Poor cattle prices and rising production costs are changing the way producers care for their animals, says a veterinary professor from the University of Calgary. Not all of the changes are good.Eugene Janzen, who has practised veterinary medicine since the early 1970s, said Canadian beef producers are raising cattle more efficiently than ever.However, many herds are being monitored less closely and some animals are more prone to illness and disease as a result.Declining profit margins have resulted in larger herds, greater efficiency and less personalized care, Janzen told an audience at a May 6 stock handlers seminar hosted by the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan.”Nowadays, we’ve changed that individual cow into a commodity and she has become just like a bushel of wheat … and that makes a big difference in what we do,” Janzen said.”As we start worrying more about costs, we probably start to back off on some of the simple chores that we should be doing.”Janzen, who graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon in 1972, said higher production costs and lower producer returns have caused a fundamental change in the way beef cattle are raised.Forty years ago, when herd management was more personalized, producers often knew by memory the name and production history of every cow in a 250-head herd, Janzen said. Today, herds are larger, traceability is better and electronic databases and scanning devices are able to automatically call up an animal’s history.Janzen said the result is an industry that has become less personalized.In some cases, animal care has been overlooked, and demand for some veterinary services has declined.He said higher vet costs and lower animal values mean sick and unproductive cattle are more likely to go untreated. Deaths and illnesses that occur on the range or in the feedlot are often viewed as inconsequential.”Raising cattle is not fun like it used to be,” Janzen said. “Guys used to get out there and pay (closer) attention … because there was value in it.”He said the new system of beef production is part of a larger trend that is sometimes called minimal input animal agriculture.The trend includes more efficient feeding systems, lower labour costs, carefully timed marketing programs and reduced dependence on veterinary professionals.Not all aspects of minimal input production are negative, he said.For example, the adoption of later calving seasons has benefited animals and producers. By calving on the open range in warmer temperatures, disease problems are less prevalent and labour demands are reduced.”That’s hugely different from when I graduated,” Janzen said. “That’s a fundamental change in what we do.”However, with later calving comes a tendency to spend less time monitoring the herd. This can result in neglect and unnecessary animal suffering, he said.Low cost feeding systems such as swath grazing and bale grazing also means less contact between handlers and their herds.As a result, animals that become diseased or develop health problems are less likely to be noticed and the window for ensuring timely veterinary treatment is often missed.Janzen said marketing programs aimed at optimizing returns have also changed how feedlot animals are treated.”Nowadays, we don’t want those animals to get fat by May 1. We want them to get fat by July 15 because the prices are better then,” he said.”That’s a pretty common economical technique nowadays … but the problem with that is that those animals are programmed genetically to gain three pounds per day so we have to hold back their feed … and that can lead to digestive tract problems.”He said the changing nature of beef production is beginning to have a profound impact on the veterinary industry.Duties that were once performed frequently by large animal practitioners are now rarely requested.As a result, veterinary schools are reviewing teaching programs and some are considering changing their teaching curriculums.”The cost price squeeze has really begun to hurt our producers and it’s hurting us as veterinarians,” Janzen said.Forty years ago, when a heifer was worth $500 to $1,000, “I would perform a caesarian … for $50.””Nowadays, that heifer is still worth $500 but I want $500 to do a caesarian. Is it any wonder that we’re not doing many caesarians anymore?”
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