News Update
September 10, 2015
Vaccination Tips from BQA
“Adequate restraint is very important when vaccinating,” says Nora Schrag, veterinarian with the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “I personally have filled an alleyway with cattle, and vaccinated them without catching heads. This can work fine in the right facility, as long as we keep in mind Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) criteria. We need to be injecting into the neck, and if this is not possible in the alleyway, we need to be catching them,” she says.
Broken needles are a concern when cattle are not properly restrained. Schrag recommends using a short needle as it is less apt to bend or break. Most vaccinations today are given by subcutaneous (SubQ) injections, which can be given with a very short needle.
Proper restraint is important to get the vaccine in the right place. The adverse reaction rate to vaccination goes up drastically if people accidentally inject directly into a blood vessel.
“We like to use a 16-gauge, 5/8-inch needle, which makes it almost impossible to get it into the muscle, even if the animal moves,” she explains.
For more information, view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
New Rules Concerning Antibiotic Use
Starting in December 2016, the ways that cattle producers will be able to use antibiotics to control and treat disease in their herds will change. During the past several years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken steps to fundamentally change how some antibiotics can be legally used in feed or water for food-producing animals.
Starting Jan. 1, 2017, antibiotics used in feed or water that are considered to be important for human medicine (i.e., tilmicosin, neomycin, tylosin, virginiamycin, chlortetracycline and oxytetracycline) can only be used to control or treat specific animal health problems. The cattle must be under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian who issues a new document called a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) for antibiotics administered in feed or a veterinary prescription for antibiotics administered in water — both of which are similar to a prescription that a person would receive from their doctor.
For now, many commonly used antibiotics that are injected are not covered by these new rules. Extra-label use of in-feed antibiotics is illegal today and will remain illegal after Jan. 1, 2017.
For more information, please view the full Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.
Know Your Rancher
Think you need an agriculture background to start a successful ranch? Try telling that to Bob McClaren, owner of 44 Farms — the largest registered-Angus herd in Texas and the fourth largest in the United States.
McClaren is, in all actuality, a fourth generation rancher. He grew up in a Dallas suburb, yet still read the Angus Journal and spent much time at his grandparents’ home and ranch in Cameron. At the time, McClaren says, his father strongly tried to persuade him away from thoughts of an agriculture career by telling him it was not a desirable occupation.
“He reminded me often of how hard it was for his parents to make a living,” McClaren says.
So McClaren went to law school instead and practiced in Dallas. In 1989, he joined McLane Co. in Temple, Texas, where his uncle, Drayton McLane, led one of the nation’s largest grocery distribution foodservice companies. After several years, McLane asked McClaren to take on the position of president of business operations for the Houston Astros Baseball Club.
For more information, view the full Angus Journal article online.
National Food Security Rate is Strongest Since Before the Recession
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued the following statement on the release of the USDA Economic Research Service analysis Household Food Security in the United States in 2014:
“Today’s report is a positive signal that reflects a recovering and growing economy. Food security for households with children, and households overall, is the strongest it’s been since before the Recession.
Two million fewer people live in a state of food insecurity today compared to 2011. This report also reflects the continued importance of anti-poverty and nutrition programs, including SNAP and healthier school meals, which help to keep food insecurity from rising and efforts to improve employment and training programs that help low-income people obtain the skills they need to find good paying jobs, so they can provide enough healthy food for their families."
Focus on the American Angus Auxiliary
The American Angus Auxiliary was established in the mid-1950s to promote youth and beef in the Angus breed. Today, that focus on kids and cows remains unchanged, according to Auxiliary President Lynne Hinrichsen. The organization
“The American Angus Auxiliary, as well as state auxiliaries, really promote education of our youth, in support of the Angus breed and association. Our biggest support is for the group of youth that are involved in Angus cattle,” she reports.
The Auxiliary will host its annual meeting and breakfast this fall in conjunction with the 2015 Angus Means Business National Convention & Trade Show Nov. 3-5 in Overland Park, Kan.
Watch this week’s The Angus Report for more information. You can also tune in to the program at 1:30 p.m. CDT Saturday on RFD-TV. New episodes of The Angus Report air at 7:30 a.m. CDT Monday and again at 5 p.m. CDT Wednesday.
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