News Update
March 17, 2010

Vaccinate Calves Against Respiratory Diseases

Cattle producers preparing to work spring-born calves should be taking steps now to protect their animals from the respiratory diseases, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV).

By vaccinating calves now, the first vaccination against IBR and BVDV takes place at a time when there is comparatively less stress on a calf.

“This gives the animal an excellent opportunity to begin the development of cell-mediated immunity,” said Glenn Selk, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension cattle reproduction specialist. “The calf then is re-vaccinated at weaning time.”

Selk cites the July 2008 issue of the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association, which details a study comparing a “calf-working” vaccination program with the traditional “preweaning” vaccination schedule.

OSU veterinary medicine scientists, in cooperation with scientists at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore, studied the timing of modified-live virus vaccinations in beef calves.

For years, the recommendation for the timing of modified-live vaccines called for the vaccine to be administered after maternal passive immunity antibodies had decreased to negligible levels in the blood of the calf.

“It was thought that maternal antibodies received in the colostrum would interfere with the effectiveness of the modified-live virus vaccine,” Selk said. “Therefore, most viral vaccines were not administered until the calves were 4 months to 5 months of age or older.”

However, the OSU-Noble Foundation research demonstrated otherwise. The scientists vaccinated calves at 67 days of age and re-vaccinated them at weaning — 190 days — and then compared those animals with others vaccinated at 167 days of age and given a second vaccine at 190 days, at the time of weaning.

“There was no difference in the percentage of calves protected by the vaccine due to the timing of the first vaccination,” said John Kirkpatrick, OSU emeritus professor and veterinarian who worked on the study. “The result with both vaccination schedules was improved serum antibody titers compared with un-vaccinated control calves.”

Kirkpatrick said it came as no surprise that the vaccinated calves had lower treatment costs and less mortality in the feedlot than the non-vaccinated control calves.

Before the study was initiated, all cows and replacement heifers were vaccinated after calving and 30 days before breeding with a modified live vaccination for IBR and BVDV types I and II, as well as bovine respiratory parainfluenza-3 and bovine respiratory syncytial virus, commonly referred to as PI-3 and BRSV.

“The research suggests that the first vaccination with a modified-live virus vaccine can be administered at normal ‘calf-working’ time, provided a booster is given at weaning,” Kirkpatrick said.

Following all vaccine label directions, cows that nurse these newly vaccinated calves should have already been protected with a modified-live vaccine against the same respiratory diseases.

— Release by OSU Cooperative Extension.

Two Cattlewomen Scholarships Available to Students

CattleWomen organizations are sponsoring two scholarships for students interested in the beef industry. The Kansas CattleWomen (KCW) is offering a $1,200 scholarship to a female high school senior or college student who is a Kansas resident planning to study or majoring in agriculture, foods and nutrition or any beef-related field. Members of the Southwest Kansas CattleWomen are offering a $1,000 scholarship to a college junior, senior or graduate student whose permanent residence is in the 19-county area of southwest Kansas. Both scholarship applications are available at www.kansascattlewomen.org.

Students applying for the KCW scholarship must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average. The application deadline is April 30. Questions should be directed to Wrenn Pacheco at 785-410-3751 or wrennpacheco@gmail.com.

Applicants for the Southwest Kansas CattleWomen scholarship must exhibit past involvement in cattle production and have plans to promote the beef industry in the future. Completed forms and accompanying information must be received by April 30. For more information, call Kim Miller at 620-649-2445 or e-mail redkim@pld.com.

— Release by the Kansas Livestock Association.

Federal Flood Declaration Approved for Protective Measures

Gov. John Hoeven Monday announced that the President has approved his request for a federal declaration for the State of North Dakota under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance (Stafford) Act due to weather conditions and forecasts indicating a strong potential for severe spring flooding.

Because communities have already incurred expenses, the federal declaration coincides with the February 26 date of the Governor’s declaration, consistent with the President’s action in 2009. The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) will be elevated from Level 3 to Level 2 on Monday in anticipation of potential flooding, meaning all state agencies will staff EOC operations.

The State of North Dakota and multiple communities and counties are already allocating resources and preparing for widespread potential flooding. Based on the extensive flood preparedness efforts underway in communities throughout the state, the President granted the Governor’s request for direct federal assistance for emergency protective measures addressing property protection and public health and safety. These emergency protective measures include a range of assistance for communities to prepare for potential flooding.

In support of local and tribal jurisdictions, Hoeven requested direct federal assistance for emergency protective measures for 18 counties and one reservation. They include the Spirit Lake Nation reservation and the counties of Barnes, Benson, Burleigh, Cass, Dickey, Emmons, Foster, Grand Forks, LaMoure, Mercer, Nelson, Pembina, Ramsey, Ransom, Richland, Stutsman, Traill and Walsh. The Governor indicated to the President that as impacts emerge, additional counties may be added.

Conditions contributing to the threat of flooding and inundation include excessive precipitation throughout the fall and winter seasons causing saturated soil conditions; high water content in the current snowpack; full ponds and wetlands that result in minimal available surface storage; and the prospects of additional moisture and ice jams through the spring snowmelt.

— Release by North Dakota Ag Connection.

Statement from Agriculture Secretary Vilsack on the Unveiling of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued the statement below in response to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act unveiled today:

“I commend Chairman Lincoln and Senator Chambliss for their leadership on the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. Improving the quality of school meals and the health of the school environment is critically important to the overall health of our kids, in addition to their academic achievement. At the same time, we must improve access to these vital programs and take steps to reduce hunger. The framework announced today makes progress toward both goals. Though we believe that additional access and nutrition goals can and should be accomplished by passing a more robust bill that supports the President's request of $10 billion in additional funding, the bipartisan announcement today is a very positive step forward.”

— Release by U.S. Department of Agriculture.

— Compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.