July 22, 2019 | Vol. 12 : No. 7
Less salad, more carbs and proteins.
That’s counter to what many say is right for our diet, but for cows and other livestock, that’s the direction in which their diets are likely to shift. Farmers are trying to keep their animals well-fed amid a Midwest shortage in hay and other grasses grown for livestock to eat.
Pinkeye is more than an inconvenience in cattle herds. It’s a highly contagious disease that’s painful for animals, can significantly reduce calf growth rates and can even lead to blindness if left untreated.
The good news is there are several management practices most cattlemen can implement to reduce the occurrence and minimize the impact of this common disease.
High-quality silages facilitate ration balancing and allow you to achieve higher production goals. Even though creating silage may seem a simple process, much can go wrong. Gaps between ideal fermentation cost money. For example, research has shown that not inoculating can result in 4.71% losses, says Bob Charley, forage products manager with Lallemand.
We all know that feeding cows high-quality forage can translate to increased profitability, thanks to its superior digestibility and encouragement of dry-matter intake. However, over the past few years, prices have been on the rise as the result of a limited forage supply. Despite its high cost, whether we are feeding on our farms or shipping down the road as a source of income, we can all agree that forage quality matters.
Infectious diseases occur when the body is overwhelmed by pathogens. A healthy animal with strong immunity is less likely to become sick than an animal with poor immunity.
Properly timed vaccination can help create good herd immunity against some of the common cattle diseases. Shannon Williams, Lemhi county extension educator in Salmon, Idaho, says not all vaccines work the same way, however, and it pays to know what kind to use and when.
A team of Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists is investigating a new “ingredient” for use in vaccinating cattle against Johne’s disease, a chronic wasting affliction that costs the U.S. dairy industry more than $200 million per year.
The ingredient in question is a type of protein on the surface of the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), which causes Johne’s disease.
U.S. ranchers have spent decades investing in ways to provide safe, affordable beef that meets consumer demands. Their efforts include antibiotic stewardship and sustainability standards, and they’re not alone.
