Veterinary Research

Garlic in the Water Trough? What New Research Means for Fly Control in Cattle

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:28:13 GMT

For decades, producers across the U.S. and Canada have used garlic-infused minerals or salt as a natural fly control strategy. The biological rationale is straightforward: sulfur-containing compounds from garlic are absorbed, circulated and released through the skin to repel flies.

But when tested under field conditions, the results have been inconsistent.

A two-year Canadian grazing study evaluating garlic-infused trace mineral salt illustrates that variability. In one group, cattle receiving garlic had 47% fewer flies and 41% fewer defensive behaviors compared to controls. In another group, however, no significant difference was observed, despite the same supplementation strategy.

The authors point to several possible drivers, including environmental conditions, genetic differences and variation in supplement intake.

Other controlled work in the U.S. has produced weaker signals. In a 14-week field study in Louisiana, cattle consuming garlic through mineral only achieved about a 25% reduction in horn fly numbers, a level described as not meaningful relative to expected control standards.

Taken together, the North American literature points to a consistent pattern: garlic shows biological potential, but results are not reliable enough to stand alone as a primary control tool.

Intake May Be The Limiting Factor

Both of these studies relied on free-choice mineral or salt delivery, where intake can vary widely between animals and across time. Even when average consumption appears adequate, dose per head per day is not controlled with free-choice delivery, making consistent exposure difficult to achieve.

In practice, this does more than reduce efficacy — it makes outcomes unpredictable at the herd level.

This shifts the conversation from “Does garlic work?” to a more practical question: Can it be delivered consistently enough to produce a repeatable effect?

Delivering Organosulfur Compounds Through Water

A 2026 Australian study published in Tropical Animal Health and Production evaluated that question under commercial conditions. Instead of relying on free-choice intake, researchers delivered garlic-derived organosulfur compounds through drinking water in a grazing beef herd.

This approach directly addresses one of the most consistent limitations identified in North American work: variable intake across animals.

The study followed 266 beef cows split into treatment and control groups with the same stocking density with no changes to routine management. Both groups received the same base ration over the 16-week experimental period, but the treatment group received the garlic-derived supplement through water.

With intake standardized at the herd level, a clearer signal emerged:

Treatment group: ~80% reduction in fly counts within two weeks
Control group: ~20% increase over the same period
By week four:
- Treated: ~110 flies/head
- Control: ~350 flies/head
Seasonal pressure increased fly numbers in both groups:
- Treated: ~550% increase from baseline
- Control: ~6,500% increase

Behavioral Response Aligns With Reduced Fly Pressure

Behavioral indicators followed the same pattern as fly counts. Defensive behaviors — including tail flicking, head tossing and stamping — increased in both groups as fly pressure rose. However, the increase was substantially lower in treated cattle (68%) compared to controls (186%), indicating reduced irritation under similar conditions.

These behavioral changes reflect more than visible discomfort; they are tied to grazing time, stress and overall performance.

Relevance to Fly Control in North American Systems

While the study focused on buffalo flies, the implications extend to horn flies, the primary ectoparasite in U.S. and Canadian grazing systems.

Both species:

Remain on the host for most of their life cycle
Feed frequently on blood
Trigger similar behavioral and production responses

The underlying mechanism — repellency via metabolized organosulfur compounds — is expected to translate across fly species.

Where This Fits in Practice

Water-based delivery of garlic-derived compounds may have a role as part of an integrated fly control strategy, particularly in:

Extensive grazing systems
Herds with inconsistent mineral intake
Operations where labor limits handling-based interventions

North American research has shown garlic-based fly control can produce reductions in some settings, but results have been inconsistent. Across studies, variation in intake has been a recurring limitation.

This new study suggests when intake is controlled through water, the same compounds may produce a more consistent response at the herd level. At the same time, the findings should be interpreted within the study’s constraints. The trial lacked replication, did not measure individual intake and did not assess compound stability in water.

This work emphasizes how a product is delivered can be just as important as what is delivered when it comes to real-world performance.

New Formulations Aim to Improve How Dewormers Work in Cattle

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:31:01 GMT

Before an oral dewormer can kill parasites, it has to dissolve. But new research suggests that step may not always happen as efficiently as expected. In laboratory testing, a commercial oxfendazole tablet released only about 10% of its drug content, prompting researchers to explore new formulations designed to improve dissolution and extend drug exposure in cattle.

Bezerra and colleagues at the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland explored whether reformulating the common benzimidazole dewormer oxfendazole could improve both dissolution and the duration of drug exposure in cattle. The findings highlight an important point: how a drug is formulated can influence how well it works.

The Hidden Step in Deworming: Why Dissolution Matters in Cattle

When an oral anthelmintic is given to cattle, the drug must first dissolve in gastrointestinal fluids before it can be absorbed or interact with parasites in the digestive tract. For drugs like oxfendazole, that step can be difficult. Benzimidazole anthelmintics are poorly soluble in water, which can limit how quickly and completely they dissolve.

In dissolution testing designed to simulate acidic abomasal conditions, researchers found a commercial oxfendazole tablet released only about 10% of its drug content.

Laboratory dissolution tests do not perfectly replicate conditions in cattle. But the pharmacologic principle still applies: if a drug does not dissolve, it cannot be absorbed effectively. For parasites that require sustained exposure to a drug, incomplete dissolution may limit treatment effectiveness.

Why Drug Delivery Is Challenging for Oral Dewormers in Cattle

Delivering drugs to ruminants is more complicated than in monogastric animals. After administration, an oral drug passes through several very different digestive environments. The rumen and reticulum operate near neutral pH, while the abomasum is strongly acidic. The drug then moves into the intestines, where pH gradually rises again.

Several factors can influence how much drug ultimately becomes available to affect parasites:

Rumen dilution, which can disperse oral drugs before they dissolve
Shifting pH environments throughout the digestive tract
Gastrointestinal transit time, which determines how long drugs remain available for absorption
Enterohepatic recycling, where drug excreted in bile re-enters the digestive tract

Many gastrointestinal parasites are exposed to anthelmintics through both systemic drug levels and the drug moving through the digestive tract itself. Because of this, the timing and extent of drug release can influence parasite exposure.

Rebuilding the Tablet: New Formulations for Oxfendazole

To address the dissolution problem, researchers developed experimental oxfendazole tablets using two advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing techniques: hot-melt extrusion and microinjection molding.

These techniques embed the drug within polymer matrices, converting it from a crystalline form to an amorphous structure. Amorphous drugs typically dissolve more readily, improving bioavailability.

In laboratory testing, one experimental formulation released nearly 90% of the drug during dissolution testing, an eightfold improvement compared with the commercial tablet.

The formulation used polyethylene oxide as the primary polymer carrier. When exposed to fluid, the polymer swells, allowing water to penetrate the tablet and gradually release the drug.

The result was substantially more active drug becoming available in the simulated gastrointestinal environment.

Extending Drug Exposure in Cattle

Researchers also explored whether tablet design could extend how long the drug is released in the digestive tract. A second formulation incorporated polycaprolactone along with polyethylene oxide, producing a slower-eroding polymer matrix. As fluid enters the tablet, pores gradually form within the polymer structure, allowing the drug to diffuse outward over time.

In dissolution testing, this formulation released drug gradually over about three days, roughly matching the typical 72-hour gastrointestinal transit time in cattle.

For parasite control, a slow-release system could potentially maintain drug exposure longer and improve efficacy against parasites that require sustained exposure.

Safety Considerations

Because cattle are food-producing animals, both the active drug and formulation components must be safe.

The study evaluated the polymer formulations using liver cell cultures. At concentrations consistent with expected exposure, the materials used in the tablets did not demonstrate cytotoxic effects.

Polymers such as polyethylene oxide are widely used in pharmaceutical formulations because they are biologically inert, stable during processing and compatible with controlled-release drug systems.

What It Could Mean for Parasite Control in Cattle

While the results are promising, the research remains at an early stage. Field trials would be needed to determine whether improved dissolution and controlled-release properties translate into better parasite control in cattle.

Still, the findings highlight an often-overlooked factor in deworming success. The effectiveness of an anthelmintic depends not only on the drug itself, but also on how it is delivered in the animal.

The Role of Timing in BRD Retreatment Decisions

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 15:28:21 GMT

Retreatment decisions for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) are often made when animals fail to rebound as quickly as expected. A calf still looks depressed, a temperature remains elevated, or animal handlers question whether the initial therapy worked. In those moments, retreatment can feel like the safest option, but evidence suggests when cattle are eligible for retreatment can be just as important as what antimicrobials are used.

Post-treatment interval (PTI) refers to the amount of time that should pass after antimicrobial administration before an animal is eligible for another treatment. It’s not about delaying care arbitrarily, but about allowing drugs time to do what they are designed to do before concluding that further intervention is required.

