Do injection site swellings and lesions indicate decrease in vaccine response?

Do injection site swellings and lesions indicate decrease in vaccine response?

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

University of Arkansas beef specialists conducted an experiment to compare the clostridial antibody response of 8 month-old heifers that do develop OR do not develop visible injection-site lesions and swelling.  Blood samples were collected on day 0, 28, 56, 84, and 112 after injection with a 7-way clostridial subcutaneous vaccination.  The vaccinations were given in the neck with a pistol-grip syringe using the tented technique.

FULL STORY

Fly control begins with knowing flies (Pest control)

Fly control begins with knowing flies (Pest control)

Drovers

Four fly species account for the majority of losses in beef production:  house flies, horn flies, stable flies and face flies. They have similar appearance and life cycles, but because of differences in their breeding sites, habitats and feeding behaviors, producers need to identify the pests for effective and economical control.

FULL STORY

Federal Bill Seeks To Strengthen the Animal Welfare Act

Federal Bill Seeks To Strengthen the Animal Welfare Act

Humane Society of the US

WASHINGTON – Legislation introduced earlier this week would prohibit the use of live animals in sales and marketing demonstrations of medical devices and products. U.S. Representatives Steve Israel (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) introduced the Animal Welfare Accountability Improvement Act, which would amend the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The amendment was prompted by an incident at the Cleveland Clinic last winter, when a doctor created a brain aneurysm in an anesthetized dog to demonstrate a medical device to a group of salespeople.

During the demonstration to about two dozen people, the dog, who was under anesthesia, was operated on and then repeatedly manipulated by a group of non-medically trained salespeople in attendance, according to reports. At the conclusion, the dog was killed. The Cleveland Clinic is credited with taking swift action in the case – conducting an internal investigation, taking disciplinary measures against the doctor, and notifying the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  However, The Humane Society of the United States believes there should be a national policy prohibiting such conduct, and the matter should not be left to each institution to settle.

FULL STORY

Dale Blasi – If COOL Were Implemented, How Would It Affect A Stocker Cattle Producer?

Dale Blasi – If COOL Were Implemented, How Would It Affect A Stocker Cattle Producer?

Stocker Cattle Forum

Given the numerous food safety-related incidents that have occurred during the past six months, there certainly has been growing momentum for the implementation of COOL. While my comments will not to address the validity or the flaws of COOL in its present form, I will say that many people have the mistaken belief that food safety measures will be vastly improved with the existence of a labeling law such as COOL. Regardless of the outcome, all cattle producers should anticipate that greater emphasis will be placed on traceability in all aspects of our food production complex in the near future. As Nevil mentioned in his contribution, an individual animal identification system (not NAIS) will need to be factored into the equation if the desired outcome is an effective COOL.

FULL STORY

Growing Iowa’s Cattle Feeding Business

Growing Iowa’s Cattle Feeding Business      

Rod Swoboda

Wallaces Farmer

Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Beef Center sponsored three workshops for producers who were interested in starting or expanding a cattle feeding business this past winter. A total of 35 producers participated in the workshops. With distillers grains becoming more available to include in cattle rations as ethanol production continues to expand, there is a renewed interest in cattle feeding in Iowa.

Russ Euken, ISU Extension livestock specialist in north central Iowa, initiated the idea of the workshops. He says, “With an increasing number ethanol plants in the area, there is interest and opportunity for feeding cattle. However, many farm operations in the area have not fed cattle for quite a few years if at all. If they are going to start in the business and be successful, they need to do their homework and the workshop is meant to help in that process.”

FULL STORY

Kansas cattle, cattlemen recover from tornado

Kansas cattle, cattlemen recover from tornado

By Gene Johnston

Agriculture Online        

Following some of the worst tornadoes in years, Kansas cattle producers are struggling to locate their herds, treat the injured, and tally losses.

“It will be quite a while before we know the extent of the injuries and the losses from the storms,” says veterinarian Randall Spare, Ashland (Kansas) Veterinary Clinic. “More than 10 days after the storms, people were still looking for their cattle.”

FULL STORY

U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification

U.S. Cattle Groups Respond to Upgraded BSE Classification         

Western Farmer Stockman

At its general session meetings in Paris Tuesday, the World Organization for Animal Health announced that it would formally reclassify the U.S. as a ‘controlled risk’ country for bovine spongiform encephalopathy. A major U.S. cattle group and meat institute say “about time,” while another cattle group wants a better classification.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association issued a statement saying its members are “pleased” with the decision by the international veterinary body, known by its French initials as the OIE.

NCBA Chief Economist Gregg Doud says the decision should pressure foreign markets to open to U.S. beef. According to USDA, 18 countries still have bans on U.S. beef, reaching back to the late 2003 discovery of a case of BSE in the U.S.

“It is simply unacceptable for such trade barriers to cause further economic damage to our industry,” Doud says. “We expect this OIE categorization to trigger the lifting of long-standing political barriers to our products in various international markets.”

FULL STORY

Livestock producers will need to control stable flies after wet spring

Livestock producers will need to control stable flies after wet spring

Ag Professional

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — A wet spring in much of the state means livestock producers need to be diligent about controlling stable flies this summer, University of Nebraska-Lincoln entomologists say.

Stable flies are best controlled by sanitation and careful use of insecticides, said Jack Campbell, entomologist at UNL’s West Central Research and Extension Center at North Platte.

