News Update
April 30, 2012
Restocking the Cow Herd in Drought Areas
Producers should be aware of disease challenges when bringing in cattle.
The extended drought in the southern Plains and Southwest throughout 2010 and 2011 forced the dispersion of numerous cow herds. As spring rains and green grass offer producers the hope of restocking their pastures, it's important that they have a solid reintroduction plan to reduce disease risk in the cow herd, says Mac Devin, senior professional services veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI).
"Producers need to visit with their veterinarian to make sure they are doing everything they can to reduce disease challenges," adds Devin. "If you still have cattle on your place, and are expanding cow numbers, you need to have a plan to isolate the new animals to protect both groups of cattle."
He recommends 30 to 45 days of isolation before commingling purchased cattle with the resident herd. "There needs to be separation so there is no nose-to-nose contact," Devin says. "Each new group of animals needs to be isolated to allow for incubation of infectious disease, if they have been exposed. If an animal is going to show sickness, for most infectious disease it will be during the first 30 to 45 days."
Over time, cattle that remain in a particular population, location or environment become resistant to the disease-causing organisms or parasites present there. As an example, Devin explains that anaplasmosis is endemic to many areas of Texas. Cattle in those areas have developed some resistance to the tick-borne disease; however, cattle that are brought in that are naïve to anaplasmosis may become infected when exposed. This may result in adult cow losses or abortion.
"Sometimes, the cost for developing this resistance is reproductive or production loss," Devin continues. "We use vaccines and other measures to minimize these losses."
As an example, leptospirosis is potentially present in animal reservoirs (feral hogs, deer, coyotes, skunks, opposums and others) in most of Texas. Because the wild animals share the environment with the cattle, there is good potential for exposure. If introduced animals are not adequately vaccinated, one exposed animal in the group may amplify the exposure to others, with the result being significant pregnancy loss.
Leptospira prefer warmer climates, so Northern cattle may have limited naturally acquired immunity to lepto. Therefore, vaccination following label directions is important.
Another example that Devin shares is related to strains of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) that are in an area. In populations, one particular BVD strain or subspecies may predominate in one area, and a completely different one may predominate in another area. If these two strains are far enough apart immunologically, when one population of animals is moved into another area, it may have minimal resistance to the new strain of BVD. Because abortion due to BVD can occur at any stage of pregnancy, cows need to be adequately vaccinated before being exposed to the new area. Devin also reminds producers that it is important to read and follow label directions.
Finally, Devin recommends that producers looking at restocking work with their local veterinarian to carefully assess risk for disease-related losses and develop plans to minimize that risk. Those plans may include preventive measures such as vaccination and careful selection of the age/reproductive status of animals to be introduced.
For more information on a preventive approach to animal health, visit www.BIVIPreventionWorks.com.
NMSU Grant County Extension to Offer
Beef Quality Assurance Training
New Mexico State University's Grant County Extension office will host a free Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training and certification program Tuesday, May 8, at the Extension meeting room at 2610 N. Silver St. The morning workshop will begin at 8:30 and end at noon.
"All producers who are in the beef business should participate in this workshop," said Pete Walden, Grant County Extension agriculture agent and program director. "It is an excellent training that addresses many areas that are encountered in the production of healthy cattle that will be utilized in the beef market."
John Wenzel, NMSU Extension veterinarian, will present the program. Topics include feed-stuffs and sources, feed additives and medications, animal treatment and health maintenance, recordkeeping and inventory control, and vaccinations. Producers will qualify for certification in beef quality assurance upon completion of the course.
An early afternoon injection site workshop is tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m. Confirmation and details of that session will be sent to all registered participants.
Interested producers should register by May 4 at http://grantextension.nmsu.edu. For more information about the workshop, contact Gail Graham at ggraham@nmsu.edu or 575-388-1859.
Farmers Relieved After DOL Withdraws Youth Labor Rule
Farm families in Michigan and across the nation breathed a collective sigh of relief late Thursday, April 26, as word began to spread that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) had finally withdrawn a rule proposed last September that would have dramatically limited young peoples' ability to work on their own family farms.
The DOL statement late Thursday stated, "The decision to withdraw this rule — including provisions to define the 'parental exemption' — was made in response to thousands of comments expressing concerns about the effect of the proposed rules on small, family-owned farms."
Michigan farmers started making their voices heard from the start, submitting hundreds of comments opposing the rule just in the last few months of 2011.
"This is a tribute to the farmers all over the country who spoke up," said Ryan Findlay, national legislative counsel for Michigan Farm Bureau (MFB). "More than 500 Michigan farmers submitted comments on the rule directly, and many more contacted their members of congress, challenged administration officials on the rule, spoke out through online forums and aired their concerns in local papers."
