Farewell!

With the end of the semester right around the corner, this will be my last blog entry. However that doesn't mean that you have to stop increasing your knowledge of the livestock industry!

Over the past three months we have covered many topics relating to the agriculture industry. Some of those topics have been the Veterinary Feed Directive,  how cattle should be finished, what you need to be prepared for calving season, and how Cargill is cutting back on antibiotic use. Yet, these topics barely even start to inform you about all of the different aspects of ranching, the government policies, and the controversial issues.

In an earlier post, we talked about how the Working Ranch Magazine/website was a great tool for the public to gather information from. Still, this is not the only resource out there. There are many agriculture websites, magazines, and newspapers available to the public. Another one that I really like is Agweek. Agweek has a website and produces a newspaper. Agweek shares news about happenings in agriculture. I highly encourage you to check it out for yourself at http://www.agweek.com/.

With that, I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and don't forget to support America's farmers and ranchers!

Beef! Its What's for Dinner!

There are many campaigns in the agriculture community to help market and promote agriculture. In the beef industry one common brand is "Beef-Its What's For Dinner!" Many of you have probably heard this saying before or seen one of its commercials. This is the commercial from 2000.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association is responsible for the promotion of beef. They use this brand in many of their advertisements. They are widely seen on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. They also have a website. On this website, they provide information about beef and include many recipes for consumers to try their hand at preparing beef. 

These promotional campaigns are all funded by the Beef Checkoff. The beef checkoff was started by the 1985 Farm Bill. This program is then essentially funded by America's farmers and ranchers. Every time a producer sells livestock, they have to pay $1 for every head sold, regardless of sex, to the Beef Checkoff.  The Beef Checkoff then uses the money to help fund programs to promote beef and research.

In conclusion, the brand Beef Its What's for Dinner, is a very common sight. Many consumer know this saying so it has been used effectively to market beef products. So next time your at the grocery store, make sure to pick up some beef!

For more information visit these sites:

Beef-Its Whats For Dinner

Beef Checkoff

Cargill is Cutting Back on Antibiotic Use

For quite some time now, antibiotics have been a popular topic. People argue whether or not antibiotics should be used in livestock. Recently Cargill toke a stand on the issue by declaring that they are going to cut back on antibiotic use by 20%.

Cargill is one of the largest meat processors in the United States.  Cargill has four feedlots located in Texas, Colorado and Kansas. February 26th Cargill started eliminating 20% of the antibiotics they used. According to Agweek, they are only going to treat sick animals. They won't be using antibiotics for growth promotion. Cargill said this will affect about 1.2 million animals.

Cargill is practcing step 1 with the reduction of antibiotic use.

Cargill says they are trying to please consumer desire by eliminating the use of antibiotics. Consumers are worried about human bacteria becoming antibiotic resistant because of the antibiotics given to the livestock
.  They are hoping to ensure long term effectiveness in both human and animal antibiotics. 

On Cargill's website, they are claiming that this will meet the consumers needs. Consumers want antibiotic free meat. By reducing the amount of antibiotics used, they can help provide this to the consumers. Yet at the same time, they are making sure to practice animal welfare. They will give antibiotics to sick animals. But they will be sure to wait to process the animals until they have completed the withdrawal period. 

There are many organizations that are saying this isn't right for Cargill to do. However it seems that Cargill has a plan on how they will handle this. And after it is all said and done, hopefully reduce the amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria affecting humans.  

Working Ranch Maganzine

There is many websites available that contain information on topics affecting the livestock community. For this weeks blog, I choose to look at the Working Ranch Magazines website. As you probably guessed from the title of this website, Working Ranch is also magazine that you can subscribe to.

I really like Working Ranch because it does such a nice job presenting news that helps to keep farmers and ranchers
informed. It covers controversial issues, yet also talks about happenings around the country. I also like their journal entries that people submit. These journals are ten day journals that tell about real events that happen on the their farm/ranches.

As a website, Working Ranch is easy to see and uses colors appropriately to highlight topics and catch the readers attention. The editors of the magazine also use hyperlinks appropriately and don't have an overabundance of them.

The editors of the magazine and website also write the articles so that livestock producers understand the topic. Yet at the same time it is really easy for people who know little about the livestock industry to understand. What I don't like is how you can read the magazine on the website. Instead of just putting all the articles in list for for you to click on and read, they have the magazine in PDF form. This is harder to read on a computer.

Overall I like this website a lot as it is a good resource for the public. In addition it is easy to read and really catches the readers attention.

Check it out for yourself at Working Ranch!