“We have very high-quality medications and sometimes we need to let those drugs have enough time to work,” explains Dr. D.L. Step, senior professional services veterinarian at Boehringer Ingelheim. “By allowing that period of time, we don’t have to stress the animals by getting them up into a chute to be further evaluated for more treatment.”

PTI is a Clinical Decision

PTI is a question of timing. Once an animal meets a BRD case definition and receives antimicrobial therapy, clinicians must decide how long to wait before reassessing and potentially retreating. That decision is often influenced by clinical appearance and management pressure rather than pharmacologic behavior.

This raises the question: If retreatment happens too soon, are cattle actually failing therapy, or are they still in the expected window of recovery?

To examine that question, a 2020 field study evaluated PTIs following treatment with gamithromycin in cattle with naturally occurring BRD. Animals were assigned to retreatment eligibility at three, six, nine or 12 days.

The results revealed a clear pattern. Cattle eligible for retreatment at three days had higher retreatment rates. At the opposite extreme, cattle held to a 12-day PTI experienced poorer final outcomes, including higher case fatalities. The most favorable outcomes in this study occurred when retreatment eligibility fell between six and nine days.

These results suggest there is both a lower and an upper boundary for effective PTI, at least for gamithromycin.

These results are grounded in how gamithromycin behaves in the animal.

“Gamithromycin can stay in alveolar macrophages that fight infection down in the lung,” Step says. “We know the drug can stay there for up to 10 days.”

This persistence provides a biologic explanation for the observed outcomes. Retreatment at three days may occur before the drug has completed its therapeutic effect. Extending PTI too long, however, may delay intervention in animals that need further evaluation, which may explain the different outcomes at 12 days.

Handling stress may also be a contributing factor. Earlier retreatment requires pulling recovering cattle back through the chute, which may further compromise recovery.

When PTI did not change outcomes

Not all antimicrobials behave the same way. A more recent multisite study from Kansas State University evaluated PTIs following pradofloxacin treatment for BRD in stocker cattle. In that work, cattle were assigned to retreatment eligibility at three, six or nine days and followed for 45 days.

Within this range, no statistically significant differences were detected in the first treatment success, case fatality or days to death among PTI groups. Unlike the gamithromycin study, PTIs beyond nine days were not evaluated, so the effect of extended intervals could not be assessed.

The pradofloxacin findings reinforce an important point: PTI effects are drug-specific. These results do not mean that PTI timing is irrelevant, rather that no effect was detected under the conditions of this study.

PTI and Antimicrobial Stewardship

PTI is a stewardship issue grounded in outcomes, not restriction. In the gamithromycin study, shorter PTIs resulted in more antimicrobial use without improved performance. Allowing appropriate time between treatments reduced retreatment frequency and improved outcomes.

“If you wait a little bit longer, the outcomes are better and you don’t use as many drugs,” Step says.

This approach aligns stewardship with clinical effectiveness rather than limiting access to therapy.

What this Means for BRD Protocols

The practical takeaway is not a single retreatment day, but rather the opportunity for a retreatment window that reflects drug characteristics, cattle type and management conditions.

“A veterinarian can prescribe and say, ‘Maybe we wait seven or eight or nine days,’” Step says.

PTI should be considered alongside antimicrobial selection and case definition rigor.

By evaluating each case in context and adjusting protocols based on observed outcomes, PTI deserves the same level of attention as any other component of BRD treatment decision-making.

Could The ClipFitter Work For Calf Castration?

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:56:27 GMT

Castration remains a routine management practice in cattle systems, yet it continues to raise persistent animal welfare concerns. Bloodless methods are widely used because they are easy to apply, but none are pain-free. Rubber banding is effective, but associated with both acute and prolonged discomfort. Burdizzo castration can reduce long-term pain, but carries a higher risk of incomplete castration and subsequent complications. This trade-off has driven interest in new tools that might preserve reliability without increasing pain.

New work published in “ The Bovine Practitioner ” by Jacob Schumacher and colleagues at Kansas State University explored the ClipFitter , a castration method that combines the benefits of both rubber banding and the Burdizzo method, for calf castration.

The ClipFitter is a disposable plastic clamp that crushes the spermatic cords and associated nerves like a Burdizzo, but remains on the scrotum until it sloughs off, providing visual confirmation of successful castration. While the ClipFitter has been used previously in lambs, this pilot study represents its first evaluation of its use in calves.

ClipFitter vs. Banding: A Comparison

The study included 12 beef-dairy cross calves aged 8 to 10 weeks. These animals were assigned to one of three groups: ClipFitter castration, standard rubber band castration or sham handling. No local anesthetics or systemic analgesics were administered, reflecting common practices in the U.S.

The following physiological and behavioral indicators were used to assess animal welfare and pain before and after castration:

Plasma cortisol and substance P levels
Lying and standing activity measured via accelerometer
Ocular and scrotal temperature measured via infrared thermography, as indicators of acute stress responses and blood flow and castration effectiveness, respectively

Data were collected through seven days post-castration.

(ClipFitter)

Pain, Behavior and Effectiveness

Plasma cortisol concentrations increased shortly after castration across all groups, peaking at 30 minutes before declining toward baseline. However, cortisol levels did not differ significantly among the three treatment groups. Substance P concentrations showed no differences between treatments or over time.

These findings suggest neither blood biomarker was sensitive enough to distinguish pain responses between ClipFitter and rubber band castration. However, this may also have been due to the relatively small sample size used in this study along with the variability of these biomarkers.

Activity monitoring revealed subtle but measurable changes in lying and standing behavior following castration. Calves castrated with rubber bands spent less time standing before switching to a lying position compared to sham calves. ClipFitter calves spent less time lying before standing compared with sham calves. No lying or standing outcomes differed significantly between the two castration methods.

These results indicate both ClipFitter and band castration altered normal behavior patterns in ways consistent with discomfort. The differing patterns between treatments may reflect mechanical differences between devices rather than meaningful differences in pain severity. The authors noted the lateral application of the ClipFitter prototype may have contributed to positional discomfort while calves were lying: “Excess plastic on either side of the scrotum may rub on the calves’ legs or pull on their scrotums while lying.”

Infrared imaging of the scrotum provided the clearest evidence of castration effectiveness. By seven days postcastration, ClipFitter calves exhibited significantly lower scrotal temperatures than sham calves, consistent with reduced blood flow to the testicles. These temperatures were not different from those of banded calves.

Key Findings from the Pilot Study

While the ClipFitter successfully restricted blood flow to the testicles, the results did not demonstrate a welfare advantage over standard rubber band castration within the first seven days. Behavioral data suggest both methods cause measurable discomfort that physiological markers failed to differentiate.

As the authors conclude: “While the viability of the ClipFitter for castration of calves was demonstrated to be promising, we were unable to find differences in pain measures that could correlate to a negative state of welfare.”

The ClipFitter may prove to be a technically reliable alternative, but current data do not justify viewing it as a welfare-improving replacement for band castration. Larger studies with longer follow-up periods could determine whether the device can meaningfully shift castration welfare outcomes.

Can We Shape Calves Before Birth?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:35:48 GMT

What if the most powerful determinant of a calf’s lifetime performance isn’t the genetics you select or the ration you feed, but the environment that calf experienced as a one-cell embryo? As research accelerates, developmental programming is becoming one of the most promising frontiers in cattle reproduction.

For two decades, the beef and dairy industries have focused relentlessly on improving fertility — and it worked. Conception rates rose, days open stabilized and the long slide in reproductive performance reversed. With conventional reproductive efficiency nearing a functional ceiling, scientists are shifting attention upstream, where the environment itself may program the future trajectory of the calf.

It’s well known that a resulting phenotype represents the consequence of genotype and environmental interactions. The performance of an animal depends on the genes they inherited, how much feed they get, whether they get sick, whether it’s hot or cold, and a plethora of other environmental factors.

“We’ve made tremendous progress in optimizing the environment that those animals are raised in by providing the best nutrition, the best housing, the optimal photo period and treating disease with pharmaceuticals to optimize phenotype,” says Peter Hansen of the University of Florida. “But we usually do that after the animals are born. We don’t really think too much about what is happening to those animals when they’re embryos or when they’re fetuses or even when the germ cells are being produced.”

Evidence of Developmental Programming

Recent work has shown us the environment of the mother and the early embryo can affect the postnatal phenotype of that embryo. The environment of the fetus can affect what kind of calf it becomes.

When embryos are produced in vitro, they are put in an artificial medium. Under normal protocols, this culture medium is choline-free. Choline is a methyl donor that may factor into the one-carbon metabolism of bovine embryos. In the uterus, choline is present at millimolar concentrations.

Work led by Eliam Estrada-Cortes in Dr. Hansen’s lab investigated the effect of culturing bovine embryos with or without choline. They found choline cultured embryos resulted in calves that were heavier at weaning with altered muscle DNA methylation.

“We’ve done this experiment three times, and each time the choline calves weigh more than the calves without choline. And that goes all the way through to slaughter,” Hansen says. A nutrient present (or absent) in the culture dish during critical development time can make a big difference.

