News Update
Dec. 28, 2009

New Year Means New Regulation for Texas Cattle

Thinking about selling, leasing, bartering or even giving away a breeding bull? On Jan. 1, 2010, Texas bulls that undergo a change of ownership (except to slaughter) must be either certified as a virgin bull or be tested first for cattle trichomoniasis, a protozoal disease that can cause cows to abort very early in pregnancy. Infected bulls carry the microscopic “bug” that causes trichomoniasis without any signs and can transmit the single-celled protozoa to cows during breeding.

“There is no effective treatment for bulls, and once infected, they can continue to spread trichomoniasis when they breed,” said veterinarian Dee Ellis, who, on Jan. 1, will be Texas’ new state veterinarian and head of the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), the state’s livestock and poultry health regulatory agency. “Infected cows may clear the infection, but only if they are given rest from breeding for 120-150 days — an expensive option, as a calf crop will be missed. A vaccine also is available to help in the management of infected cows, but it will not prevent infection.”

The country’s western states have long-standing cattle trichomoniasis regulations. About two years ago, the Texas ranching industry requested similar regulations to protect against the introduction and spread of cattle trichomoniasis, or “trich.” For months, representatives from the state’s ranching, marketing and veterinary industries worked with the TAHC to develop effective regulations to control the disease, which affects herd productivity and an operation’s bottom line. In April 2009, the TAHC enacted requirements for bulls entering Texas. In-state regulations were delayed until Jan. 1, 2010.

“For months, we have worked with the Texas cattle industry to inform producers and have participated in many meetings about cattle trichomoniasis and the regulations. More than 600 accredited private veterinarians in Texas have been certified to collect samples for trichomoniasis testing, and we are ready to implement the intrastate regulations for bulls undergoing a change of ownership in Texas,” Ellis said.

Ellis said the regulations will apply to bulls being sold, traded, leased or undergoing any change of ownership (except for slaughter). The regulations include three basic steps:

1. Identify the bull. Identification is essential for matching animals with virgin bull certificates or test documents. One form of identification is needed, and it may be an official U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ear tag, breed registry brand or tattoo, an 840 flap, bangle or an 840 radio frequency identification (RFID) device. If the bull originated from another state, it may have that state’s official state of origin trichomoniasis ear tag (Texas does not have an official trich ear tag). An accredited veterinarian can apply an official USDA ear tag.
   
2. Certify virgin bulls. A breeder can certify the bull as a virgin if the animal was raised away from cows after weaning and the bull is 24 months of age or younger. A Texas-origin bull’s virgin status may be extended to 30 months if the virgin certificate is signed also by the breeder’s accredited veterinarian. Virgin bulls are not required to have a trichomoniasis test prior to change of ownership. Virgin bull certificates are available at no cost on the TAHC web page at www.tahc.state.tx.us.
   
3. Test older or non-virgin bulls. Bulls older than 30 months or bulls that were maintained with cows after weaning must have a negative trichomoniasis test within 30 days prior to change of ownership. A certified, accredited veterinarian must collect the sample for testing at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. While awaiting test results, which usually takes about a week, the bulls must be kept away from cows. Upon receipt of the negative test results, the animal is ready for change of ownership.

“Breeding bulls that haven’t been certified as virgins or tested are considered to be slaughter-only bulls,” Ellis said. “In some cases, however, buyers may want an untested bull, although they may be buying trouble. We have provisions under the regulations for untested bulls to be identified and moved under a TAHC-issued hold order and movement permit. The animal must be isolated from female cattle, and cannot be moved until it is tested within 30 days of purchase at the owner’s expense.”

“In Texas, two tests are accepted. One is the Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction test, or PCR, which looks for the DNA of the protozoa. Because only one PCR test is needed to detect infection, this may become the preferred method for producers who want to move cattle more quickly. The second acceptable test is the culture test, and it involves looking for the protozoa under a microscope. A series of three culture tests is needed, each conducted at least seven days apart,” Ellis said.

“Because cattle trichomoniasis is a reportable disease, we will be notified regarding test-positive animals,” Ellis explained. “Test-positive bulls may undergo a confirmation test, provided the owner or the accredited, certified veterinarian makes the request within five days of the positive results.”

Because there is no effective treatment, infected bulls must go to slaughter within 30 days of confirmation. The remaining bulls in the herd will be held, isolated from female cattle, until they undergo two consecutive negative RT-PCR tests, each conducted at least seven days apart, or three consecutive negative culture tests, with each of the tests conducted at least seven days apart. When they are confirmed negative for trichomoniasis, the bulls remaining in the herd are free to be moved or to be commingled with cows.

“The cattle trichomoniasis regulations can save cattle producers a lot of money in the long run, because this disease greatly affects calf production. If you are obtaining a breeding bull, make sure the animal has been certified as a virgin or was tested — for your herd’s sake,” Ellis said. “We will be reviewing the regulations on a yearly basis with an industry working group, to ensure that the rules remain timely and effective.”

Texas’ trichomoniasis entry requirements for breeding bulls are similar to the intrastate regulations, but allow out-of-state bulls to be certified as virgins only until 24 months of age. Exhibition or competition bulls may enter Texas without a trichomoniasis test, but must be kept away from female cattle. The TAHC must be contacted in advance of entry for a waiver of the test requirement to be issued on exhibition bulls.

The TAHC’s cattle trichomoniasis regulations and additional information are available on the TAHC web site at www.tahc.state.tx.us.

