With the summer months approaching, it’s time to consider fly control for the overall health and welfare of cattle.  Several types of products are available with different methods of application to customize to each type of routine and operation.  Preventative usage of fly control products such as barn foggers, wall and livestock sprays can reduce the negative effects the insects have on livestock and increase productivity.

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In the second installment of the Beef Research School Antimicrobial Resistance video series, Dr. Tim McAllister, the Chief Principal Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, summarizes the results of research and surveillance initiatives on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and discusses the potential impact that AMR in food animals has on human health.

More information can be found at www.BeefResearch.ca

Did you miss Part 1? Catch it here.

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Dr. Joe Stookey, professor of Animal Behavior at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine speaks about a novel cow-calf sorting method in use at the University of Saskatchewan Goodale Reasearch Farm. Dr. Cody Creelman has seen this system in person, and attests that hundreds of pairs can be sorted in literally minutes with only two people working the cattle.

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Western College of Veterinary Medicine Professor Dr. Chris Clark speaks about lameness in beef cattle. My favorite tidbit I remember from his lectures was that “if you treat a lame animal with antibiotics and it doesn’t get better, ITS NOT FOOTROT!”.

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This newest video in the Beef Research School series features Dr. Reynold Bergen, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and BCRC Science Director. He explain what antimicrobial resistance is and answers the question: Is there evidence that antimicrobial use in beef cattle causes antimicrobial resistance in humans?

The post Beef Research School: Antimicrobials in Cattle Part I appeared first on Veterinary Agri-Health Services.

Dear Veterinary Students

Veterinary Agri-Health Services Ltd. in Airdrie, Alberta is interested in employing a student (preferably entering 2^nd year of veterinary medicine) under the Veterinary Work Experience Program (VWEP). This is a program offered as a joint initiative between Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development and veterinary practices to give students work experience during the summer break.

Veterinary Agri-Health Services Ltd. is a health management oriented veterinary practice, providing high quality professional services to feedlot and cow/calf operations across western Canada.  These services focus on three areas: (1) animal health and production related management strategies and problem solving, (2) animal well being and product quality, and (3) producer education and information transfer.  Our services include vaccination, treatment and parasite control programs, nutritional advice, computerized record systems and health monitoring, regular consultation and reproductive health visits, as well as individual animal diagnosis and treatment.

We have a dedicated team of individuals who bring a wealth of experience to beef veterinary practice and strive to deliver excellent customer service.  The team consists of Dr. Michael Jelinski, Dr. Craig Dorin, Dr. Nathan Erickson, Dr. Cody Creelman and our faculty member from the University of Calgary – Dr. Karin Orsel, along with our excellent support staff.

Beef cattle practice is very seasonal, however our student can be expected to be exposed to a variety of tasks including post-mortems, minor bovine surgeries, pre-breeding palpations, and semen testing. That said, the primary role of our summer student will include content creation for our website (articles, videos, webshop), management of our proprietary VAHS app for veterinarians, social media content management, assisting in the implementation of a software program to clients, and assistance with weekend callouts.

Students interested in this opportunity should have a strong desire in learning more about food animal production, and have a basic understanding of the beef cattle industry. Successful candidates will also need strong writing and communication skills, be technologically savvy, and physically able to assist in post-mortem examinations on cattle (training provided). A valid driver’s license, personal vehicle, and a flexible schedule is also a must.

Students interested in this opportunity are encouraged to contact Dr. Cody Creelman by March 31, 2013. Once a student is selected, they will be notified, additional paperwork for the VWEP program will be filled out later in the year.

Contact information:

Cody Creelman, BSc, DVM,

Veterinary Agri-Health Services Ltd.

Phone: 403 984 2253 Fax: 403 948 0520

Email: CodyC@vahs.net

Web: www.vahs.net

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About BIXS Carcass Information
BIXS is a voluntary national internet database designed to store and exchange data linked to an individual animal’s unique CCIA/ATQ ID tag number. Through a collaboration between the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Canadian packers, carcass information for individual animals is being made available to producers in the BIXS database. The current requirement to view carcass information for a specific animal is registration in the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS) as well as ownership of that animal at some point in its life. Once the CCIA ID is recorded in the BIXS database, a producer will be able to view carcass information for that animal when it becomes available.

Computer Vision Systems for Beef Grading
The beef grading system utilizes multiple criteria to determine quality grade for youthful cattle (see Table 1). In the past a grader working at a larger plant with a moving carcass rail would have approximately 15 seconds to complete the quality assessment using these criteria as well as yield grade determination. With sufficient experience a reasonably accurate grade could be assigned although it would be difficult to take actual measurements of the fat depth or ribeye dimensions to most accurately estimate lean yield %. A computer vision system (CVS) utilizes a camera with special lighting to photograph the ribeye at the grading site between the 12th and 13th rib. This photograph is then analyzed by a computer to determine marbling levels as well as accurate ribeye measurements. The CVS also allows the grader to input additional information or to manually assess a grade when a carcass is missplit and accurate analysis by the camera is currently not possible. As CVS equipment continues to become more sophisticated, the ability to predict meat quality and yield will be further enhanced. An additional benefit of CVSs is the ability to capture carcass information electronically and to store the information in the BIXS database for later retrieval by producers.

Understanding BIXS Carcass Information

The BIXS system provides information on the attributes shown in Table 2 for carcasses assessed using computer vision systems at participating plants. The carcass information available to producers then exceeds the typical ‘grading’ information, which often consists of only the quality and yield grade designations. If computer vision systems are not utilized by a participating plant a smaller amount of information is available.

Carcass yield related information may be reported differently by small plants versus larger facilities. Canada will be moving to a 5 class system in the future so plants using a CVS will provide the USDA 5 class yield grade along with the USDA fat thickness and yield percentage. Smaller facilities with manual grading may continue to provide a 3 class estimate using the current Canadian system and provide the Canadian fat thickness and yield percentage.

It will take at least one week for an animal’s carcass data to appear in the BIXS database. In some cases information may not be available because of a lost or difficult to read tag or issues with the carcass which made it difficult to use the CVS. BIXS will only provide information on animals classified by the grading system as of youthful maturity. Cow grades will not be stored in the database. Also, some types of data will only be available to the feedlot that sold the data to the packing plant.

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And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, “I need a caretaker.” So God made a farmer.

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Age determination by examination of the permanent erupted incisors is a fairly reliable indication of age from 30 up to 48-60 months, when the permanent dentition is complete. After this period, the rate of wear provides a more useful criterion for age estimation. The rate of wear depends on genetics, diet, soil conditions, and other factors such as the presence, or absence, of minerals in the diet. In all cases, age determination by dentition provides an approximation of the real age of an animal. Attached is a guideline for age verification in cattle.

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In the newest episode of BCRC‘s Beef Research School, Dr. Kim Ominski, professor at the University of Manitoba, outlines what to anticipate for cattle’s changing nutritional needs through the winter. She also discusses cattle’s water needs, the importance of a back up plan for water, and special considerations for swath and bale grazing scenarios. Click here for more episodes of the Beef Research School.

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