L. Dolezal, Extension Beef Cattle Breeding Specialist. Nakita Coe, Communications Intern, Oklahoma State University
Live animal evaluation takes into consideration any subjective measurements that help describe an animal. Some common measurements of cattle include backfat, pelvic area, scrotal circumference, height at the shoulder, height at the hip, and length of body.
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Why does foot and mouth disease cause such concern?
extension.org
The foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus is one of the most infectious animal disease viruses known. It causes blisters on the mouth, teats, and soft tissues of the feet of cloven-hoofed (split-hoofed) animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs, and goats as well as some species of wildlife. Infected animals have difficulty eating and walking and lose weight rapidly. They suffer production loss from which they rarely recover.
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Expert gives clues about beef quality and production
LSU AG Center
Marbling is the No. 1 way to determine quality in a cut of meat, said LSU AgCenter county agent Johnny LeVasseur at the latest monthly Lunch and Ag Discovery program at the AgCenter’s Red River Research Station.
“The finer the white specks and the more you have, the better the quality of the meat,” LeVasseur said. “Marbling adds flavor.”
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