— News release from Texas Animal Health Commission.

USDA Implements New Crop Disaster Assistance Program

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Dec. 24 announced that the USDA has implemented the new Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments program (SURE) in accordance with the 2008 Farm Bill. Vilsack also encouraged producers to visit their USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) county office beginning Jan. 4, 2010, to participate in the program if they suffered crop production losses during the 2008 crop year.

“This program is an important component of the farm safety net and will provide financial assistance to producers who have suffered crop losses due to natural disasters,” Vilsack said. “Producers will receive payments beginning in January, in time to help them with planning for next year’s crop.”
SURE provides crop disaster assistance payments to eligible producers on farms that have incurred crop production or crop quality losses. The program takes into consideration crop losses on all crops grown by a producer nationwide.

SURE provides assistance in an amount equal to 60% of the difference between the SURE farm guarantee and total farm revenue. The farm guarantee is based on the amount of crop insurance and Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage on the farm. Total farm revenue takes into account the actual value of production on the farm as well as insurance indemnities and certain farm program payments.

To be eligible for SURE, producers must have suffered at least a 10% production loss on a crop of economic significance. In addition, producers must meet the risk management purchase requirement by either obtaining a policy or plan of insurance, under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or NAP coverage, for all economically significant crops. For 2008 crops, producers had the opportunity to obtain a waiver of the risk management purchase requirement through a buy-in provision. Producers considered socially disadvantaged, a beginning farmer or rancher, or a limited resource farmer may be eligible for SURE without a policy or plan of insurance or NAP coverage.

In addition to meeting the risk management purchase requirement, a producer must have a farming interest physically located in a county that was declared a primary disaster county or contiguous county by the agriculture secretary under a Secretarial Disaster Designation. Regardless of a Secretarial Disaster Designation, individual producers may also be eligible for SURE if the actual production on the farm is less than 50% of the normal production on the farm due to a natural disaster. For SURE, a farm is defined as all crops in which a producer had an interest nationwide.

For more information on the new SURE program, visit your local FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov.

— Release provided by USDA.

Industry Events Calendar Updated in API’s Virtual Library

Angus Productions Inc. (API) maintains a calendar of industry events in its Virtual Library. Events are listed by date with links to news releases or web pages with additional information about a particular event.

Click here to go directly to the calendar. For future reference, go to www.api-virtuallibrary.com. From the pull-down menu under “Meetings” select “Other industry meetings > Calendar of upcoming events.”

Just added:

• Jan. 20-21 — Heart of America Grazing Conference, Wilmington, Ohio

NCBA Files Appeal of EPA’s ‘Endangerment Finding’ Rule

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) filed a petition Dec. 23 in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recent greenhouse gas (GHG) “endangerment finding” rule.

“EPA’s finding is not based on a rigorous scientific analysis, yet it would trigger a cascade of future greenhouse gas regulations with sweeping impacts across the entire U.S. economy,” Tamara Thies, chief environmental counsel, said. “Why the Administration decided to move forward on this type of rule when there’s so much uncertainty surrounding humans’ contribution to climate change is perplexing.”

The endangerment finding does not in and of itself regulate GHGs, but it is a critical step in the process for GHG regulation under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The rule provides the foundation for EPA for the first time to regulate GHGs from small and large sources throughout the economy, including farms, hospitals, office buildings and schools.

For example, because of this rule, EPA will be able to tell farmers that they can only emit a certain level of GHGs; if they go over that amount, they can incur severe penalties and be forced to curtail production. The rule also sets the stage for citizen suits against large and small businesses that are the backbones of the U.S. economy. In addition, increased energy costs associated with this ruling will be devastating for agriculture and the public as a whole. 

“Instead of letting the issue of climate change, and man’s alleged contribution to it, be addressed through the proper democratic legislative process, EPA has decided to trump Congress and mandate greenhouse gas regulation under the Clean Air Act,” Thies said. “The Act is ill-equipped to address climate change, and Congress never intended for it to be used for that purpose.”

Under the rule, EPA defined air pollution to include six greenhouse gases, and stated that manmade greenhouse gases endanger public health and the environment.  

“As was evident during difficult negotiations over the past two weeks in Copenhagen, other countries around the world like China and India are unwilling to tie the hands of their economic engines and impose these kinds of costs on their citizens,” Thies said. “This unilateral move by the EPA jeopardizes our ability to remain competitive in the global marketplace.”

The petition NCBA filed, as part of a coalition of interested parties, is the first step in asking the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn EPA’s rule due to a lack of sound or adequate basis for making the finding of endangerment from anthropogenic GHGs.

“‘Climategate’ revealed that the data on which the EPA relied to make this finding is questionable and may have been manipulated to tell a story that global warming alarmists wanted to tell,” said Thies. “The fact that the EPA is ignoring this scandal is not going to make it go away.”

According to the EPA, in 2007, GHG emissions from the entire U.S. agriculture sector represented less than 6% of total U.S. GHG emissions, and the livestock industry emitted only 2.8%. At the same time, land use, land use change, and forestry activities resulted in a net carbon sequestration of approximately 17.4% of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, or 14.9% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

For more information: www.beefusa.org/NEWSEPAGreenhouseGasRulingCouldbeDevastatingtoAgriculture39958.aspx.

— News release provided by NCBA.

— Compiled by Shauna Rose Hermel, editor, Angus Productions Inc.