News Update
May 13, 2010

USDA Makes Cattle Movement Easier for Majority of Michigan

The Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Don Koivisto recently signed an updated version of the zoning rules for bovine tuberculosis (TB) to bring the Michigan rules in line with federal rules.

The federal TB program recently relaxed the rules for movement in a TB Modified Accredited Advanced Zone (MAAZ) to provide free-movement of unaffected cattle herds. Until this order was signed, a bovine TB test was required on all MAAZ cattle before crossing a federal zonal boundary, even if they were not near TB-infected wildlife. Today, producers in Subzones 2 and 3 of the MAAZ may freely move cattle across a federal zonal boundary as long as they have a movement permit and electronic ID (eID). All Michigan cattle must have eID before they may move from a farm.

“One of the goals of the bovine TB eradication effort is to decrease the interaction between wildlife and domestic cattle,” said James Averill, MDA’s Bovine TB Eradication Program coordinator. “This federal order reinforces Michigan’s requirements for movement and will go a long way in helping prevent any potential spread of the disease through cattle sales and purchases.”

Michigan and Minnesota have subzones that are exceptions to this new order because both states have bovine TB in wildlife. In Subzone 1 of the MAAZ (Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, and Otsego counties) cattle coming from a USDA Accredited TB-Free Herd may move across a federal zonal boundary without a movement test. Cattle moving from non-accredited farms in Subzone 1 may cross a federal zonal boundary without a movement test if they have a winter-verified Wildlife Risk Mitigation Plan and have passed a whole herd test for TB since that winter verification. Those who do not meet either of the above requirements must test their cattle within 60 days before movement across a federal zonal boundary.

Subzone 1 cattle must also be accompanied by a movement certificate when they leave a farm premises. All cattle in Subzone 1 must participate in the bovine TB surveillance program. Herds selling breeding animals are required to do an annual whole-herd test of all animals 18 months of age and older, while those selling feeder calves and dairies must do a whole-herd test every two years, and feedlots must do a whole-herd test every three years. To date, Michigan’s 2010 surveillance activities — testing free-ranging deer and whole-herd testing of cattle — have detected bovine TB in a Cheboygan County wild, free-ranging white-tailed deer and in an Emmet County cattle herd. For this reason, Subzone 1 has more stringent requirements for movement than Subzones 2 and 3 of the MAAZ.

MDA collaborates with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services, USDA Veterinary Services and the Alpena Conservation District to help producers draft Wildlife Risk Mitigation Action Plans and walk them through the process of applying for cost-share funds from either MDA or USDA.

Since the Wildlife Risk Mitigation program began, 291 farms in the first round of the three-year program have been winter-verified. For 2010, 133 farms have been verified to date. Another 136 cattle farms are actively setting up their plans and putting tools in place to prevent transmission between wildlife and cattle. The program goal is to have 1,000 Michigan cattle farms in the northern Lower Peninsula actively using wildlife risk mitigation tools by the end of 2011.

— Release by MDA.

Sexed Semen Is A Good Alternative For Use In Some Cattle Operations

Semen that has been separated into male and female sperm is now available for the beef and dairy industries, a bovine specialist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences told attendees of a recent Pennsylvania Cattleman’s College Purebred Breeders Workshop.

The use of artificial insemination (AI) in cattle helps to improve genetic progress and improve access to higher-quality genetics for producers, according to Chad Dechow, associate professor of dairy genetics. “However, the 50/50 ratio of male and female calves that results may not be optimum for some breeders,” he said. “But the cost and conception rate using sexed semen is a compromise that must be addressed.”

The workshop was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Center for Beef Excellence and Pfizer Animal Health and was designed to provide current, progressive information to purebred beef breeders.

Sexed semen in beef cattle breeding programs can assist breeders in providing high-quality replacement heifers, providing a larger percentage of a calf crop that can be marketed as breeding bulls, or producing male calves that can be marketed as steers for junior steer projects. “The use of sexed semen is much greater in the dairy industry,” Dechow explained. “But most of the leading breeding companies have sexed beef semen available.”

