News Update
April 26, 2010

APHIS Animal Disease Traceability Public Meetings in May

The Secretary of Agriculture in February 2010 announced a new direction for animal traceability in the United States. Under this new direction, States and Tribal Nations must establish the ability to trace, back to their state of origin, animals moving interstate. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) held a forum with States and Tribes in March to discuss possible ways of achieving traceability.

Since the February announcement, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) has been engaged with APHIS regarding this new approach and expressed concerns that producers need to be included from the beginning and throughout the process as the discussions regarding this new program progress.

APHIS will be hosting two public meetings on animal disease traceability in May 2010. These will not be listening sessions, but are intended to be public meetings where producers can provide constructive input related to the new direction APHIS is taking with animal identification for disease traceability purposes.

Tuesday, May 11, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Holiday Inn Kansas City, S.E. Waterpark
9103 E. 39th St., Kansas City, MO 64133

Thursday, May 13, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
USDA Center at Riverside
4700 River Rd., Riverdale, MD 20737

— Release by NCBA.

ISU Extension Short Course Will Increase Grazing Knowledge and Skills

Livestock producers with an interest in beginning or transitioning grazing practices can sharpen their skills by attending Greenhorn Grazing workshops offered by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension. The Greenhorn Grazing short course consists of five daylong modules taught over a grazing season.

“Greenhorn Grazing is designed for graziers interested in a more controlled or management-intensive grazing system,” said Joe Sellers, ISU Extension livestock specialist. “Producers who want to optimize forage and livestock production, increase market access and conserve natural resources will find the modules very informative.”

The course will cover concepts relevant to all producers of grass-based livestock, whether it is beef, dairy, sheep or other animals, according to Sellers. Greenhorn Grazing will be held at the McNay Research Farm, located six miles southwest of the Chariton airport. Each workshop will have a classroom component with experienced instructors and a hands-on field component.

The workshops will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. and will last through supper. The sessions are scheduled for May 26, June 15, July 22, Sept. 14 and Oct. 26.

“Workshop topics covered by the instructors and during the associated field experiences will teach producers how to improve the productivity and use of their land,” said Sellers. “Training such as this removes some of the perceived barriers associated with entry into the grass-based livestock industry and supports perennial grassland agriculture.”

Cost of the short course is being largely offset by grants from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the Iowa Beef Center and Dow AgroSciences. The course fee is $75; participants are urged to attend all sessions, but fees for individual sessions are available. Fees include a meal and workshop educational materials.

To register for the course contact the Lucas County Extension Office, 48293 HyVee Rd., Chariton, IA 50049; for more details contact Joe Sellers at 641-203-1270 or sellers@iastate.edu.

— Release by ISU Extension.

Cows on the Run Entertaining, But Injuries From Livestock No Laughing Matter

Stay calm. When you’ve got a 1,000-pound (lb.) cow running around loose in a public place, that’s the best advice that Ohio State University (OSU) Extension ag safety professional Kent McGuire can offer.

“The more calm you are, the more calm you can keep the animal simply because it’s in an environment it’s not used to,” said McGuire, Ohio AgrAbility Program coordinator of OSU Extension’s Agricultural Safety and Health.

Two cows were definitely out of their element on April 21 when they broke loose from the Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital and, for 90 minutes, were pursued by public safety officials across campus before finally being corralled. The incident attracted the attention of hundreds of faculty, staff and students.

Public safety officials tried using police cruisers and soccer goal nets, among other techniques, to confine the animals so they could be captured, all of which didn’t work out so well.

“When you have a situation where an animal has escaped and it’s running free, you want to try and implement the same routine that it would be used to in a farm environment,” said McGuire. “A cow is not used to a police cruiser chasing it, so it’s going to try and get away. You want to give it some room to move around. Obviously you don’t want it running down the road, but don’t keep it too confined.”

McGuire said that setting up a perimeter that would have given the animals some freedom of movement yet keep the public at a safe distance might have been a more successful way of corralling the animals.

With one officer injured in the incident, McGuire said that it was a situation where understanding the behavior of an animal, or even the behavior of specific breeds, is key to keeping yourself and the animal safe.

“Whether one is dealing with a loose animal in a public place or a farmer handling livestock on the farm, you don’t want to take for granted the idea that you can properly manage an animal in any given situation,” said McGuire.

Fatalities from livestock are rare, but injuries, even minor in nature, are quite common. Whether it involves a beef cow, dairy cow, pigs, goats, sheep or specialty livestock like llamas and alpacas, anyone can be bitten, kicked, stepped on, pinned, crushed, bumped or run over.

“When you are staring at a 1,000-pound or 1,500-pound animal, you certainly don’t want to be the victim of its aggression,” said McGuire.

Due to the nature of the job, farmers are more likely to encounter injuries from livestock. McGuire offers the following injury-prevention tips to stay safe:

• Understand and study the typical behaviors of the livestock you are working with.
  

• Herd livestock such as cattle or sheep can become agitated or stressed when one animal is isolated from the herd.
  

• Maternal female livestock can become aggressive in an effort to protect their young.
  

• Mature male livestock can become aggressive in an attempt to show dominance.
  

• Understand aggressive warning signs such as showing of teeth, ears laid back, or stomping of feet.
  

• Avoid startling an animal by making it aware of your approach before getting too close.
  

• Move calmly, deliberately and patiently around livestock. Avoid quick movements or loud noises that may startle animals.
  

• Excessively changing the animal’s environment or daily routine can take the animal out of its comfort zone.
  

• Avoid being in travel paths during the feeding of a herd or large group of livestock.
  

• Be aware of your surroundings and always leave an escape route when working in close quarters with livestock.
  

• Bottle-fed or show livestock can become playful because of constant handling. After being placed back in with the general livestock as an adult, they may still approach you in a playful manner when you are not expecting it.
  

• Be patient and avoid frustration when working with difficult or stubborn livestock. Back injuries, muscle strains and slip/fall injuries can occur when frustrations lead to over aggressive handling practices.

“During this time of the year, sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done on a farm,” said McGuire. “When you are out in the fields 10 or 12 hours a day and then have to come home and take care of livestock at 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock at night, it’s easy to become complacent around livestock.”

— Release by OSU Extension.

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