Grass Fed vs. Grain Fed Cattle

I come from a family of beef producers. So on Easter, when my family all gets together, farming is usually the topic at the dinner table. While I sat, listening to my Dad and Uncle, an interesting topic caught my ears.

The controversy of grain finished cattle compared to grass fattened cattle has been present for many years. U.S. Wellness Meats is a company that prides itself in grass fed cattle and the nutritional value it brings to the table. In this video, U.S. Wellness Meats talks about how much better grass-fed cattle is compared to grain finished cattle. 

Grain Fed Cattle

Grass finished cattle may offer added health benefits to consumers since the cattle are consuming their natural diet. But is producing only grass fed cattle possible?  Grass fed cattle take a lot before they reach a market ready point. Grain fed cattle are ready to be processed in as little as 14-19 months. Grass finished cattle can take anywhere from 16 to 24 months to reach this stage.

Another issue with grass fed cattle is the fact that there is not enough grass to produce enough cattle to feed the world. When cattle are finished in feedlots, grain resources are abundant and cattle are converting feed to muscle more efficiently. In addition to the shorter time it takes to finish the animal, it is a lot cheaper to feed the cattle grain.


Not only is it cheaper for the producer to raise grain finished cattle, it is also cheaper for the consumer to purchase. Most grass fed beef also has labels such as organic and antibiotic free labels on the product. This raises the price of the product. This decreases the number of people who will choose to pay for the product.

While grass fed cattle do offer nutritional benefits, we still need to raise grain fed cattle. To feed the world and better use our resources, we should raise both types of cattle. Each method of finishing the cattle has its advantages and disadvantages so it comes down to how the producer wants to operate.


Sources:
http://www.beefusa.org/uDocs/Feedlot%20finishing%20fact%20sheet%20FINAL_4%2026%2006.pdf
https://www.highlandcattleusa.org/content/Grain%20Finished%20Beef.pdf

Is it calving season yet?

For many, calving season is already under way. But on my family's ranch we are patiently waiting for the first calf to arrive. Calving season is my favorite time of the year with the excitement of new born calves and the joy of new life all around you. However it can also get stressful if you are caught unprepared and your calves get sick

SCOURGAURD 4KC

In the weeks leading up to the due date for the cows, we have been busy getting ready for baby calves to arrive. One of the first things my family does is vaccinate all the cows. We give the cows a Scourguard 4KC shot that will help prevent the calves from getting diarrhea. You can learn more about Scourguard 4KC at https://www.zoetisus.com/products/beef/scourguard-4kc.aspx.

Electrolytes

When the calves do arrive, there is still a chance they could get scours even after vaccinating the cow. If a calf starts scouring, the calf will become dehydrated. As ranchers we always want to have electrolytes on hand. Electrolytes are given to scouring calves to help re-hydrate them. Based on the calf's condition, you must decide how much to give the calf. You can use guidelines such as the ones found at http://www.milkproduction.com/Library/Scientific-articles/Calf-Management/Scouring-calves-Oral-rehydration/. You must watch the calf and help make sure he gets back to health.

Along with preparing to fight scours, we also take measures to prepare for calving. The barns are bedded with straw, the calving pen set up and supplies gathered. The calving boxes get filled with tags and OB gloves.

And once the first calf drops, your life gets crazy busy!

Added Workload for Veterinarians

One of the many concerns, producers have with the Veterinary Feed Directive is the fact that it will require veterinarians to prescribe all their feeds. When producers see an animal or herd of cattle fall ill, they need to get antibiotics into them soon. However, with the VFD program, producers will need to contact their vet, who will possibly have to travel to do a farm visit. Depending on how far away your local vet is, this could take anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours.

Vets should know each producers herd.

There is already a shortage of large animal veterinarians in many states, including North Dakota. According to the FDA only 7% of veterinarians work mainly with food animals. Compared to the 67% of veterinarians that practice on small animals, such as pets, this is a very small number of vets who will be licences verify feed additives.  The vets are already stretched thin with all their work and territory they cover.

To help solve this problem, producers need to have a strong relationship with their veterinarian. The American Veterinary Medical Association says that a vet should know the operation well enough to treat any disease. The Vet should make visits regularly to see the livestock to maintain a working relation. When the veterinarian knows the producers operation it makes it easier for them to prescribe medications in a timely manner.

So while the VFD will add to the work load of veterinarians, if producers keep a strong working relationship with there vets, the VFD will be successful.

What really is the Veterinary Feed Directive?

