Pasture and Poultry

Video: Save Every Calf

noreply@blogger.com (Mitchell Nail) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:22:00 +0000

VIDEO: Meet The Super Cow

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:52:00 +0000

VIDEO: Your Beef Checkoff Dollars At Work Abroad

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:20:00 +0000

VIDEO: Sync Your Cows With New CIDRS Protocol

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:52:00 +0000

VIDEO: Effective & Gentle Cattle Handling

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:01:00 +0000

VIDEO: Biosecurity In The Beef Herd

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:51:00 +0000

VIDEO: Pork Industry Under Attack in Wake of Swine Flu Furor

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:18:00 +0000

VIDEO: Ag Secretary Says Swine Flu Has No Connection to Pork Consumption

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Fri, 01 May 2009 13:19:00 +0000

VIDEO: Poultry Industry Suffers Setback

noreply@blogger.com (Mitchell Nail) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:34:00 +0000

FARMERVILLE, La.-(LSU AgCenter)--Louisiana’s poultry industry suffered a blow when Pilgrim’s Pride announced plans to close it’s northeast Louisiana processing facility. State officials say they're working on a deal to ensure the facility continues operating. LSU AgCenter correspondent Tobie Blanchard talks with a grower raising his last flock of birds for Pilgrim’s Pride.

VIDEO: 'Dirty Jobs' - Birthing a Cow

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 13:15:00 +0000

VIDEO: NCBA Chief Economist Addresses Effects of Recession on Cattle Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 13:08:00 +0000

VIDEO: Arkansas Farm Bureau - Beef Cattle Update

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:02:00 +0000

VIDEO: Beef's Double Whammy

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:06:00 +0000

Winter Pinkeye? Yes, It's Possible

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:02:00 +0000

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.-(WVU Extension)--Classic pinkeye is thought of as a summer and autumn disease. The organism that causes pinkeye, Moraxella bovis, is usually transmitted by face flies active in the warm months.

However, a variation of Moraxella bovis can cause an outbreak of pinkeye in the winter when there is little fly activity. The nonhemolytic version of Moraxella bovis and a virus called ocular IBR are the chief causes of "winter pinkeye."

Let's review classic pinkeye, which is prevalent in warm months. Moraxella bovis will generally cause a white opacity in the eye's center with excessive tear production and reddening of the conjunctiva. In a classic outbreak, the yearling cattle in their first grazing season are most severely affected. English breeds, particularly Hereford cattle, seem to be the most susceptible. Many observers have said that Zebu-type cattle (Brahman or cattle with humps over their shoulders) rarely suffer from pinkeye. Moraxella bovis will hibernate in the nostrils of carrier animals over the winter, waiting for the flies' reemergence in the spring.

When observing cattle closely through the winter months, it is common to find several animals with excessive tearing and reddened eyes. Many farmers will immediately turn to long-acting antibiotic treatment for what appears to be pinkeye. In many cases, the reddened eyes and tearing are a result of a virus, Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR). The virus is soon recognized by the immune system and destroyed over a fairly defined period of time. A common example of a virus displaying a limited life span is the 24- or 48-hour flu many of us battle in winter. With IBR, the period of time for the immune system to clear the infection is 10 to 20 days. No treatment would be indicated if IBR is present. However, IBR can lower the defense mechanism and bacterias, like Moraxella bovis, can cause more severe damage.

How can you differentiate the virus from the bacteria? It is important to determine if the bacteria is present to avoid unnecessary treatment costs. The bacteria will generally cause a white pinpoint lesion at the center of the eye and move to the outside. The virus will start with the reddening and excessive tearing at the outside of the eye. When IBR is present alone, it will usually not cause the very obvious white scarring that the bacteria causes. When in doubt, treat the eye. However, remember the virus will run a course that is unaffected by the presence of an antibiotic. If the problem does not improve or worsen, it is likely that the virus is just running its course.

Look at Your Vaccination Program

This is also the time to take a close look at your vaccination program. It should be remembered that IBR causes many other more severe problems on a cow-calf farm. Middle to late-term abortions and pneumonia are common disorders associated with the IBR virus.

The ocular form of IBR should serve as a warning that this virus is present in your herd. Although vaccination in the middle of a "pinkeye" outbreak is generally not indicated, take note to modify your existing program. A common recommendation on farms with a history of winter pinkeye is to use an intranasal vaccine in late fall. Never use this vaccine when the eye problems have already started--it may make them worse. Vaccines directed specifically against Moraxella bovis have been tried; however, many farms report mixed success at preventing herd outbreaks of pinkeye with these vaccines.

Winter pinkeye should serve as a warning that IBR protection may need to be enhanced by changing timing, frequency or type of vaccine used. Although pinkeye causes significant economic loss, abortion and pneumonia from IBR can have a very crippling effect on a cow-calf farm. In the winter when you observe excessive tearing, suspect IBR first. Then get consultation on your vaccination program and avoid unnecessary financial loss.

(Source: Sam Barringer, D.V.M. Veterinary Science Specialist - WVU Extension Service.)

VIDEO: Grass Tetany - A Primer

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Wastewater Irrigation Can Boost Bermudagrass Hay Yields

noreply@blogger.com (Mitchell Nail) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:16:00 +0000

FLORENCE, S.C.-(USDA)—Many hay growers with water shortages already make every drop count by recycling livestock wastewater for irrigation. Now Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have found ways to boost benefits from this practice even more.

