Breaking the Cycle – All In/ All Out Managment Systems ______________________________________________________________________ Atrophic rhinitis is a disease in swine that developed in the US in the 1940s because of the expansion and intensification of swine production. Atrophic rhinitis is a multifactorial … Continue reading
Principles of Diagnostic Testing Series Part 5 – Population characteristics: Prevalence Sometimes more than one diagnostic test is conducted to increase overall test sensitivity or specificity. For example, disease eradication programs may necessitate multiple diagnostic tests to ensure that an … Continue reading
Principles of Diagnostic Testing Series Part 4 – Disease Probability Probability is the chance that some event will happen. With disease, probability can be thought of as out a group of individuals exposed to a disease, how many will become … Continue reading
Principles of Diagnostic Testing Series Part 3 – Population characteristics: Prevalence Prevalence is an estimation of an individual’s risk of having a disease at a specific point in time. Apparent prevalence, or the proportion of test-positive individuals at a specific … Continue reading
Principles of Diagnostic Testing Series Part 2 – Test Characteristics: Infectious Disease Antigen and Antibody Testing Some of the most common diagnostic tests for infectious diseases detect either antigens or antibodies. An antigen is a foreign substance that elicits an … Continue reading
Livestock producers in the southeast are reminded to be vigilant in their biosecurity practices to protect against the vesicular stomatitis virus. Just last week, the disease caused by this virus, vesicular stomatitis (VS), was diagnosed in horses in Arkansas, dangerously … Continue reading
Part 10: Body Conditioning Score Series: Urea as a protein supplement For most cow-calf producers, forages are the primary component of the cow’s diet, therefore supplements should only be used when they increase the nutritional value of the forage. A common form of … Continue reading
Part 9: It’s all about the microbes There are many supplements available to the cow-calf producer, and most producers utilize some sort of supplemental feeding when cattle are on a primarily forage-based diet. The choice of supplement should complement the ability of the … Continue reading
Part 8: Body Conditioning Score Series: Consequences of poor forage Unfortunately, a lack of understanding of forage quality and beef cattle nutrient requirements by cow-calf producers often leads to poor body condition scores in their cattle, particularly in the early … Continue reading
Part 7: Body Conditioning Score Series: Protein Management When considering feedstuff selection and ration development, producers often base decisions heavily on protein content of the particular feed or feedstuff in question. For purposes of this article, we will define a … Continue reading
Part 6: Body Conditioning Score Series: Measuring Forage Quality The expression “You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” very accurately describes managing forage quality on cow-calf operations. Forage quality is measured through performing forage quality testing. Whether you feed dry … Continue reading
Part 5: Body Conditioning Score Series: Forage System Management Each individual cow-calf operation is a unique and complex system of various inputs and factors that drive management decisions and animal health and profitability outcomes. If cow-calf producers and their veterinarians … Continue reading
Part 4: Body Condition Scoring: When to do it Once acquainted with the scoring system, and comfortable assigning scores to individuals in your herd, body condition scoring (BCS) can be performed continuously throughout the year to monitor for subtle changes in … Continue reading
Part 3: Body Condition Scoring: How its done Body condition scoring (BCS) of beef cattle is a simple process that can be performed by anyone who understands the characteristics of cattle in each score category. The key areas that should be evaluated when assigning a body condition … Continue reading
Part 2: Body Condition Scoring in Cattle: Effects on Production Body Condition Score: Average time to first heat following calving (days): 3 89 4 70 5 59 6 52 7 31 Table 1: Differences in postpartum interval for cattle … Continue reading
Part 1 : Body Condition Scoring in Beef Cattle: The Basics Body condition scores (BCS) are a numerical ranking of the condition (fat cover) of individual cattle. Body condition scoring of beef cattle involves a subjective, evaluation of the cow’s … Continue reading
Intro: A Cow-Calf Producer’s New Year’s Resolution: Try (Not) to Lose Weight As we welcome another new year, resolutions are not just for those of us who want to join a gym or lose a few extra pounds. Most cow-calf … Continue reading
Earlier this year the USDA unveiled its plan to implement animal disease traceability (ADT) in US cattle herds. A traceability system is needed to help fight disease outbreaks and keep global trade markets accessible to US livestock producers. Animals requiring … Continue reading
Did you know that honeybees are the only insect listed as a “food animal” by the Food and Drug Administration? Across the country, veterinarians and beekeepers alike are learning about the new Veterinary Feed Directive regulations, which affect all food … Continue reading
The new MSU CVM Population Medicine rotation is off to a great start! This week, students had a great opportunity to learn about proper cattle management and Beef Quality Assurance from one of our biggest advocates this week. Want to … Continue reading
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