“Stable fly attack on feedlot cattle can reduce weight gain and feed efficacy as much as 10 to 15 percent,” Campbell said. “Maintaining dry conditions in the feedlot or dairy pen will greatly reduce fly breeding since flies need moisture mixed with organic matter to develop.”

Feedlot and dairy facilities should be designed or modified to facilitate ease in cleaning, good drainage and to minimize waste accumulation, he said.

Major feedlot breeding areas include behind feeding aprons, under fences and gates and along and behind mounds, said David Boxler, UNL entomology research technician.

FULL STORY

Benefits of omega-3 fed cows passed onto consumers

Benefits of omega-3 fed cows passed onto consumers

By Stephen Daniells

FOOD USA

Cows fed a diet rich in omega-3 produce enriched meat that has significant benefits for consumers, suggests new research from Kansas State University.

The enrichment of meat products with omega-3 and its addition to animal feed to boost levels in animal-derived produce is seen by some as having potential in bridging the gap between recommended and actual intake in the modern population.

“Our study was the first to look at the effects of eating a high-ALA diet of beef from cattle fed flaxseed and the impact on long-chain omega-3 fatty acid composition of EPA and DHA in the membrane phospholipids of the heart and liver using a rat model,” wrote lead author Denis Medeiros.

The current recommended intake of very long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the UK is 450mg per day. Yet on the basis of food consumption surveys, researchers estimate that the current mean intake amongst adults is only 282 mg per day, of which eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) contribute 244mg.

FULL STORY

Beef rates tops for Memorial Day grills

Beef rates tops for Memorial Day grills

Meat News

       UNITED STATES: Recent survey reveals beef ‘No. 1’ for Memorial Day.

Beef continues to be the number-one protein on American grills, according to a recent survey of 1,000 adults conducted in preparation for the official “opening” of the grilling season.

The survey reveals that 76 percent of Americans enjoy cooking on an outdoor grill, and a majority (67 percent) plan to fire up the grill during Memorial Day weekend. Of those who will grill on this holiday, 82 percent have hamburgers on their menu and 77 percent have steaks, specifically T-bone steak and/or ribeye steak.

More than 80 percent of respondents reported grilling during the milder seasons, specifically summer (98 percent), spring (89 percent) and fall (82 percent). Year-round grilling remains popular with 46 percent of respondents reporting they grill during the winter. Not surprisingly, those who most often grill in the winter are those living in the South (54 percent) and the West (48 percent).

FULL STORY

K-State agri-marketing team wins national competition

K-State agri-marketing team wins national competition

Eldorado Times

MANHATTAN – The Kansas State University National Agri-Marketing Association student team won the 2007 National Agri-Marketing Competition, finishing first for the second straight year.

The competition, at the National Agri-Marketing Association’s annual conference and trade show, was April 10-12 in Dallas, Texas.

FULL STORY

Glycerin Tested As Alternative Cattle Feed

Glycerin Tested As Alternative Cattle Feed

The Post Chronicle

A U.S. team of agricultural scientists is conducting a six-month study into the feasibility of using glycerin, a biodiesel byproduct, as cattle feed.

In a study that began this month, University of Missouri ruminant nutrition Professor Monty Kerley and colleagues are monitoring the growth of 60 calves from various being feed glycerin.

“We’re really looking at the energy value and how it compares to corn,” Kerley said. “When the animal consumes glycerin, it’s absorbed, and the glycerin is used to make glucose. Because it’s liquid, there are two things we worry about — one, how much can be used in the diet before it changes the form of the diet; and two, is there a limit to how much glycerin can be processed by the animal?”

FULL STORY

Governor OKs Ban On Slaughtering Horses For Food

Governor OKs Ban On Slaughtering Horses For Food

CBS 2 Chicago

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Horse lovers got a gift Thursday from Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich: a law making it illegal to slaughter horses for human consumption.

Blagojevich said he was proud to sign the law, calling it “past time to stop slaughtering horses in Illinois.”

A slaughterhouse in DeKalb has been shipping horse meat overseas, where it is sold for people to eat. The practice has outraged people who feel horses are more like pets than livestock.

FULL STORY

Ethanol Industry: Direct Effects For Corn

Ethanol Industry: Direct Effects For Corn

Cattlenetwork,com

As the ethanol industry absorbs a larger share of the corn crop, higher prices for corn will intensify demand competition among domestic industries and foreign buyers of feed grains. USDA’s 2007 long-term projections show average corn prices reaching $3.75 a bushel in the 2009/10 marketing year and then declining to $3.30 by 2016/17 as the ethanol expansion slows. Corn prices at these levels are record high and are unprecedented on a sustained basis, exceeding the previous high average over any 5-year period by more than 50 cents a bushel. Higher corn prices affect corn’s role as an animal feed. Livestock feeding is the largest use of U.S. corn, typically accounting for 50-60 percent of the total. With higher prices, corn used for animal feeding declines to 40-50 percent of total use over the next decade. A coproduct of dry-mill ethanol production, distillers grains can be used as a livestock feed, particularly for ruminant animals such as beef cattle and dairy cows.

FULL STORY

Brucellosis scare prompts emergency meeting of industry leaders

Brucellosis scare prompts emergency meeting of industry leaders

By GWEN FLORIO

Great Falls Tribune

HELENA — Now that cattle in Emigrant have been found free of brucellosis, the state needs to turn its attention to more effective ways of fighting the disease, Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Wednesday.

“This is an extraordinary event, so we want to make sure we get everything right,” Schweitzer said as he announced an emergency meeting next Tuesday to discuss the issue.

FULL STORY