The condition of the fertilizing bull can also affect embryonic development and quality. Arslan Tariq from the University of Florida investigated the effect of bull overnutrition on fertility, finding heavier bulls produced semen that delayed embryonic development and decreased embryo quality, without changes to sperm motility or fertilization rate.

Historically, seminal plasma is removed from sperm for artificial insemination as it contains elements that can be detrimental during storage. That being said, seminal plasma modulates the maternal environment in a significant way, impacting the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. As a part of her PhD thesis, Gabriela Macay at the University of Florida evaluated the reproductive, health and production performance of female offspring conceived in the presence of seminal plasma. These animals had increased birth weights, increased milk yield and had greater persistence in the herd compared to controls.

“What we now know is the environment of the mother that the early embryo is in can affect the postnatal phenotype of that embryo. The environment of the fetus can affect what kind of calf it becomes,” Hansen says. “And the environment of the bull.”

How Does This Affect Reproductive Management?

Developmental programming shifts reproductive management from a focus on achieving conception to a broader view of how early-life conditions shape an animal’s long-term health, productivity and resilience. This expands the veterinary role from problem solver to long term system designer who helps producers make choices that shape herd-level outcomes years down the line.

The next revolution in cattle reproduction may come from understanding the earliest biological environment that determines how a calf learns to grow, metabolize and perform.

Texas A&M Researchers Study Diet’s Impact On Salmonella Prevalence In Cattle

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 15:28:13 GMT

Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illnesses in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can spread to people from a variety of foods, including beef. Understanding how and why cattle become infected with Salmonella is an important part of fighting this major public health concern.

Researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) are addressing this problem from a new angle by studying how diet and feeding schedule impact Salmonella infections in cattle.

Their recent study , published in the American Society for Microbiology’s Microbiology Spectrum journal, found that high-starch diets can potentially lower Salmonella prevalence in cattle, especially within the lymph nodes — organs that are often embedded in fat trims included in ground beef products.

“Lymph nodes may be present in fat trimmings that are used to balance lean-to-fat ratios in ground beef products,” says Yesica Botero, a fourth-year biomedical sciences doctorate student. “This is a food safety concern because Salmonella can hide inside lymph nodes, where surface cleaning or treatments do not reach. As a result, it can still be present in ground beef.”

Feedyard cattle are typically fed a high-energy, grain-based diet designed to promote rapid growth and efficient weight gain.

Understanding the role that a high-starch diet potentially plays in reducing Salmonella prevalence could have major impacts on the beef cattle industry, providing ranchers with new options for controlling the spread of bacteria within their herds.

Taking A New Approach

The Texas A&M project was designed to study feedlot cattle that Dr. Kendall Samuelson, from West Texas A&M University, was examining in a separate project to see whether high-starch diets and feeding schedules impact liver abscess formation.

“We aimed to understand the factors that contribute to the presence and distribution of salmonella in feedlot cattle,” said Dr. Gizem Levent , a VMBS assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences . “There aren’t many studies focusing on understanding how diet and management changes impact Salmonella.”

Botero and Levent took samples of feces, hides, lymph nodes and soil from Samuelson’s cattle pens over a period of more than seven months. They found that while there was little difference in Salmonella populations between cattle with scheduled versus erratic feedings, the level of starch in the diet made a notable impact.

“We saw a reduction in Salmonella, especially in the lymph nodes, when cattle were fed a high-starch diet,” Botero says. “High-starch diets typically cause a lower pH in the rumen, which may be what reduces Salmonella prevalence in the gastrointestinal tract and, subsequently, in lymph nodes.

“Findings from Dr. Samuelson’s original study suggested that high-starch diets may also correlate with a higher incidence of liver abscesses,” she says. “This is something we would like to explore further in upcoming studies by testing different starch concentrations in the diet to find one that does not harm cattle health — such as by increasing the risk of liver abscesses — but still helps lower Salmonella levels.”

Continuing The Investigation

In addition to studying how different levels of starch impact liver abscesses and Salmonella, Levent and Botero are planning to dive even deeper into the data to study the specific serotypes, or genetic profiles of Salmonella, observed in their samples.

“We want to do a follow-up study with more in-depth analysis of the dynamics of the Salmonella population,” Botero says. “By looking at the genetic profiles, we can better understand which serotypes are present, how they might respond to antibiotics, and whether they carry genes that make them more likely to survive or spread in the environment.”

Fortunately, what they have seen so far from the feedlot samples does not indicate a high presence of Salmonella or serotypes resistant to antibiotics.

“The overall Salmonella population found was not resistant to antibiotics of public health concern, which is good news for public health,” Levent said. “But we will definitely keep screening for resistance so that we can better understand what makes resistant populations exist in the environment.”

Rotating Ionophores to Increase Gain

Thu, 26 Jun 2025 20:26:24 GMT

Ionophores like monensin, lasalocid and laidlomycin, have been readily used within the U.S. and a recent research study by Haley Larson, assistant professor of animal health at K-State Olathe, found rotating through different molecules could provide added gain benefits.

“They have a multitude of functions,” says Larson of ionophores, which are molecules that inhibit growth of certain bacteria. “They help control or prevent coccidiosis, and they also have some improvements on feed to gain.”

Benefits of Ionophores

While technically an antibiotic, ionophores do not fall under the veterinary feed directive as they are not used in human medicine. Thus can be used for the promotion of gain and feed efficiency of livestock.

Within the U.S., ionophores are labeled for continuous feeding, which the FDA defines as at least 14 days.

Larson says in order to have a study that could be easy for producers to replicate, they chose a 28-day feeding period per ionophore. This time frame also gave rumen time to adapt.

“We need to make sure that they have that full adaptation to one ionophore before you introduce the next one to shift that population in a different direction,” Larson says.

Ionophores work by inhibiting or killing certain types of bacteria in the rumen, which changes the rumen microbial population.

“We get a shift in the fermentation profile and the end products of fermentation that are produced that then, in turn, makes the animal more efficient,” explains Phillip Lancaster, K-State professor of cattle nutrition.

The idea behind rotating them would be to shift the microbial population and determine if there was a synergistic effect of using two different products or molecules on that efficiency of rumen fermentation, Lancaster adds.

Study background

The study was conducted in a commercial yard in southwest Kansas on heifers who were limit-fed for a targeted 3-lb. ADG on a growing ration. Monensin and laidlomycin were rotated through twice each on a 112-day growing period.

“We found that those heifers that were on the rotation had an 8.6% improvement in gain over their monensin-only counterparts,” Larson says.

She is continuing to analyze the data, also looking at methane production from rotating molecules as well.

To hear more of the conversation, listen to the BCI Cattle Chat .

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OSU Receives $250M Investment to Build World-Class Veterinary Teaching Hospital

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 19:20:20 GMT

Veterinarians are essential, from rural ranches to urban centers, fueling economic growth and ensuring the safety of our food supply and public health. Last week, Oklahoma State University received $250-million state funding appropriation to support the construction of a new, state-of-the-art veterinary teaching hospital.

The current veterinary hospital was identified as a key concern when the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine was placed on probationary accreditation in the fall of 2024. The American Veterinary Medical Association has since returned the college to full accreditation status emphasizing that continued compliance is tied to facility upgrades.

“We have a building and equipment that is not reflective of the quality of people we have here,” says Rosslyn Biggs, DVM, OSU assistant clinical professor and director of the Center for Rural Veterinary Medicine.

Biggs says the program’s primary goal is to create practice-ready veterinarians, with a particular focus on mixed and large animal veterinary medicine.

She compares students trained in the current hospital to high-quality livestock coming off a used cattle trailer. “It’s not what the trailer looks like, it’s what stepped out of the trailer that matters, right? It was the product that we were producing.”

She explains that while the building is outdated and past its useful life, the quality of educational output remains exceptional. Just like a trailer’s appearance doesn’t define its value; the hospital’s old infrastructure doesn’t diminish the quality of veterinarians OSU produces or the service it provides. She further elaborates that just as a trailer might need new floors and lights, the hospital needs updates to match the quality of its faculty, staff and students.

“This investment is program-changing,” Biggs says. “It’s program-changing, not only for our students and faculty and staff, but also for animal owners across the state, particularly our farmers and ranchers in rural areas that need the support to do what they do — feed and clothe the world.”

This investment, the largest state appropriation in university history, combined with $78 million allocated in 2023, marks a significant step in advancing the future of veterinary education, food security and public health in Oklahoma.

“We have a great foundation, but this investment is positioning us to be where we should be,” Biggs adds. “We have a priority to serve rural areas, to serve the animal owners there, and help support the veterinarians and work with them, hand in hand.”

The new hospital will feature modern equipment and technologies essential for both large and small animal care, including advanced imaging tools (CT, MRI, radiography and ultrasound), a linear accelerator for oncology treatments and an aqua cow float tank.