The downside is that there is a higher cost for the semen and the success rate will be lower, Dechow noted. “Semen costs generally will be 50% to 100% higher, and studies have shown conception rates will be about 15% lower with sexed semen compared to traditional programs,” he said.

“Since the total number of sperm in a dose of sexed semen will be lower, it is not recommended for use in embryo-transfer programs. In addition, there are individual bull differences in the success rate for sexing the semen. Even given these deficiencies, sexing semen can have a huge impact for individual farms that have the ability to gain a premium for cattle of a particular sex.”

— Release by Penn State.

Training, Awareness Are Key to Human, Animal Safety When Handling Livestock in Emergencies

It happened again on May 7. A truck hauling livestock down a southern California highway was involved in an accident and flipped over. Forty head of cattle were killed and others were injured, according to published reports.

When such incidents happen, said livestock handling specialist Jennifer Woods, proper training on the part of first responders to the scene can make a difference in the health and welfare of surviving animals — and humans involved in the response.

“Being prepared is over half the battle,” said Woods, who owns J. Woods Livestock Services in Blackie, Alberta, Canada. “By being prepared, the accident scene will run much more efficiently and safer for both the people and the animals on scene. A lack of understanding and training is the number one issue at commercial livestock accidents — everyone is really out of their element and no one really knows what to do, what they need or where to get it. They also do not understand the design of the trailer, basic extrication techniques or that there is a difference between whether the trailer rolls right or rolls left.”

Woods, who has worked internationally with companies and agencies, will lead a half-day Emergency Preparedness Seminar on May 19 at 1 p.m. that kicks off the Kansas State University (K-State) Beef Cattle Institute’s International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare. The emergency preparedness seminar will be in Weber Arena on K-State’s campus. It will cover such topics as handling loose cattle after an accident; moving downed animals, humane safety and handling fractious animals; humane euthanasia techniques and emergency response techniques for wounded cattle.

Woods said that there is often a lack of understanding of stressed animal behavior and that “animals do not think, they react and are constantly reacting to what is going on around them. People also need to be aware of the fact they are viewed as predators and that cattle will react to them accordingly. They are frightened and will revert back to their natural instinct to flee or fight.”

“Through training and awareness, response to these unfortunate accidents will be safer and more efficient, which is better for everyone involved,” Woods said.

For those who are unable to attend the symposium in person, a live webcast option is available.

Registration for the Emergency Preparedness Seminar  is $30. The registration fee of $150 includes the half-day Emergency Preparedness session and the on-site symposium. Registration for the live webcast at an individual’s location is $150 and $500 for a live webcast group. The fee covers participation in all symposium sessions, one lunch, refreshment breaks and symposium proceedings.

More information and registration for the International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare, including the Emergency Preparedness Seminar, is available on the website at www.isbcw.beefcattleinstitute.org/.  

— Release by K-State Research and Extension.

Elanco Announces Sekurus Syringe Now Available

A new 12-milliliter (mL), two-stage activated syringe is now available for producers and veterinarians. The Sekurus syringe , developed and manufactured by Simcro™ Animal Health Delivery Systems, is a patented technology with self-tenting and needle-guard features. The syringe reduces the chance of self injection and withstands the most challenging environments at feedyards and stocker operations.

To be activated, the trigger must be pulled and then the syringe be pushed against the animal. Both actions must be performed for the product to be administered. The syringe also is precise, receiving an accuracy rating of more than 97%. The self-tenting feature ensures operators’ hands are clear from the injection-site area while administering a subcutaneous injection. The needle guard provides extra insurance against accidental punctures.

If you have any questions regarding the syringe, proper administration procedures or would like to request safe handling and use materials, please contact your Elanco sales representative or call 1-800-428-4441.

— Release by Elanco.

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