Modified Live compared to Killed Vaccines for the Cow Herd

Modified Live compared to Killed Vaccines for the Cow Herd

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

          Properly administered and boostered modified live vaccines cause cell-mediated immunity in cattle.   The respiratory diseases, bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), infectious bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Parainfluenza 3 (PI3), and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) all have been shown to have an impact on reproductive performance of infected cowherds.  With the close proximity of herds to each other in the Southern region of the United States, it is difficult to isolate cattle enough to assure no transmission of these viral diseases.  Therefore immunization with readily available vaccines becomes the method of choice for protecting the herd from devastating impacts of early embryo loss, abortion, or weak calves due to these viruses.

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Repro Tracks: Update on sexed semen

Repro Tracks:  Update on sexed semen

by Bill Beal, beef cattle reproductive physiologist, Virgina Tech

Angus Journal

The technology to sort X- and Y-bearing sperm enabled the first marketing of sexed semen in 2006. Extensive scientific testing indicated the process would allow producers to choose the sex of calves with 90% accuracy, but would result in lower pregnancy rates. The interest of beef producers and artificial insemination (AI) companies in sexed semen has been greater than expected, and we have learned a lot in the first year of using sexed semen

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USDA Grants $234 Million to Promote U.S. Food and Agricultural Products

USDA Grants $234 Million to Promote U.S. Food and Agricultural Products

Angus E-Update

Acting Agriculture Secretary Chuck Conner announced Nov. 5 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided more than $234 million to help market American farm products overseas in the 2007 fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

The allocations were provided under the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), both administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The MAP uses funds from USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to share the costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities with U.S. agricultural trade organizations, state regional groups and cooperatives. Activities conducted with MAP funding include market research, consumer promotions for retail products and seminars to educate overseas customers.

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Applying Manure on Perennial Forage

Applying Manure on Perennial Forage

Ropin’the Web

Introduction

This manual’s objective is to provide livestock and perennial forage crop producers with the information and tools to make decisions about applying manure on perennial forage crops. It also contains information on the regulations for applying manure on forage crops, and resources for more in-depth information or assistance.

As of January 1, 2003, there were approximately 6.1 million head of cattle and calves on Alberta farms, as well as 2.14 million pigs. Tame forage acreage (hay and pasture) was approximately 10 million acres (4.05 million ha) and native range an additional 15 million acres (6.10 million ha). Thus, forage land accounts for a substantial part of the area available for application of livestock manure. Under some circumstances, manure spreading on perennial forages may be the best option available.

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Cows Unite for Better Rights

Cows Unite for Better Rights

By Alison Rogers

Mother Earth News

Join the resistance! Cows from across the country (and groups of supportive humans) have organized “Cows Unite,” a movement to spread the word about the benefits of organic milk and raise support for small-scale dairy farms.

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Cattle Diseases: Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis

Cattle Diseases:  Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis

Edited by L.R. Sprott and Steve Wikse*

Mycattle.com

Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) was originally recognized as a respiratory disease of feeder cattle in the western United States. Later, IBR became recognized as a complex of disease syndromes occurring throughout the United States and over the other major cattle-producing areas of the world.

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IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack Receives USDA PVP Status

IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack Receives USDA PVP Status

Mycattle.com

LAWRENCE, Kan., and DUBLIN, Ireland, Nov 05, 2007 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — IdentiGEN’s DNA TraceBack(R) system, a proprietary meat identification and traceability system based on DNA analysis, has been approved by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service as a Process Verified Program (PVP). The DNA TraceBack system enables retailers, meat producers, meat processors and food-service outlets to respond to the growing consumer demand, both domestically and in export markets, for more information about where and how their meat is produced.

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Competing With The Big Boys

Competing With The Big Boys

By Larry Stalcup

Beef Magazine

Gerald Scheckel the farmer added more corn acres this year. An ethanol-fueled price near $4 will do that for a Midwest grower with about 5,000 tillable acres.

But that forced changes for Gerald Scheckel the cattle feeder. He didn’t feed his own corn to some 1,500 calves in his grower/custom feedyard. Those cattle received distiller’s grain from the local ethanol plant.

