News Update

August 12, 2016

Corah Honored by
Feeding Quality Forum

Seven years ago when Larry Corah suggested adding a people element to the Feeding Quality Forum (FQF) he helped launch in 2006, he certainly didn’t expect to be a recipient of the Industry Achievement Award one day.

Now “mostly retired,” Corah was an easy choice for the FQF committee, which moved to honor one who served the beef community — from ranch to consumer — for more than 50 years.

He grew up in North Dakota in the 1950s, when technology was reshaping agriculture. His parents attended school to 8th grade, but they never stopped learning on a farm that included a small feedlot. The family cooperated in many Extension research trials to see how electricity, silage unloaders and hybrid seeds could make life better.

Corah loved to learn by doing, whether in animal science at North Dakota State University, as a local county Extension agent in 1964 or digging into the feedlot side for his master’s in ruminant nutrition at Michigan State University. There, he met an Australian guest lecturer who made an irresistible offer a couple of years later.

Read more in the Angus Media news article online.

— Adapted from an article by Steve Suther, Certified Angus Beef LLC.

Pesky Pathogen

“Anaplasmosis has been known in cattle for at least half a century,” began Ram Raghavan, assistant professor with the Kansas State University (K-State) College of Veterinary Medicine at the Anaplasmosis Symposium hosted at K-State Polytechnic’s campus in Salina, Kan., May 11.

The disease that has become one of the leading killers of cattle across the country has been known by a number of names and has been associated with various symptoms, but it remains a common disease in the tropics and subtropical regions of the world, Raghavan explained. Enzootic, or endemic, regions lie in the South, along the Atlantic Gulf Coast, the Atlantic states, many Midwestern states and into the West. The disease, caused by the pathogen Anaplasma marginale, is a problem for cattle producers across the United States, and it’s only getting bigger.

Continue reading in the Angus Journal article online.

— Adapted from an article by Shelby Mettlen, Angus Media.

New Module Addresses Heat Stress

Merck Animal Health, in partnership with the Beef Cattle Institute and Production Animal Consultation (PAC), released the sixth module in the CreatingConnections™ Educational Series that features industry experts who share unique insights and proven techniques to help ensure low-stress cattle handling. This module, now available at www.creatingconnections.info, focuses on the stress of heat load on cattle, as well as heat stress management practices and their significance in maintaining the animals’ well-being.

“Planning ahead is critical to the effective management of heat stress,” said Grant Crawford, technical services manager, Merck Animal Health. “Feedlots should determine their risk of heat stress based on feedlot type, cattle type, water space and other environmental factors, and plan accordingly. High heat loads can put tremendous stress on cattle and, if not managed appropriately, can result in decreased ration intake, poor performance, a myriad of health issues and death loss.”

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

— Adapted from a release by Merck Animal Health.

Ridin’ Herd: Have a Drought Plan

I hope you won’t need to implement a drought plan this fall, but be prepared. Following is what was on the Drought Mitigation Center website on the official first day of summer for the Midwest section of the United States:

“Conditions continue to worsen across the Midwest during the period. Concerns for a flash drought are high as the lack of precipitation and high temperatures continue to desiccate the soils and stunt the growth of crops. Some of the area did see beneficial rains during the period, but not enough to ward off the expansion of drought. The driest areas stretch from central Kansas and Nebraska, eastward into the tri-state area of Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Precipitation is measuring 10% of normal or less in that area during the past 14 days. Meanwhile, temperatures are exceeding 5° F above normal, exacerbating the dryness.”

Drought forces forage and livestock producers to develop strategies that deal with indirect economic and biological effects of too many animals for the available feed resources.

— Adapted from an article by Rick Rasby, University of Nebraska.

Janet Donlin to Lead the AVMA

Janet Donlin has been named executive vice president/CEO of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). Donlin will succeed Ron DeHaven, who is retiring after nine years of service to the AVMA.

Donlin has served as chief executive officer of the AVMA Professional Liability Insurance Trust (AVMA PLIT) since April 2013. The AVMA PLIT is now in its 54th year of dedicated service to AVMA members, providing a wide variety of insurance-related products to veterinarians, veterinary practices and veterinary students.

AVMA President Tom Meyer cited Donlin’s decades-long service to the veterinary profession and her extensive professional achievements as key factors to her being named the lead executive of a national veterinary association that is approaching a total membership of 90,000 veterinarians from all walks of professional life.

For more information, view the news release online.

— Adapted from a release by Michael San Filippo, American Veterinary Medical Association.

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