News Update

News Update
May 5, 2006

Patience, good facilities key to cattle handling safety

People working with cattle can underestimate the power that cattle have, fail to use common sense and make themselves subject to injury, said Kerri Ebert, Kansas State University (K-State) research and Extension assistant for biological and agricultural engineering.

“Consistently, about 20% of reported farm injury accidents involve livestock,” Ebert said. “Those are just injuries that are reported, though. Many livestock-related injuries go unreported, because they are treated on the farm.”

Injuries may occur when an animal is frightened. A person’s attitude also can have a lot to do with an animal’s behavior, said Janice Swanson, K-State interim head for animal science and industry.

“People working with cattle need to be able to ‘read’ cattle and understand their behavior patterns and flight zones. Otherwise, they might find themselves in a situation that they can’t get out of and could get hurt,” said Swanson, an animal behavior specialist.

Maintaining facilities is also an important factor in injury prevention, Swanson said. Just like people need to have an understanding of cattle behavior, they also need to understand how the facilities and chutes operate and where the safety gates are located.

Good facilities should be laid out to take advantage of animal behavior and sensory patterns, have solid sides to minimize distractions, and be maintained regularly, she said. They should have nonslip floors and be free of anything that can hurt animals, such as nails or wire.

“There is a strong correlation between facility design and injuries,” said Joseph Harner, K-State Extension agricultural engineer. “Inadequate facilities allow animals to turn around and not go forward, creating stress on the animals and handlers. Cattle also have a tendency to be afraid of shadows on the ground or areas that go from light to dark, such as working barn entrances.”

If cattle aren’t moving properly, paddles and flags can be used to guide them in the right direction, Swanson said. Electric prods can be used as a last resort, but need to be used appropriately at the rear of the animal and only for a moment, then released. Dogs should be used appropriately and not abused.

For more information about cattle handling and working facilities, visit www.grandin.com.

— adapted from a K-State press release

Senate approves disaster aid for agriculture

The Senate passed a $109 billion emergency supplement spending measure by a 78-20 vote, which the White House had threatened to veto earlier, brownfieldnetwork.com reported. The legislation includes funding for defense, hurricane recovery and other projects, plus $4 billion in agriculture disaster assistance.

The version of the spending measure must now be matched up with the measure passed by the House. That measure does not include an ag disaster aid package and is $17 billion smaller, the Brownfield article explained.

Lawmakers are expecting House-Senate negotiations to be difficult. Even if the agriculture disaster aid makes it through to the conference, 35 senators have signed a letter vowing to support a presidential veto if one is issued.

Although the administration has called disaster funding unnecessary, Senator Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) has vowed to fight to keep the funding in the final bill, the article continued. Johnson says extreme weather conditions have caused tough times for U.S. farmers and ranchers.

— compiled by Meghan Soderstrom, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.