Livestock Management
A recent study has found that chronic wasting disease may spread though the saliva and blood of infected deer. CWD was first detected in Colorado in the late 1960s, but scientists have never been able to determine how the disease spreads so easily from one infected animal to the next. “It is the first time […] Read more
Livestock Management
CWD discovery may prompt live animal test
U.S. cattle herd expands
Despite the challenges of drought and the rise in cull-cow slaughter, American cattle producers are attempting to increase their herd size. James Mintert of Kansas State University said the year-over-year increase in cow slaughter still has a way to go to overcome heifer retention. The agricultural economist said the number of beef cows slaughtered in […] Read more
Water shortage affects future calf crops
Larry Grant believes poor water quality is responsible for the low pregnancy rate among his heifers this fall. When a veterinarian checked the 82 females recently, only 61 were pregnant, or about three-quarters of them. Usually, the conception rate for his heifers is 90 to 95 percent. “Even the vet commented, ‘this is odd,’ ” […] Read more
Liquid feeding systems not perfect
Does a liquid feeding system sound like a dream come true? Like it or not, a liquid feeding system will have an effect on your dreams, said a University of Guelph researcher. “A belt will break, a line will get plugged, you will get a call in the middle of the night that you need […] Read more
Purebred sector looks to beef up skills
Purebred cattle producers admit they need more training when it comes to producing good stock and marketing their pedigreed bulls and females. Those were just some of the findings of a purebred risk assessment study done by the Canadian Beef Breeds Council. Mail-in surveys, live interviews and focus groups among seedstock and commercial producers, auctions […] Read more
ID workshop ideal way to improve efficiency
Hands-on training helps, say cattle producers learning the national on-line system for cattle ID and age verification. Lorne Christopherson recently crowded into a computer classroom with 39 other producers to learn more about age verification and cattle identification. “Most producers benefit from some hands-on instruction and the chance to ask questions in person whenever there […] Read more
Vet drug warning issued
Producers who bought the veterinary drug Penpro and didn’t receive dosage instructions should return it to the retailer. Health Canada issued an advisory last week warning that administering the wrong dose could cause an allergic reaction or pain and irritation at the injection site. Penpro is a non-prescription penicillin used to treat bacterial infections in […] Read more
Change made to how BSE is announced
Future BSE cases in Canada will not be reported until the disease has been confirmed at the world reference laboratory in Winnipeg. All new cases will be reported on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website and additional material or technical briefings will be provided only if there is new information about BSE. Canada has had […] Read more
Blood test checks for pregnancy
A faster pregnancy check carried out by a blood test is now available to producers. The test detects a pregnancy protein in the blood and can be used on any ruminant, including cattle, deer, elk, sheep and goats. Developed by Conception, an animal reproduction company in Quebec, the product will be available in Western Canada, […] Read more
New vaccine takes BRD by the horns
A new bactericide offers a single dose choice for bovine respiratory disease injections of feeder calves. The compound called Draxxin is newly licensed in Canada, but has been available in the United States for a year and Europe for two. BRD is a highly contagious disease that results in more than $1 billion in losses […] Read more