The high nutrient content of livestock wastewater can limit its use for crop irrigation. In addition, spray irrigation can increase the emission of ammonia and other volatile organic compounds present in the wastewater.

ARS research leader Patrick Hunt, agricultural engineer Ken Stone and soil scientist Matias Vanotti wanted to see if subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) with pretreated swine wastewater could both eliminate emissions and increase the overall effectiveness of irrigation. Hunt, Vanotti and Stone all work at the ARS Coastal Plains Soil, Water and Plant Research Center in Florence, S.C.

They conducted a two-year study that compared bermudagrass hay crops that were irrigated via SDI. One crop was irrigated with livestock wastewater that had been pretreated to remove concentrations of ammonia, nitrogen and phosphorus. The other crop was irrigated with well water and amended with commercial fertilizer.

The team assessed the crops from both management systems for yield and hay biomass. They also checked soil nutrient levels and soil water nutrients.

The scientists found that crop yields were higher for bermudagrass that had been irrigated with the pretreated wastewater. They also found that bermudagrass hay yields did not vary significantly when the crops were irrigated with wastewater levels that replenished only 75 percent of the water lost to evapotranspiration.

This suggests that wastewater SDI is often effective at lower application rates. SDI irrigation with treated wastewater would also reduce the amount of water draining through the soil, which in turn would reduce the opportunity for plant nutrients to be leached below the root zone.

These results imply that SDI with treated swine wastewater provides forage crops with needed irrigation and fertilization that can equal--and even sometimes exceed--the benefits of feeding crops with commercial fertilizer.

VIDEO: How Have Fitting & Showing Techniques Changed Over Time?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:49:00 +0000

VIDEO: What Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Ring Worm?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:52:00 +0000

Cattle Fly Control: Horn Fly Economic Impact

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:40:00 +0000

LEXINGTON, Ky. (UK Extension)--Horn flies are blood feeders that primarily attack pastured cattle. Bulls are more attractive to horn flies than are steers or cows. Individual flies pierce the skin with their short, tube-like mouthparts 20 to 30 times per day to ingest a small amount of blood. Their feeding activity is painful and annoys the animals, as well as causing some blood loss. This stress is probably the cause of reduced weight gain during the summer. Horn flies can cause a 12 to 20 pound lighter calf at the end of the summer, as well as, greater weight loss per nursing cow.

In addition, horn flies have been implicated in the spread of summer mastitis, a suppurative disease of non-lactating mammary glands. Incidence of this disease is highest during the fly season and decreases in response to effective fly control. Horn fly feeding lesions on teats may serve as entry sites for the pathogen and these, and other pasture flies, may carry the disease organism on their bodies.

(Source: Lee Townsend, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture.)

VIDEO: The Basics of Grass-Fed Beef

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:44:00 +0000

Here's an interesting piece from Purdue University outlining the basics of grass-fed beef.

Video: Injecting Cattle Properly-Don’t Damage The Product

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:06:00 +0000

Video: Animal Agriculture Is Part Of The Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Crawford) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:11:00 +0000

Video: Getting To Know Your Beef

noreply@blogger.com (Mitchell Nail) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:15:00 +0000

Video: The McDonald’s You Don’t Know - Opening Its Doors

noreply@blogger.com (Mitchell Nail) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:37:00 +0000

McDonald's invited six MBA students from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley to explore its beef supply chain-the ranches, feedlots and processing facilities that supply burgers to its restaurants.

Minimal Composting of Beef Cattle Manure Can Greatly Reduce Antibiotic Levels

noreply@blogger.com (Mitchell Nail) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:59:00 +0000

BELTSVILLE, Md.-(ScienceDaily)--Composting beef cattle manure, even with minimal management, can significantly reduce the concentrations of antibiotics in the manure, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) pilot study. The scientists found that composting manure from beef cattle could reduce concentrations of antibiotics by more than 99 percent.

Osman Arikan, a visiting scientist from Istanbul Technical University, and ARS microbiologists Patricia Millner and Walter Mulbry at the Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, in Beltsville, Md., looked at varying levels of manure management, including plain manure piles, and manure piles with straw added. They found that adding straw to manure piles tends to result in higher temperatures that speed up the process of degrading antibiotics as well as pathogens.

The use of antibiotics as therapeutic agents is widespread in the animal production industry. Scientific studies have shown that, depending on the antibiotic and type of animal, between 20 to 75 percent of antibiotics administered to animals is excreted via urine and feces. So it's important that these residues are broken down during composting to prevent their release into the environment.

Arikan, Millner, and Mulbry evaluated the efficacy of a series of minimal-management options for on-farm manure composting to reduce concentrations of the antibiotics oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline. The treatments were designed to span a range of management options from simply piling up the manure to mixing it with an equal volume of straw (to increase aeration within the compost pile) and adding insulating layers of straw.

Results show that manure-only pile temperatures and the concentrations of antibiotics were significantly influenced by treatment over a 28-day period. Concentrations of oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline incubated at ambient temperature decreased 75 percent and 90 percent, respectively.

Oxytetracycline and chlorotetracycline concentrations in samples incubated for 28 days within an amended manure pile decreased 91 percent and 99 percent, respectively. Although manure piles amended with straw attained higher temperatures and more rapid decreases in antibiotic concentrations, there is currently no compelling justification for producers to expend additional resources needed to achieve the more rapid rates of antibiotic removal. Pathogen reduction in manure piles requires careful and consistent management to ensure all parts of the pile are treated.