The new 255,000-sq.-ft. facility will replace the existing 145,376-sq.-ft. veterinary hospital, which was built to serve 60 students but now supports more than 150. With this expansion, OSU will address one of the most urgent infrastructure needs in its veterinary program while expanding its ability to train the next generation of veterinarians.

Biggs summarizes the investment will allow OSU to upgrade its infrastructure, technology and diagnostic capabilities.

“The goal is to create a facility that meets modern standards and can serve the state and region for decades,” she says.

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Factors Affecting Early Pregnancy Loss In Cattle

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 13:23:34 GMT

Open cows are a costly problem for producers. Less cows bred and birthing a live calf means less profit in the hands of producers. Researchers continue to look at factors related to why cows are open.

On a Beef Cattle Institute podcast reproductive physiologist, Bob Larson, DVM and Brad White, DVM, discuss a recent study, based on more than 80 research articles , compiled by researchers at Texas A&M University.

“There’s still a lot of questions about this very early time frame, because it’s hard to research, but one of the things we do know is that when we take a fertile cow and a fertile bull and mate them together, 30 to 40% of the time we don’t end up with a live calf, and most of that loss is in the first 20 to 35 days,” Larson says.

If after the sperm and egg get together and the cells begin to divide, but then don’t progress beyond those first few days to weeks resulting in early pregnancy loss, it is due to issues with the embryo, cow, bull or environment.

Pregnancy loss is a multi-factorial issue and is likely a reflection of inadequacy at the embryonic, maternal, paternal and environmental levels.

(Texas A&M/Lori Hays)

Embryos produce proteins like interferon tau and pregnancy-associated glycoproteins to signal the cow to maintain pregnancy.
“We know some embryos make more interferon tau than others,” Larson explains. “The ability of that early embryo to make those proteins at a sufficient level and timing, has to be quick enough and at the right dose in order to signal to the cow to maintain pregnancy. A cow has a 21-day estrus cycle, and typically will lyse the CL around day 17, so the embryo likely has to send that signal around day 15.”

When we see a cow come back into heat 21 days after she was last in heat, there are usually two possibilities.

“One, she was never mated, or the egg was never fertilized. But it’s also possible, as one of these animals, where the sperm and egg did get together, started some cell divisions, but the embryo didn’t progress far enough or well enough for her to recognize pregnancy and to maintain it, and so she loses it. When the embryo is so small and not yet attached to the uterus, there is no delay in her coming back into estrus,” Larson says.

Cow responses to these embryonic signals are crucial.
Researchers have looked at how well the cow responds to the INFT and glycoproteins the embryos sends and what proteins the cows make in response.

“Different cows produce a different amount, and typically, the more a cow is responding to the embryo, the more likely that pregnancy is to establish and be maintained,” Larson says. “We’re thinking about cells lining the uterus as well as cells in the corpus luteum and in other parts of the body as well. The signals sending from the embryo need to be coming at an appropriate dose and time, and then the cow needs to respond to those signals in a number of different ways.”

Larson says ultrasound can show differences in the follicle sizes cows ovulate.

“If we’re following their follicular waves with an ultrasound, cows that ovulate larger follicles are more likely to end up as a successfully completed pregnancy than smaller follicles,” he says. “We don’t know for certain, but genetics and environment, nutrition, stress, probably are impacting her. So now we’re talking about the cow having an impact on the egg even before it’s fertilized. She might make an egg that is fertilizable, but it isn’t going to be as likely to maintain that pregnancy if that egg isn’t quite as good a quality.”

Schematic of critical factors contributing to pregnancy success and failure.

(Texas A&M/Lori Hays)

Bulls also influence pregnancy through their sperm’s role in placenta development.
“What we’re learning is bulls differ in their ability to influence that embryo to be maintained,” Larson says. “The sperm cell is more involved with producing the placenta than the egg cell is. The early placenta is where all this signaling is coming from. One of the things we know is that embryos from some bulls make more of these pregnancy associated glycoproteins than embryos from other bulls, so bulls are influencing this embryonic signal, but we’re not able to detect pregnancy maintenance differences between bulls with our typical breeding soundness exams.”

Breeding soundness exams look at the cell morphology of the sperm cells, which is a good prediction of the probability of fertilization.

“We know there’s something going on with the male side in the area of not only becoming pregnant, but maintaining that pregnancy, particularly really early in those first few days but no way to measure this in the bull currently,” Larson says.

Environmental factors, including heat and nutrition stress, also significantly impact pregnancy success.
“We know that heat stressed cows don’t express estrus as well — not as frequently, not as long, and the quality the oocyte ovulated is not as good.” Larson says. “Even if the oocyte is fertilized and we go through the first few cell divisions, that early embryo maintenance is less in heat stress. You could see why that would mess up this, fine-tuned connection between the early embryo and the cow.”

These signaling mechanisms rely on, protein secretion and receptor creation, so nutritional deficiencies or a stressful situations, can affect not only the cow becoming pregnant, but also maintaining this pregnancy through this really early critical time, he adds.

More research to identify and measure some of these factors is still needed, however producers can keep in mind their management practices and how they influence pregnancy loss.

Select heifer calves born early in the calving season, as they are more likely to have dams that conceived and maintained pregnancy early.
“Put selection pressure on heifer calves that are born early, because that tells me two things, her dam conceived early and her dam maintained that early pregnancy,” Larson says. “A heifer that is born a little bit later, it’s possible that her dam conceived and then lost it, then conceived and maintained it. If there’s a genetic component, and we think there is, I don’t want to bring that into the herd. So a cow that conceived early in the breeding season and maintained that pregnancy is exactly the type of cow that I want to bring in her daughters into the herd as much as possible.”

Ensure cows are in a low-stress environment with good nutrition around the time of breeding, especially during the critical 12 to 17-day window for maternal recognition of pregnancy.
“I’m going to start with back when the cow is getting ready to calve, because that’s going to set up how quickly she comes back into estrus,” Larson explains. “I want her on a good plane of nutrition. I want her in a housing situation so she’s not in mud; she’s not fighting weather. I want her in as good a low stress environment as possible. So nutrition and housing and then the human activities. If I could do nothing to her during that time frame that would be my best choice keep her as comfortable as possible.”

When moving cows after timed AI, do so either immediately after breeding or wait until at least 45-50 days past breeding, avoiding the critical 7-21 day window.
“Fertilization happens in the oviduct, and that’s a little safer place for the embryo to be than in the uterus,” Larson says. “It’s in that uterine tube for about the first seven days. So that’s probably the safest time to be moving the cattle. Once that embryo goes into the uterus it’s starting to interact between what will become the placenta and the uterine tissue. And they’re not really attached yet, but they’re starting to send signals back and forth, and that’s when I really don’t want to do anything to disrupt that. So basically, if you’re going to do an AI mating, and you need to move the cows, I would probably do it as soon as possible after the mating, or wait till six weeks out before moving them.”

Your next read: Maximize Breeding Success: Utilize Replacement Heifer Exams

What Do Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreaks in Europe Mean for the U.S.?

Fri, 28 Mar 2025 22:18:14 GMT

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is rearing its ugly head in Europe. After an outbreak in water buffalo in Germany in January, an outbreak in cattle in Hungary in early March and an outbreak in cattle in Slovakia last week, why now? What is the U.S. doing to keep this foreign animal disease out and protect the country’s livestock industry?

“FMD is caused by a virus that affects cloven-hoofed animals so that can include cattle, pigs, sheep and goats,” explains Megan Niederwerder, DVM, who serves as the executive director of the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC). “It does not affect humans and is not a threat to food safety, but it has significant trade implications once it is introduced into a country.”

FMD has been fairly quiet in these European countries – with no cases reported for decades. Other parts of Europe have seen outbreaks more recently like the 2001 outbreak in the United Kingdom that caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism and resulted in the cancellation of the World Pork Expo held in Des Moines, Iowa.

“FMD really decimated the United Kingdom,” says Barb Determan who was serving as president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) at the time. “It became very apparent that we couldn’t guarantee the safety for our U.S. pig herd because of the high numbers of international travelers that would be at the show. We had to cancel World Pork Expo out of an abundance of precaution.”

Although there is still a lot to be discovered about how FMD was introduced into these populations, it’s a significant warning to the U.S. to be on alert.

(Lori Hays)

That was the first time, but not the only time World Pork Expo was canceled. The event was also canceled in 2019 because of the African swine fever outbreak in China and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That was a hard financial decision,” Determan says. “We had just completed the separation agreement between NPPC and the National Pork Board. NPPC was very tightly budgeted at that time, so it was a huge hit.”

However, keeping the U.S. pig herd safe was the most important thing on everyone’s mind. She says they made their decision after hearing reports from veterinarians who had been to England to better understand the extensiveness as well as from the USDA that had sent veterinarians over to help.

“At that time, we didn’t have near the biosecurity practices and things that we do now with the disinfectant foot mats,” Determan says. “We also don’t have live pigs on the on the grounds now compared to how we did things many years ago. We used to have live pigs everywhere on the fairgrounds in the early 2000s from genetics companies with pigs in their displays to the pigs in the live shows.”