Originally couched as a move to "strengthen the safety requirements for young workers employed in agriculture and related fields," the proposed changes would have barred youth from milking cows, feeding cattle, stacking hay bales higher than 6 feet (ft.), picking fruit from ladders more than 6 ft. tall, operating basic farm equipment or raising 4-H animals. It also would have essentially ended a rural tradition cherished for generations — the passing down of a vital work ethic from one generation to the next and the side-by-side work of family members from multiple generations. As originally proposed, the regulations would have prohibited grandchildren from working on their grandparents' farm or children from working on a farm co-owned by their father and uncle.
"Farmers understand the need for commonsense regulation, but making it illegal for a 15-year-old to carry a flashlight or use an electric screwdriver on a farm was going too far," Findlay said. "Farm Bureau believes in agriculture and the work ethic that youth can learn on a farm. We believe this is the common sentiment across Michigan and across the United States, and we're pleased the DOL finally realized it, too."
Provisions of the rule would have also effectively dismantled the existing system of agricultural education that takes place through programs like 4-H and FFA, transferring those responsibilities to a public school system poorly equipped to take them on.
"Youth learn a work ethic on the farm and gain an appreciation that, from work, comes rewards," said Craig Anderson, MFB's farm labor specialist. "They learn how things operate and when they're ready to begin operating equipment.
"Through 4-H, FFA, vocational agricultural programs and the many farm organizations, Michigan agriculture already provides farm youth with academic and safety training to meet the increasing technical needs of modern agriculture."
The DOL itself hit the pause button on part of the rule in February, when it announced it would revisit the "parental exemption" provision, which would have restricted permissible youth employees to only the immediate children of the farm owner.
Then in March, a contingent of Midwestern congressmen launched a direct attack on the rule, introducing legislation that would have prevented DOL Secretary Hilda Solis from finalizing or enforcing the proposed child labor regulations.
"Michigan Farm Bureau appreciates the work of congressmen Upton, Huizenga, Benishek, Walberg, Miller and Camp in communicating agriculture's concern to the labor department," Findlay said.
Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), chair of the senate agriculture committee, asked DOL to reexamine the proposed rule, saying at the time she was "very concerned that they do not understand how a family farm works."
The strident opposition of MFB members embodies two of the organization's key organizational priorities for 2012 — regulatory reform and agricultural workforce development.
House Bill Introduced to Stop EPA Manipulation
of Clean Water Act
U.S. Congressmen John Mica (R-Fla.), Nick Rahall (D-W.V.), Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Bob Gibbs (R-Ohio) Friday, April 27, 2012, introduced legislation (H.R. 4965), which is strongly supported by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and the Public Lands Council (PLC). The bill would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) from using their clean water guidance to expand the regulatory regime under the Clean Water Act (CWA). NCBA President J.D. Alexander said the legislation would stop EPA's intentional avoidance of the rulemaking process and Congress.
"The problem with EPA is accountability. This administration has made clear its preference to use guidance documents as opposed to going through the rulemaking process. This allows the activists-turned-government officials to avoid public scrutiny and bypass the consideration of legal, economic and unintended consequences," said Alexander, who is also a Nebraska cattleman. "This is a clear violation of the Administrative Procedures Act."
The document that triggered this bipartisan legislation was the CWA jurisdictional guidance. The draft, which was proposed by EPA and the Corps April 26, 2011, is expected to be finalized soon. The guidance essentially attempts to give EPA and the Corps jurisdiction over all types of waters and many features that are not waters at all. The guidance claims to provide clarity and certainty to landowners. According to PLC President John Falen, if the guidance is finalized, the only thing livestock producers can be clear and certain about is more federal regulation and costly permits.
"This is a direct hit on the private property rights of farmers and ranchers across this country," said Falen, who is a Nevada rancher. "We will fight hard against this administration's ongoing efforts to curtail the private property rights of farmers and ranchers by regulating them to the brink of bankruptcy. We commend the representatives for standing up for private property rights and the preservation of American agriculture."
Alexander said despite three Supreme Court rulings and a letter from 170 members of Congress opposing the guidance, EPA and the Corps have "crowned themselves kings" of every drop of water in the country. He said this bill is the best path forward in preventing the guidance from becoming reality. This legislation is subsequent to the Preserve the Waters of the United States Act, which is almost identical to H.R. 4965, introduced by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) March 28, 2012.
Editor’s Note: The articles used within this site represent a mixture of copyrights. If you would like to reprint or repost an article, you must first request permission of Angus Productions Inc. (API) by contacting the editor at 816-383-5200; 3201 Frederick Ave., Saint Joseph, MO 64506. API claims copyright to this web site as presented. We welcome educational venues and cattlemen to link to this site as a service to their audience.