HEALTH & NUTRITION...
Preconditioning Calves Prior to Sale
Todd Thrift shares ways to increase the likelihood of getting a return on the investment in preconditioning calves.
Todd Thrift can't promise that preconditioning calves prior to sale will make a rancher rich, but it could be profitable. Addressing cow-calf producers attending Range Beef Cow Symposium XXII in Mitchell, Neb., the University of Florida animal scientist said a preconditioning program, including vaccinations and weaning calves for 45 days, does add value and potential for premiums.
Thrift said the objective is to take calves through the weaning process and "get them eating and gaining weight." It should better establish their health status and reduce the incidence of subsequent sickness and loss.
"We want to avoid the wrecks, but also make calves more predictable for feedlot performance and carcass merit," said Thrift, adding that research data show it works. Read more.
New Feedstuffs Need New Mineral Strategy
Beef producers shouldn't overlook proper mineral intake as part of an overall feeding plan, according to a Purdue Extension specialist. Ron Lemenager, a professor of animal sciences, said minerals are becoming a more important issue as feed options have changed.
"I think we pretty much had minerals taken care of when everyone was feeding corn and hay," Lemenager said. "But then it changed, and we introduced byproducts like distillers' dried grains, corn gluten feed and soybean hulls, which changes our supplementation strategy."
If minerals such as copper, zinc, manganese and selenium are out of balance, a cow could have problems with immune function, reproduction, digestion and metabolism, and onset of puberty, among other issues. Read more.
Controlling Lice in Beef Cattle
Lice are a common winter problem, especially in cold climates. Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky, says there's not much that's really new for lice control. "The pyrethroid insecticides are still effective against all types of lice," he says.
Diligent lice control can effectively eliminate lice in most herds. He cites a European study that looked at attempts to eradicate both sucking and chewing lice in herds. Elimination was successful in 85% of the study herds (28 out of 33 herds).
"Strategies included application of insecticides — two treatments about three weeks apart — culling any carrier animals (reservoirs of lice), and quarantine/treatment of any new animals brought into those herds," Townsend says. Read more.
Rick Rasby
Ridin’ Herd
Corn market says we must do more with forages.
High corn prices have signaled that cow-calf producers must do more with forages. With the national beef cow herd shrinking, the availability of pasture and range should increase, causing a decrease in costs. However, the increase in corn price and the widespread drought in the southern United States have put pressure on forage resources. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see how this situation plays out. In the short term, forages — both pastureland and harvested forages — will be expensive. Read more.
Protein Supplementation
Study evaluates effects of supplementing cattle on low-quality cool-season vs. warm-season forages.
Considerable research has shown that supplemental protein can increase utility of low-quality forages. In a recent study, researchers wanted to know if the type of forage affects protein supplementation. Rumen-cannulated steers were fed soybean meal at approximately 0.1% of body weight on either 6.3% crude-protein (CP) bluegrass straw (BS, a cool-season plant) or 5.7% CP tallgrass prairie forage (TP, a warm-season plant). Results were as follows:
- increase in forage passage rate: BS = 10%, TP = 46%
- increase in forage intake: BS = 7%, TP = 47%
- increase in dry-matter digestibility: BS = 9%, TP = 21%
Left unanswered in this study is whether the results could be applied to all cool-season and warm-season forages, or if they apply only to these two particular examples.
However, cool-season forages are, in general, higher in quality (being lower in fiber) than warm-season forages, so these results might be rather broadly applicable. Also, even without any effects on forage utility, supplementation can rectify any dietary protein deficiency.
The study was reported in the Journal of Animal Science (89:3707) by Oregon State University, the University of Kentucky and the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
6 Cold-Weather Calving Tips
What tactics and tricks of the trade help make calving season run more smoothly and get calves off to a healthy start? You likely have some tried-and-true management practices of your own, but here two Angus breeders share a few of theirs. Read more.
White Paper Addresses Use of Antibiotics
in Food Animals
Antibiotic use in food-animal production is the focus of a white paper recently released by the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA). The white paper is a summary of science-based information delivered by the 13 human health and animal health speakers and symposium participants at the "Antibiotic Use in Food Animals: A Dialogue for Common Purpose" symposium in Chicago Oct. 26-27.
"Critics and proponents of the use of antibiotics in livestock have conflicting views on the correct interpretation of the body of evidence related to agricultural use of antibiotics and the development of resistant organisms," states Len Bull, chairman of the symposium. "This white paper, written in laymen terms, will help individuals understand what the science shows to date and why each of us [has] a responsibility toward achieving the unified goal of 'One Health: Healthy People, Healthy Animals, Healthy Food.' "
The white paper provides science-based information regarding the use of antibiotics in food-animal production, human health implications relative to antibiotic use and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in livestock. A significant portion of the white paper addresses the controversial topic of antimicrobial resistance. Citing that antimicrobial resistance is not a black-and-white issue, the white paper notes that "the ultimate priority about antibiotic use going forward is the development of well-established, science-based criterion in the regulatory decision-making process."
The message to the livestock and poultry industries is plain and simple: Remain focused on disease prevention and continual improvement of good animal husbandry practices.
Individuals can access the white paper, as well as the symposium speakers' PowerPoint presentations with synchronized audio, online at www.animalagriculture.org. The white paper can also be obtained by calling NIAA at 719-538-8843.
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.
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