The Truth About FMD
The clinical signs of FMD are similar to what the name implies. It can cause vesicles or blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue of animals that are infected. The U.S. has not had a case of FMD since 1929.

“We certainly want to keep it that way, as the economic implications for producers are significant if the virus is introduced,” Niederwerder says.

Compared to many viruses, FMD is a highly stable, non-enveloped virus that allows it to be infectious for longer periods. It’s very contagious and highly transmissible. Not only are there risks with transmission of the virus through infected meat products that may come in through illegal trade, but it can also be carried on contaminated clothes or equipment or supplies of humans.

“The human would not be infected, but certainly people can carry the virus on contaminated clothing,” Niederwerder says. “That’s why it’s really important as we think about prevention of entry into the U.S.”

FMD causes fever and pain. It results in excessive salivation and causes reduced milk production in dairy cattle.

“When you think about the impact, certainly there’s an impact on animal health with regards to the clinical signs, but even further is this impact on trade restrictions and the economic losses for producers,” Niederwerder says. “When you try and contain the virus, that oftentimes results in those infected animals being culled or euthanized so the disease no longer has the chance to spread.”

Why Should the U.S. Pay Attention?
When a virus moves into a new geographical range or is reintroduced into a country that has maintained a negative status for a long period, Niederwerder says it’s critical to reassess the risk to the U.S.

“In January, Germany reported their first case in over 30 years in water buffalo near Berlin,” she explains. “It was 14 animals, and those animals were all culled after the infection was confirmed but certainly trade restrictions and implications on surrounding areas of that Berlin farm were significant.”

Fast forward to March when two additional countries have reported cases. Hungary reported FMD in a single farm of cattle in the north part of the country for the first time in over 50 years. Shortly thereafter, the virus appeared in Slovakia (who also hadn’t seen a case in over 50 years) in multiple herds of cattle.

“Just recently, another herd was a suspect herd in Slovakia, near the southern border near Hungary,” Niederwerder says. “This is certainly concerning about how this virus is being reintroduced. Is it associated with contaminated fomites that may be in the country or traveling to new locations? Is it associated with wild boar? Could it be associated with infected hay?”

Although there is still a lot to be discovered about how FMD was introduced into these populations, it’s a significant warning to the U.S. to be on alert .

“We need to do everything we can to make sure it doesn’t get reintroduced into the U.S.,” Niederwerder says. “How can we amp up any biosecurity measures that are necessary to reduce our risk? We also need to think about reducing the risk of introduction into our country through travel and illegal trade.”

Be on Alert
Livestock operations should reevaluate biosecurity protocols. If any of your farm’s employees travel to areas where there are infected animals, implement a quarantine period for entry back into your U.S. farm, she advises.

“Be vigilant,” Niederwerder urges. “One of the challenges of FMD is that it does cause these characteristic lesions of vesicles or blisters on the mouth, nose or the hoof. What becomes very tricky is that those clinical signs are indistinguishable from other vesicular diseases such as Senecavirus A. If producers and veterinarians see these lesions, they must report it immediately so it can be investigated and confirmed that it is not FMD virus.”

FMD is not just a disease of pigs and cattle, she points out. Sheep, goats and cloven-hoofed zoo animals may also be impacted by FMD. This increases the breadth of what the industry needs to monitor.

“The world is very small now,” Niederwerder says. “Not only do people travel more internationally, but animals move around more than ever, too. It’s extremely important for those of us that are producers to keep our eyes open and pay attention to what’s going on worldwide so we can be as prepared as possible for any change in disease risk.”

That’s one of the ways that SHIC is trying to help producers. SHIC provides timely domestic and global disease updates to producers.

“Watching the SHIC global disease report is really important for producers,” Determan says. “It comes out every month and really gives you a feel for what’s happening in the entire world from a swine health standpoint. The biggest lesson we learned from the 2001 FMD outbreak is that looking farther out than just our own farm gate is so important.”

Keep Reading:
An Update on Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O in Germany

Hungary Confirms Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in Cattle

Slovakia Records First Foot-and-Mouth Cases, Minister Says

$20,000 in Student Scholarships offered by Purina Animal Nutrition

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 16:38:07 GMT

Purina Animal Nutrition, along with the Land O’Lakes Foundation, has reopened its annual scholarship program designed to assist students with experience in livestock production and animal stewardship in pursuing their passions and furthering their education.

Undergraduate students and current high school seniors who have experience raising and caring for small or large livestock, equine and/or poultry are eligible to apply for a $5,000 scholarship. Four students will be awarded based on applications that illustrate the impact animal agriculture has had on their lives along with details on academic achievements, leadership skills, community involvement and a clear vision for their future.

Scholarship applications will be accepted March 18 through April 17, and awardees will be notified in June. Funds will be distributed for the Fall 2025 semester at their current or anticipated educational institution.

The scholarship is open to all high school seniors who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic semester/term and undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.

To learn more about and apply to the Purina Animal Nutrition Scholarship, visit https://www.purinamills.com/scholarship .

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How A Kansas State Researcher Cracked The Code Of Cattle Pain Relief

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 22:11:30 GMT

No words are needed in the language of pain.

“Ow” and “ah” are universally understood, as are a yelp or a cry. A grimace or a rubbed hand over a sore spot or ache convey a similar message.

But like any language, the expression and understanding of pain is a learned form of communication -- one that’s especially difficult to pick up across species. For farm animals, though, Hans Coetzee has cracked the code.

Coetzee, university distinguished professor of animal welfare in Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has dedicated much of his career to assessing and relieving pain in livestock species. His work has been instrumental in clearing the way for the first regulatory approval of livestock analgesics, or pain relief medicine, that have eased the pain of millions of animals.

For these contributions, the National Academy of Sciences has awarded Coetzee the 2025 Prize in Food and Agriculture Science -- an award that recognizes research by a mid-career scientist at a U.S. institution who has made an extraordinary contribution to agriculture or to the understanding of the biology of a species fundamentally important to agriculture or food production.

“Through his innovative work, Coetzee has not only advanced scientific understanding but also delivered creative yet implementable solutions to complex challenges that benefit animals, livestock producers, and society, the prize citation states. By bridging the gap between basic science and practical application, he has fostered collaboration with policymakers and industry stakeholders and inspired the next generation of researchers.”

Coetzee will be formally honored at a ceremony in April at the National Academy of Sciences’ annual meeting in Washington, D.C., where he will also receive a medal and a $100,000 award as part of the prize’s endowment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.

“I feel incredibly blessed and honored to have the opportunity to do this work,” Coetzee shared. “I never expected it would lead to this recognition. I am especially thankful for the tremendous support from my family, K-State and the many colleagues, students and livestock producers who have collaborated with us.”

Coetzee has been previously recognized for his efforts to improve animal welfare. He received the 2017 Animal Welfare Award by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the World Veterinary Association’s Global Animal Welfare Award, also in 2017.

He also received Ruminant Well-being Awards at the World Buiatrics Congress in 2018, and in 2022, the K-State Alumni Association awarded Coetzee its Iman Outstanding Faculty Award for Research.

Author: Rafael Garcia K‑State News and Communications Services

10 Understated Things Economists Say Could Impact Agriculture in the New Year

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:29:46 GMT

This past year was definitely full of surprises, but there were also happenings in agriculture that economists warned about at the end of 2023.

The bleak outlook for commodity prices, along with elevated interest rates, created a downturn in the ag economy, which is something many economists warned would happen. It’s the speed of which margins crumbled that might have been the bigger surprise.

The latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor asked economists if the U.S. was either in a recession or on the brink of one. The majority of ag economists say U.S. agriculture is ending the year in a recession.

56% of ag economists responded by saying agriculture is currently in a recession, which is up from the 53% who responded that way in October.
81% of economists surveyed said the U.S ag economy is on the brink of a recession, which is a significant jump from the 56% of economists who responded that way in the October survey.

One occurrence that wasn’t on anyone’s radar in 2023: H5N1. What was first thought to be a mystery illness impacting dairy herds in Texas was later confirmed as Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu, the first time the disease was detected in mammals.

At the end of 2024, what are economists watching in 2025? In Farm Journal’s latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, we asked economists: “What’s the one factor impacting the ag economy that’s not being talked about or covered by the media enough right now?”

From trade to deregulation plus numerous unknowns in a new administration, economists have no shortage of issues they’re watching in the new year.