So goes the situation facing many farmer-feeders in these days of higher-priced grain, ethanol production and higher farming input costs competing for and against strong feeder- and fed-cattle markets.

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USCA Challenges Opponents Of Packer Ban

USCA Challenges Opponents Of Packer Ban

Cattlenetwork.com

USCA (November 6, 2007) – The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) today called on opponents of a provision in the U.S. Senate’s version of the 2007 Farm Bill that would limit packer ownership of livestock to halt misrepresentation of the facts and engage in debate that will result in meaningful reform.

Allan Sents, USCA Director Region VIII, said arguments being brought forth by groups like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) related to limits on determining value or personal freedom are a smokescreen for opposition of any legislation that shifts leverage and market power away from the few and powerful.

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Colorado Boxed Beef Co-Founder Dies

Colorado Boxed Beef Co-Founder Dies

Cattlenetwork.com

Edith Saterbo, co-founder of Colorado Boxed Beef, died Nov. 2 in Winter Haven, Fla., from heart failure. She was 77.

She and her late husband Dick Saterbo founded Colorado Boxed Beef in 1975. She retired in 1989. The Auburndale, Fla.-based processor has since been led by sons Bryan, Stephen and John Saterbo. A fourth son, Richard, is not involved in the business.

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Quality in Kansas feedlot comes with knowing the product

Quality in Kansas feedlot comes with knowing the product

Midwest Messenger

Little things are important at Irsik & Doll Feedyard (IDFY), Garden City, Kan.

Little things like relationships, slight variations in performance or grade and sorting cattle to an ideal finish.

Manager Mark Sebranek knows the owners behind every partial pen in the 32,000-head Certified Angus Beef LLC-licensed feedlot. He can recite sires and Certified Angus Beef brand acceptance-rate history for most customers, sometimes down to the cow families.

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It Appears That Beef Packers Are Cutting Back On The Chain Speed

It Appears That Beef Packers Are Cutting Back On The Chain Speed

by Dennis Smith of Archer Financial Services

Inside Futures

LIVE CATTLE

Live cattle futures opened unchanged on Monday but rallied sharply and closed on their session highs. Suddenly the Dec live cattle are trading 200 points off the recent lows. In late Oct, when futures put in a short term low, the market recovered 270 points before resuming the down trend. I’m expecting the down trend in live cattle to remain in place. My hedge customers are using this strength to establish short positions. My spec customers are also starting to come to the short side. Anticipate strong resistance in the 9600 to 9650 level basis the Dec live cattle. The rally was based upon two items, the higher wholesale beef as reported at noon yesterday and talk that cash steer prices would trade higher this week.

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Bion Announces Favorable Air Quality Report for Proposed Integrated Project in Upstate New York

Bion Announces Favorable Air Quality Report for Proposed Integrated Project in Upstate New York

CNN

Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc. announced today that on Wednesday, October 31, 2007, a favorable report related to Bion’s proposed Integrated Project in Upstate New York was released to the public at a press conference held at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York.

The report to the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators, entitled “Probability of Nuisance Odors from the Proposed Feeding Operations of Bion Technologies” (“Report” or “Study”), presents the results of an odor modeling study led by Philip K. Hopke, Ph.D., the Bayard D. Clarkson Distinguished Professor, and Director, Center For Air Resources Engineering and Science at Clarkson University. Dr. Hopke is an internationally recognized expert on air emissions and the modeling thereof and was recently appointed to the EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Particulate Matter Panel.

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Roughage Alternatives to Hay

Roughage Alternatives to Hay

Carolina Virginia Farmer

Matt Poore, N.C. State University Beef Cattle Specialist, speaking Oct 23 at an Area Cattle Drought Meeting in Laurinburg, N.C., told cattle producers to consider alternative roughages to offset hay shortages brought on by the drought this year.

Many high concentrate diets are carried to the cattle by hand but most producers favor other methods of delivering feed to cattle, he said. Alternative roughages to hay are the answer for many.

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