News Update

August 10, 2016

Tips for Loading, Unloading Cattle

According to Texas A&M University Extension Livestock Specialist Ron Gill, designing and building loading facilities for cattle doesn’t have to be complicated, but you need to understand animal behavior.

“If we sort and load cattle quietly, they typically are more quiet and calm on the truck,” stated Gill.

In a presentation before the International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare (ISBCW) hosted June 8-10 in Manhattan, Kan., Gill said the design can be simple. He offered the “Bud Box” as an example, noting the loading or processing facility design favored by the late animal-handling guru Bud Williams takes advantage of the natural inclination of cattle to return to the gate through which they entered the facility.

Gill offered the audience food for thought applicable to laying out loading facilities favorable for staging of cattle, sorting and maintaining flow to a loading area. He recommended that facilities be designed so cattle can be sorted quietly into loading groups, and handled so they flow easily to a chute.

Continue reading in the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by Troy Smith for Angus Media.

Lesser-Prairie Chicken Pulled from Threatened List

In a recent move by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Lesser-Prairie Chicken is no longer listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The announcement comes after a lengthy court battle, which began in 2014 and involved a group that argued the USFWS did not take into account the voluntary efforts to protect the bird before declaring it a threatened species. In the fall of 2015, a district court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and issued a court order to vacate the listing decision. The official de-listing of the Lesser-Prairie Chicken was announced in mid-July.

For more information, watch this week’s episode of The Angus Report online. You can also catch the show at 1:30 p.m. CST Saturday and 7 a.m. CST each Monday morning on RFD-TV.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

Fatigued Cattle Syndrome

Mobility of cattle at slaughter facilities got a lot of attention in the summer of 2013, and two heat events provided some anecdotal evidence against the use of beta-agonists. In the two events, cattle showed a reluctance to move, and some even sloughed hoof walls. Seventeen cattle were euthanized. It brought animal welfare issues to the forefront of summer handling, and the condition was termed fatigued cattle syndrome (FCS).

Jacob Hagenmeier, veterinarian and doctoral student at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, explained that these cattle exhibited elevated levels of lactate and creatine kinase (CK), which signify muscle damage. Hagenmeier spoke to attendees of the fifth International Symposium on Beef Cattle Welfare (ISBCW) in Manhattan, Kan., June 8-10.

He shared that the pork industry had a similar event 20 years before in which a higher incidence of transport losses occurred. It was called fatigued pig syndrome and was most prevalent among heavily muscled hogs that were reluctant to move with increased levels of lactate and CK.

— Adapted from an article by Kasey Brown, Angus Media.

Prevent Lead Poisoning in Cattle

The Kansas State University (K-State) Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory diagnoses many kinds of illnesses throughout a given year, but the one witnessed frequently this past spring in cattle was lead poisoning.

“Lead poisoning is the No. 1 poisoning we diagnose in the diagnostic lab,” said Gregg Hanzlicek, director of production animal field investigations with the lab. “This past spring, we had several cases of spring-born calves diagnosed with lead poisoning shortly after going to pasture.”

Lead poisoning is difficult to identify and is often fatal. For this reason, it’s important for producers to be vigilant in monitoring for differences in behavior.

“Like many poisonings, unfortunately one of the most common signs is finding one or more dead animals in the pasture. For those that aren’t found dead, another clinical sign is a difference in behavior,” Hanzlicek said. “The calves or cows may stumble or stagger; they may then become recumbent followed by convulsions. One of the major classical signs of lead poisoning in cattle is blindness.”

For more information, access the Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA article online.

— Adapted from an article by James Schmidt, K-State Research and Extension.

Select Sires Hires Rachel Linder

Select Sires has hired Rachel Linder as an industry support and graphic design coordinator. In this role she will produce beef print advertising and flyers, as well as assist with the beef program’s social media presence. Linder will support the beef acquisition and genetic testing processes, manage trade show activities and coordinate the A.I. certificate program in addition to performing other administrative duties.

A Louisville, Ohio, native, Linder is a May 2016 graduate of the Ohio State University (OSU) with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences-animal industries and agriculture communications. She gained communications experience as an intern with the American Shorthorn Association, OSU Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

For more information, read the news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Danielle Brown, Select Sires Inc.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Media.

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