Here’s What Economists Are Saying:

“The media seems consumed with the negatives of a Trump administration/Republican trifecta. It’s certainly good to be aware of the challenges with any political transition, but more forward thinking on what is positive, would be helpful: the outlook for taxes, biofuels policy, trade deals with agriculture included, deregulation all seem to be potential positives we could be talking about more.”
“Prospective tariff war is being downplayed, despite published research measuring expected range of damage.”
“Farmer attitudes toward alternative land use: CRP, solar and other forms to help diversify incomes.”
“Policy uncertainty is high right now. Will tariffs be imposed and if so, what will be the reaction of other countries? Will the new Administration take regulatory actions that favor or hurt the biofuel industry? What will be the outcome of debates over tax and budgetary policy? Will economic assistance to the farm sector be approved during the lame duck session or in early 2025? What about a new farm bill? Many people are making assumptions about how these questions will be answered, but we don’t know.”
“Farm income varies greatly by region. While we often focus on the Midwest and the financial health of that region, it is also important to notice that regions in the southern U.S. are really struggling.” It is also important to watch what production adjustments producers make to cope with today’s tighter operating margins?
“Could federal budget cuts/austerity dramatically change/reduce the federal farm income safety net?”
“Cash rent prices staying constant during a downturn in crop prices.”
“Let’s be clear — the clean fuels tax credit goes to the fuel producer, not the farmer. It enables market access into the biofuels market for the farm economy, but the ability for the farm economy to capitalize upon it is hamstrung by credit levels that have incentivized large inflows of foreign feedstocks at the expense of literally homegrown feedstocks like SBO.”
“The Brazil real is depreciating, which eventually leads to more U.S. competition.”
“China, Europe, Mexico and others know what to expect out of Trump. They’ve seen it before. Everyone is discounting the possibility that Trump’s tariff threat could result in some pre-emptive trade agreements that benefit us here in the states. The U.S. is the biggest buyer of consumer goods in the world. They can’t afford to cut us off. Note that I said consumer goods, not commodities.”

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Emergency USDA Funding Available to Protect U.S. Livestock and Animals from New World Screwworm

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 18:09:21 GMT

On Dec. 13, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced $165 million in emergency funding from the Commodity Credit Corporation to protect U.S. livestock and other animals from New World screwworm (NWS) and to increase USDA’s ongoing efforts to control the spread of NWS in Mexico and Central America. NWS are fly larvae that infest living tissue of warm-blooded animals, causing infection, according to an agency release.

NWS has spreadout throughout Panama and into Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala during the last two years. With the finding of a NWS-positive cow found in Mexico on Nov. 22, APHIS and Mexican authorities have taken additional measures to prevent further spread through surveillance, animal health checkpoints and domestic preparedness. In addition, USDA is working with partners in Mexico and Central America to establish a barrier on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, eradicate NWS from the affected areas, and reestablish the biological barrier in Panama.

“The current outbreaks in Central America demonstrate the need for USDA to increase its investment in NWS eradication and prevention,” says Jenny Lester Moffitt, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. “If NWS were to spread to the United States, it would result in significant economic losses and threats to animal health and welfare. This funding will allow for a coordinated emergency response to control the outbreak and prevent NWS from spreading to the United States.”

APHIS asks all producers along the southern border to watch their livestock and pets for signs of NWS and immediately report potential cases to their local veterinarian, State Veterinarian’s Office, or APHIS Veterinary Services.

According to APHIS, eradicating NWS is only possible through sterile insect technique. With this method, sterile flies are released into an area where a known population has become established. The sterile male screwworm fly mates with fertile female screwworm fly, causing the population of screwworm flies to decrease until it eventually dies out.

To learn more about NWS, visit the APHIS website .

Read more: Texas Tech Veterinarian Weighs In On New World Screwworm

New World Screwworm: Latest Update from USDA-APHIS

APHIS Increases Import Restrictions on Animal Products from Mexico on Confirmed Case of New World Screwworm

Research To Address Potential Disease Transmission Between Livestock and Wildlife

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 21:52:50 GMT

The H5N1 bird flu — widespread in wild birds worldwide and the cause of outbreaks in poultry, U.S. dairy cows and even several recent human cases among agricultural workers – is a prime example of mixed species disease transmission occurring where wildlife and livestock interact.

Sapna Chitlapilly Dass, Ph.D., assistant professor in microbial ecology and microbiome interactions, Department of Animal Science, is studying the ongoing threat of emerging pathogens that can necessitate prompt deployment of medical countermeasures for life-saving interventions. She is also part of a research team at a Texas A&M AgriLife in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Dass wants to address the potential of disease transmission at the rangeland level rather than waiting until it reaches the SARS-CoV-2 virus level in the human population. She worked extensively on solving problems with COVID-19 in the supply chain.

“Dairy cattle are not a known host for avian influenza, so that was quite a shocker when it jumped species,” she says. “Disease transmission is inevitable, and we will see more with unusual hosts getting this disease. So, we should take care of what we can fix before it can become human-to-human transmission.”

Dass is leading a research initiative dedicated to identifying pathogens, monitoring transmission pathways, and implementing rapid responses to address the potential danger posed by unidentified pathogens that could lead to severe epidemics.

The project, “A systems approach to understanding wildlife-farm animal-environmental drivers of zoonotic disease transmission in the food supply chain,” is funded by a $3.03 million U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service grant.

History tells us
Out of the 400 recorded instances of emerging infectious diseases since 1940, Dass said bacterial pathogens constitute 54%, viral or prion pathogens 25%, protozoa 11%, fungi 6%, and parasitic worms 3%.

This graphic shows the potential for infectious disease spread in the environment.

(Sapna Dass/Texas A&M AgriLife)

Despite their lower frequency, RNA viruses, such as those responsible for HIV, influenza H1N1 and H5N1, SARS-CoV-2, Lassa virus, Ebola virus and MERS-CoV have caused the most devastating recent emergence events.

“Human intersection with ecosystems, which is driven by urban expansion, along with the proximity of agricultural lands to wildlife habitats and the extending range of wildlife reservoirs collectively amplify the occurrence of zoonotic diseases,” Dass says.

This research project employs SARS-CoV-2 as a model virus to study spillover events from white-tailed deer to livestock, examine mechanisms of virus persistence in the environment, and assess their potential impact on human health.

“We want to determine what we can do before a disease reaches the point of vaccinating humans; fix the root cause,” she said. “The root cause is the wildlife and livestock intermingling. If we can take care of that, we can prevent overwhelming the healthcare system, which took a beating during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.”

The project
The project allows both wildlife and livestock to be put in a controlled environment to see whether the transmission happens. It is a lengthy procedure, but the USDA’s National Animal Disease Center in Ames, Iowa, has done a phenomenal job of cohabiting the animals so “we can get real-world disease transmission results,” Dass says.

“With our systems approach, we can look at environmental maintenance of the virus, using our Biosafety Safety Level 3 facility at the Global Health Research Complex,” she says. “For example, what occurs in a water trough or elsewhere when both livestock and wildlife drink water from the same source on the rangeland?”

Dass says this complex research requires collaboration between scientists from different specialties working together — people in animal disease, veterinary biosciences, wildlife and genomics.

The team working with Dass includes:

Tammi Johnson, Ph.D., AgriLife Research wildlife disease ecologist and associate professor in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Uvalde, concentrating on wildlife disease ecology.

Martial Ndeffo, Ph.D., assistant professor, Texas A&M Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Bryan-College Station, who specializes in infectious disease transdisciplinary modeling.

Paola Boggiatto, Ph.D., DVM, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, Iowa, who works on mixed species disease transmission between whitetail deer and livestock at the animal biosafety level 3 lab.

Jason McDermott, Ph.D., Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, who specializes in systems biology and multiomics modeling.

“Infectious disease transmission is expected to happen,” Dass says. “But we’ll find out if and how it can be controlled by limiting exposure.”

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Preempting African Swine Fever in Texas with Research

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 19:02:00 GMT

By Gabe Saldana

As feral hog populations increase in Texas and the U.S., they create desirable conditions for disease-carrying ticks and increase the risk for an outbreak of African swine fever virus, ASFV.

To ensure the devastating ASFV stays out of Texas and the Southern U.S., a multi-institution research project led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research will assess the potential, or vector competency, of a southern Ornithodoros turicata tick to transmit the disease.

The nearly $1.5 million project is supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate through Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense, CBTS, a DHS Center of Excellence within AgriLife Research.

Results from the project will fill critical knowledge gaps in the vector competency of ticks in the U.S. It will be an early key step toward research-based solutions that keep Texas and the Southern U.S. free of ASFV.

Assessing tick vector competency for ASFV transmission in Texas
“These ticks are in several southern states and are common in Texas,” said Meriam Saleh, Ph.D., clinical assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Saleh is the project’s principal investigator.

“Laboratory studies using a subspecies of these ticks, which originated in Florida, demonstrated high vector competency for ASFV to pigs,” she said. “Our research aims to confirm whether the Texas ticks carry the same ability to transmit the disease.”

Dee Ellis, DVM, AgriLife Research veterinarian within the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology., and Scott Kenney, Ph.D., of Ohio State University, join Saleh as co-principal investigators.

The team will evaluate the biology and transmissibility of different ASFV strains and genotypes in ticks. They will determine the ability of other species to host or spread ASFV from ticks in the U.S.

