HEALTH & NUTRITION...
Means to an End
While health requirements at Michigan's bull test station may not be necessarily unique, the partnerships fostered to keep those requirements tough and contemporary may be. Interested parties in Michigan have found that by working proactively together on health and other crucial quality issues, they can reduce problems with bulls, add more value to their sales and prompt producers in the state to improve their own operation protocols. Read more.
Bob Larson
Vet Link
Consider castration
Castration is one of the oldest and most common surgical procedures done on beef cattle. The reasons that bulls are castrated include controlling which males are allowed to breed females, to produce animals that are easier to manage due to decreased aggressive and sexual behavior, and to produce a carcass that is higher in quality. Read more.
New Trichomoniasis Rules for Bulls Entering Texas
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) is taking steps to stop the importation of bulls infected with trichomoniasis. Beginning April 1, 2009, breeding bulls that are 24 months of age or younger must be certified as virgins in order to enter Texas from any other state. A breeder's certificate, signed by the breeder, must accompany any virgin breeding bull, along with a certificate of veterinary inspection.
Non-virgin bulls and those older than 24 months of age entering Texas on or after April 1 must have tested negative for trichomoniasis within 30 days prior to entry. Each animal must be accompanied by a completed trichomoniasis test document and certificate of veterinary inspection.
According to Bob Hillman, TAHC executive director, the rules affecting bulls brought into Texas comprise the first phase of a regulatory package adopted in response to producer requests for help in stopping the spread of trichomoniasis, a venereal disease that causes abortions and infertility. The second phase of the Texas Trichomoniasis Program, beginning Jan. 1, 2010, will require breeding bulls of Texas origin to be certified as virgin bulls, or be tested negative for trichomoniasis, before they are sold, leased, loaned, exchanged or otherwise change possession.
Understanding High-Mountain Disease
Bovine high-mountain disease, or brisket disease, is the accumulation of fluid in an animal's brisket area as a result of congestive heart failure. The condition is caused by hypertension in response to low oxygen levels at higher elevations, making cattle that originated at lower elevations and were moved to higher elevations highly susceptible to the disease.
Tim Holt, Colorado State University (CSU) assistant professor of veterinary medicine and biomedical science, has been studying the disease for more than two decades, and says high-mountain disease typically occurs at elevations above 5,000 feet (ft.), but he has seen it occur in cattle at 2,800 ft. Read more.
Rick Rasby
Ridin' Herd
Spring/summer mineral considerations
Feed costs are the major costs in producing a weaned calf. The beef cattle industry has recently experienced some of its greatest profits per cow in history. Feed costs in many operations represent 60%-70% of the total annual cow cost. Some have estimated that 50% of the herd-to-herd variation in profit exists due to feed costs. As you think about attacking feed costs, the major focus would be to address harvested feed costs. Read more.
Cattle Diseases: Common Conditions/Terms
Click here for a list of common conditions and terms related to beef cattle diseases, such as anaplasmosis, brucellosis, BVD, E. coli, IBR and others.