While many people may have heard of the Veterinary Feed Directive, few actually know what it is or why it was formed. For many years, medicated feeds have been used to prevent and treat disease conditions in livestock. However, in recent years, they believe that certain medicated feeds are being used to treat diseases that they are not known to treat. To avoid this the FDA has created a program called the Veterinary Feed Directive. The Veterinary Feed Directive will monitor what medicated antimicrobials are being fed to livestock. The FDA will rely solely on veterinarians to make sure that the correct feeds are given.

Kansas State University Research Mike Apley talks about why the VFD was put into place and more about certain feeds that will now need a VFD. Click here to view the video. He also talks about the new role veterinarians will now take on.

Producers will need Veterinarian approval
 before feeding an antimicrobial.

The veterinarians are now responsible for prescribing all the medicated feeds. Producers will no longer be able to purchased feeds without a prescription from their local vet. The vets must be certified in the state that the the producers livestock are located. The vets also should have a good working relationship with the producers and know their cattle herd. To establish this, the vets may need to make visits to the ranches. Follow ups at the ranch may also be needed in some cases to make sure the prescribed medication worked.

According to NDSU Extension for the the feed directive to be valid, it must include both the veterinarian's and client's name and contact information, the identification of the animals treated and how many, the date of treatment and the name of the drug. The indications of how the drug is to be used should also be included. A valid VFD will also need feeding instructions, withdrawal times, expiration date of the drug, and the number of refills available. The veterinarians license number should also be on there. They also need a statement saying that extra-label use is prohibited.

This is an example of a drug label which states what it is to be
used for and how it should be administered.

That statement is the main reason why the VFD was put into place. Extra-label use is when the drug is used to treat diseases other than the ones listed on the label. The reason that producers can not do this is because the withdrawal times change when they use medications differently and they do not want any residue to end up in there meat. The FDA also does not animals to develop a resistance to the drug.

If producers start to practice keeping accurate records of all antibiotics and antimicrobial given, the transition into the VFD policy will be really easy and smooth. The VFD is put into place for the safety of the livestock and consumers.

Be prepared for the VFD coming into effect in January of 2017.

Are Producers Aware of the VFD?

Veterinarians are required to write
prescriptions for producers

In a recent article published by the Greeley Tribune based out of Colorado, Christine Gabel, a territory manger for Zoetis, commented on how surprised she was that very few livestock producers knew about the VFD. When speaking at the Colorado Farm Show this past week, Gabel strived to inform producers about the Veterinary Feed Directive. When this FDA approved program goes into affect in January of 2017, it will impact producers, feed retailers, and the veterinarian.

The VFD will require producers to have prescriptions to use antibiotics in feeds. This applies to every antibiotic that the FDA feels could affect human health. The purpose of this new program is to limit prescription feeds to only be used for disease prevention and treatment rather than growth and maintenance. This all came forward after the Center for Disease Control released a statement saying that many people are dying because they are resistant to the antibiotic. The CDC is saying that livestock is the cause of this.


Also speaking at the Colorado Farm Show was Zoetis productivity manager, Brett Kaysen. He explained that one of the biggest concerned that producers have with the VFD is the time it takes to get a prescription from the veterinarian and then getting it filled. Kaysen used the example that life is unexpected. A cow could calve in the middle of the blizzard and in dairy operations you give the calves milk replacer which contains antibiotics. Well if they don't have the prescription available right away what will this calf eat?  Kaysen said that the best thing for producers to do is to work on their relationship with the veterinarians. He said it is key to have a good working relationship with your vet who also knows your operation.

Producers who attended the show also had questions about how well this would work in rural areas that have a shortage of veterinarians and how it would affect the costs. Gabel and Kaysen didn't have answers for these questions yet but said it is something that needs to be figured out within the next year. Therefore it is so important to start informing everyone now.

To read the full story visit The Greeley Tribune.

New Program Set to Impact the Cattle Industry

Welcome to Coteau Hills Cowgirl!

I have grown up our family ranch running a commercial SimAngus cow-calf operation. Since I was young, I always loved to go outside and help with the cows. Growing up this way has taught me many valuable lessons and has shown me how truly great agriculture is.

Agriculture is more than just a job for many people. Agriculture is a lifestyle, one they feel proud of and passionate for. Agriculturist work hard, long hours, taking special care of their way of life, whether its in livestock, crops, or vegetables. This is no exception for producers who raise cattle . These producers are want to make sure that their cattle are healthy and well cared for.

A new program, said to pass legislature and go into effect January 1, 2017, wants to ensure that producers are properly giving medications to their livestock. This program known as the Veterinary Feed Directive, commonly called VFD, will require producers to have a written note from their veterinarian saying they are allowed to give this medicated feed to there livestock before they can purchase the feed.

Many producers have concerns with this program that they would like to see answers to before the program goes into effect.