Preempting an outbreak with research
African swine fever, as its name suggests, is a tick-borne DNA virus originating in Africa, where Ornithodoros moubata ticks persist in a continuous cycle with wild warthogs.

In Texas, unique challenges come from a host of issues: the presence of potential tick vectors, the expanding feral swine population, expansive suitable habitat for ticks and feral swine, commercial swine operations and the U.S. border with Mexico among others.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service estimates that an ASFV outbreak in the U.S. would devastate the U.S. pork industry with a 50% drop in hog prices, a halt in pork and pork product exports, as well as significant job losses and culling of the animals.

In Texas, according to the Texas Pork Producers Association, feral pigs outnumber domestic swine at least 3-to-1.

Adult ticks have been documented to live for years between feedings. Several species of Ornithodoros ticks in North America have demonstrated African swine fever transmission to swine in laboratory settings.

“Leading-edge discoveries and innovation will be the keys to staying ahead of ASFV for Texas and the Southern U.S.,” said Heather Manley Lillibridge, Ph.D., executive director of CBTS. “Collaborations across multiple institutions provide us with the resources and expertise for continued success.”

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Purdue University Researches Benefits of Fatty Acids Found in Meat

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 20:14:47 GMT

The impact of arachidonic acid, an omega-6 polyunsaturated fat found only in animal products, upon human health remains mostly misunderstood, according to an article released by Purdue University. Researchers aim to study the subject further.

Led by James Markworth , assistant professor of animal sciences , the team will carefully test the health effects of omega-6 in laboratory experiments. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture , will fund the research and the experiments will clarify which omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and seafood are responsible for yielding their health benefits.

“These polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential because you need to acquire them through the diet,” Markworth says. “They can’t be made in the body. And in particular it’s the long-chain versions, which are found in products of animal or marine origin, that are thought to potentially influence human health.”

Both omega-3 and omega-6 are long-chain, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and some of these fatty acids are also essential fatty acids.

The long-chain omega-6 fat arachidonic acid is found only in meat, poultry and eggs. “You can’t get it from vegetable sources, and you can’t get it from fish. We think that these nutrients found in meat and poultry products might have similar benefits as, say, fish oil or fish products. And that’s something you don’t hear very often,” Markworth says.

Previous research has well established that fish oil fatty acids have metabolic benefits. But which fatty acids convey those benefits and how remains unclear. The major ones are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Collaborating with Markworth on the project are: Tzu-Wen Cross in the College of Health and Human Sciences , along with Tim Johnson and Kolapo Ajuwon , both in the College of Agriculture ’s Department of Animal Sciences .

“What we’re suggesting is when you eat these lipids in the diet or dietary supplements, the systemic response your body has might depend on the resident microbes first encountered in the gastrointestinal tract,” Markworth says. “And we’re proposing that the systemic response is largely mediated by the effect on the skeletal muscle.”

Markworth notes the skeletal muscle determines metabolic health, obesity and diabetes as it is the largest site of glucose disposal and insulin sensitivity.

Read more here .

Livestock and mRNA Vaccines: What You Need To Know

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 01:56:43 GMT

As misinformation regarding the use of mRNA vaccines in livestock filter through social media, there are facts begging to be set straight.

Recently, a claim was made saying producers are required to inject livestock with mRNA vaccines.

According to USDA spokesperson, Marissa Perry says, “There is no requirement or mandate that producers vaccinate their livestock for any disease. It is a personal and business decision left up to the producer and will remain that way,” in response to the claim, Associated Press shared in an article .

National Pork Board’s Director of Consumer Public Relations, Jason Menke echoed the statement to AP, noting that the decision to use vaccines and other medical treatments to protect animal health and well-being are made by the farmer under the direction of the herd veterinarian.

To further explain mRNA vaccines and shed light on controversies, Dr. Kevin Folta, a molecular biologist and professor at the University of Florida, shares his viewpoint and experience with the technology.

What are mRNA Vaccines?

First introduced to the population through the COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines have been in development for decades, says Folta in a recent AgriTalk segment.

He adds that the technology’s potential in human health makes it a likely candidate to have a place in animal health as well. However, “the technology is being maligned in social media, and is now shaping decisions at the level of state legislature,” Folta says. This leads to the growing importance that producers and consumers become more educated on the topic.

What Folta believes began in January of this year, based on claims with very little data, certain advocates against mRNA vaccines are concerned that mRNA vaccines are in use and development in livestock. Additionally, these vaccines may then be present in the food these animals provide.

Why mRNA Vaccines Are Not Present in Food

“It’s not in your food. It’s a vaccine for the animal that, just like any vaccine, protects the animal from disease,” Folta says.

Current mRNA vaccines being used in swine are injected into the muscle, Folta explains, which causes the development of the immune response protein to then stimulate the body to work against the virus.

“In the absence of the virus, it’s kind of like giving the virus or giving the body a ‘wanted’ poster that says, ‘when this individual comes along, and this virus comes along, work against it,’ and it’s all gone within hours,” he adds.

The mRNA never leaves the cells from where it was injected. RNA is a very unstable molecule that must be kept cold, buffered and in solvent, to remain viable, Folta explains.

Additionally, any licensed vaccine comes with a minimum time before that animal can enter the food chain, also known as the “withdrawal time,” says Alan Young, professor in the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences at South Dakota State University and founder of protein platform (non-mRNA) vaccine company Medgene.

The Animal’s Genes Are Not Altered

While mRNA vaccines include genetic code, Folta says the use of a mRNA vaccines does not alter the animal’s genes in any way.

“This [mRNA] is an intermediate between the gene itself and the products that the gene encodes. So, it’s like having a blueprint and a house. The mRNA is like the construction worker. It takes the blueprint and manufactures the house. In the case of the cell, it takes the DNA blueprint and then takes a little bit of that information to build part of the final structure. The mRNA is just that intermediate, it does not change the genes. It doesn’t change the DNA itself,” he explains.

What are the Benefits of mRNA Vaccines?

More flexibility and faster response to new disease, Folta describes as reasons why mRNA vaccines are becoming more popular.

Traditional vaccines require large amounts of a virus to be raised and purified before being injected to elicit an immune response, he adds. Meanwhile, mRNA encourages the body to make a little piece of protein to elicit the desired immune response.

“It’s much cleaner, much easier. If you’re moving parts in this machine, to make this product that induces an immune response, it’s so good in so many ways,” Folta says.

In pork production specifically, researchers are working with mRNA vaccines that will work this way against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is a viral disease that causes economic loss totals around $664 million per year in the U.S. (Holtkamp et al., 2013).

Additionally, the use of mRNA technology adds another tool to the toolbox, which may be helpful in combating diseases, such as African swine fever (ASF), avian influenza and other food-animal diseases.
“This stands to be a revolutionary technology if we don’t get in the way,” Folta adds.

Are There Risks to mRNA Vaccines?

Folta says everything has some sort of risk, but it’s important to weigh the benefits against the risk.
As seen with the COVID-19 vaccines, in rare cases, people experienced side effects from the vaccine. However, Folta is encouraged by the initial results in livestock.

“If you look in animals where these [vaccines] have been used, there have been no unusual effects noted. Everything potentially has risk, but it’s monitored, and especially in large animal populations, we can look very carefully at that for surveillance,” he explains.

mRNA Enters State Legislation

While some consumers spread misinformation about the use of mRNA vaccines, the ideas have also crept into state legislation.

The Missouri House Bill 1169 , with a special hearing set for Apr. 19 on the matter, aims to require a label be used on meat from animals treated with an mRNA vaccine, identifying the “potential gene therapy product.”
This bill falsely claims that mRNA vaccines would modify the genes of the organism, Folta explains.

mRNA vaccines are simply another modality that can protect animal health, which results in healthy animals producing the best and safest food products, Folta says, and provides producers with more options to help combat disease.

“To have affordable food, we need to have continual innovation in the animal, medical, veterinary space and mRNA vaccines are safe and an effective way to treat the animal that does not change the final product,” he adds.

The COVID-19 pandemic simply “broke the seal” to the development of these new modalities that will change the way human and animal diseases will be treated in the years to come.

More on Vaccines:

Genvax Technologies Secures $6.5 Million to Advance Novel Vaccine Platform

Cattle Veterinarians Have New Vaccination Guidelines

Don’t Assume That Old Refrigerator Is Good Enough To Store Vaccines

OTC Livestock Antibiotics Will Require Prescription June 11

USDA Invests $17.6 Million to Protect Health and Welfare of Livestock

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 15:55:31 GMT

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and African swine fever (ASF) are two high-priority research areas that will be funded through a $17.6-million investment by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to protect the health and welfare of agricultural animals.

“Protecting the health and welfare of agricultural animals is integral to ensuring a safe, sustainable, resilient and ethically-sound food system,” NIFA Director Manjit Misra said in a release. “Healthy livestock are more productive and less likely to harbor and spread diseases that can affect humans. In addition, properly managed livestock systems help maintain biodiversity and sustainable land use.”

These projects are part of USDA’s “One Health” efforts, an integrated, collaborative approach to address issues that impact the health of people, plants, animals and our ecosystems. The awards include $12.7 million for 27 projects funded through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s (AFRI) Diseases of Agricultural Animals program and $4.8 million for 10 projects funded through AFRI’s Welfare of Agricultural Animals program.

The AFRI Diseases of Agricultural Animals program focuses on maintaining healthy agricultural animals to ensure a safe and adequate food supply, USDA explains. The program supports research in whole-animal health, including disease prevention and control.

“Several projects focus on research related to vaccines that could mitigate the spread of HPAI and ASF. HPAI is a major threat to animal health, trade and the economy worldwide. ASF is a deadly pig disease that spreads rapidly and affects domestic and wild swine. While not a threat to human health, the virus could devastate America’s swine industry and food supply if it entered the United States,” USDA says.

Examples of the 27 funded projects include:

• University of Georgia researchers aim to develop mass vaccination strategies against a prevalent HPAI subtype. The potential benefits extend beyond avian influenza, paving the way for similar studies on other respiratory viruses affecting poultry and livestock.

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientists will design and evaluate ASF engineered vaccine antigens. This work will ultimately lead to development of a vaccine against ASF to aid in disease control and swine health.

• University of Missouri researchers plan to develop safer and more effective swine influenza vaccines, with the potential to reduce both animal and human influenza infections, and block potential zoonotic transmission from swine to humans.

The AFRI Welfare of Agricultural Animals program supports projects that evaluate current animal agriculture production practices and/or development of new or enhanced management approaches that safeguard animal welfare and adaption to climate change, the release says.

• Purdue University researchers will investigate the most effective indicator traits and breeding strategies to enhance heat tolerance in ducks. Scientists plan to develop guidelines that outline optimal management and breeding strategies to improve heat tolerance in poultry—offering a potential long-term solution to climate change impacts on poultry production globally.

• University of Vermont scientists will investigate how early-life calf management affects long-term behavioral development, emotional states and physiological stress in dairy cattle. The results will benefit the dairy cattle industry by increasing longevity and improving animal welfare and care standards.

Your Next Read: Canada To Develop a Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank

Canada To Develop a Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 14:24:46 GMT

The Government of Canada is continuing to advance its work of protecting animal health by establishing a foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine bank, according to a news release from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

The vaccine bank is a key part of Canada’s response plans to control and ultimately eliminate an outbreak of FMD should it be detected in Canadian animals, CFIA said.

In late August, a Request for Proposal (RFP) was issued by Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of the CFIA, to supply vaccine products to the FMD vaccine bank.

The successful bidder(s) would provide concentrated FMD vaccines that could be rapidly transformed into usable vaccines. Information about the RFP including requirements, criteria, processes and timelines is available to interested bidders on CanadaBuys.

“It’s vitally important that we continue to take steps to protect livestock, and the livelihood of our hardworking farmers, against the threat of animal disease. By creating a dedicated foot and mouth disease vaccine bank, we’re working to reduce the spread of the disease and the impact that a potential outbreak would have on market access for Canadian producers. The announcement marks another step forward in the on-going work of supporting our animal disease preparedness efforts,” said Lawrence MacAulay, Canada Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in the release.

The vaccine bank would help protect Canada from the emerging threat of FMD, maintain public confidence in the Canadian food supply, and help reduce the spread of the disease, should an outbreak occur. An effective and efficient response, including vaccination, will also help mitigate prolonged market disruptions to trade.

Quick Facts

Budget 2023 committed $57.5 million over five years, with $5.6 million ongoing, to the CFIA to establish an FMD vaccine bank for Canada, and to develop FMD response plans.
FMD is a severe, highly communicable viral disease of cattle and swine. It also affects sheep, goats, deer and other cloven-hoofed ruminants but not horses. Many affected animals recover, but the disease leaves them weakened and debilitated.
Canada has been free from FMD since 1952, and strict measures are in place to prevent the disease from entering Canada. FMD is not a public health risk and is not considered a food safety issue.
The CFIA would use a vaccine only in the event of an outbreak to protect animals and help stop the spread of disease. This complements Canada’s current access to vaccines through the North American Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank (NAFMDVB) ensuring readily available vaccines for Canadian producers.
In Canada, FMD is a reportable disease under the Health of Animals Act, and all suspect cases must be reported to the CFIA.
The CFIA monitors the status of FMD worldwide and has emergency preparedness and response plans ready.

Check out these reads from Bovine Veterinarian:
New Vaccine Protects Cattle From Deadly Tick-Borne Disease
Embryo Surrogacy – The Next Dairy Niche?
How One Veterinarian Offers Support on Transition Planning to His Clients

Systems Thinking Helps Bovine Veterinarians Address Complex Health Issues Like BRD

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 18:10:09 GMT

Dr. John Groves has spent the better part of 30 years addressing bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle, with particular emphasis on high-risk stocker calves.

“This is very much a personal issue to me, as I practice in the town I grew up in, and my clients are my friends and my neighbors,” says Groves, owner of Livestock Veterinary Services, based in Eldon, Mo.

About 75% of his business is made up of what he describes as complex stocker operations, whose owners tend to be opportunity buyers.

“They buy on all days except Sunday, and they buy in all weight classes,” Groves says. “Their overall business plan is to add value to cattle by increasing their health status and assembling them into lots that are attractive to feedyards.”

With his stocker clients’ practices in mind, Groves realized early in his career that he needed to determine how to address populations of cattle over time instead of treating individual calves as they became sick. Eventually, he learned about and adopted the use of systems thinking to address BRD and other long-term, fundamental health issues in cattle that often defy short-term fixes.

Going Beyond Intuition

Systems thinking, in general, involves taking a holistic approach to addressing a chronic and challenging problem. Proponents consider the elements that make up the issue as well as how the elements interrelate, focusing on the goal of synthesis. The concept was pioneered in the mid-1950s, by Jay W. Forrester, a Nebraska farm boy who became a computer engineer and spent his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“I believe systems thinking is a good way to address complex problems, to think deeply about them,” says Groves, a founding member of Veterinary Advancement of Systems Thinking, a group of veterinarians interested in how the systems approach can be applied to animal health and production strategies.

Many bovine veterinarians already use some level of systems thinking intuitively and can benefit from taking it to the next level by looking at disease dynamics and their causes more comprehensively, adds Daniel Cummings, DVM, DABVP, Heritage Vet Partners, Madisonville, Tenn. Cummings has integrated systems thinking into his work, thanks to the introduction by Groves.

“We’re examining below the tip of the iceberg to better understand root causes of a problem in our cattle populations,” Cummings says. “I’m trying to dive deeper into the whys and consider all variables or risk factors that might be associated with a certain challenge. It’s not a linear way of thinking, from point A to point B. It’s a fundamentally circular way of studying an issue.”

Cummings references the Sandhills Calving System, used to mitigate the risk of calf scours, as a practice many bovine veterinarians are familiar with and that was developed thanks to systems thinking. The concept was developed by veterinarians at the University of Nebraska, led by Drs. Dale Grotelueschen and David Smith. (You can listen to an AABP “Have You Herd” podcast episode on the system at bit.ly/3qebKAE)

Consider Decision Outcomes

As Cummings identifies a meaningful practice or treatment he believes will help a set of cattle, he works through the potential outcomes before making recommendations to producers.

“Perhaps I’m going to recommend a change in the diet, because I think it’ll benefit the health of the cattle,” Cummings says. “So, I’ll consider what could be the potential unintended consequences of that decision, both the positives and negatives. How does this decision impact other stakeholders? Such as the nutritionist or feed deliverer? What are the costs and ROI? Does feeding the diet require other management changes?”

Groves often looks for leverage points in his clients’ operations to identify where a solution or tool can be applied. It is a low leverage point if a small amount of change causes a small change in system behavior. It’s a high leverage point if a small amount of change causes a large change in system behavior.

Reverse quarantining cattle upon arrival is a leverage point Groves often uses to minimize the opportunity for BRD infections. The idea is to protect incoming cattle from the existing population.

“In high-risk yards, instead of protecting the population from the incoming cattle, you protect the incoming cattle from the population already there,” Groves explains.

“Commingling is a major contributor to BRD outbreaks in high-risk stocker calves,” adds Cummings, who calls it “the daycare effect.”

Develop A Penning Plan

Groves encourages veterinarians to help clients create a penning plan to accomplish reverse quarantining. The plan should outline where new cattle will go, pen sizes and how long it will take to populate each pen.

Groves’ data, which he shared during an Elanco Animal Health webinar last fall, shows that keeping new cattle away from cattle pens that have been on-site the longest can result in fewer respiratory outbreaks. Additionally, smaller pen sizes reduce the probability of exposure, in turn, reducing the risk of disease transmission, making this a high-leverage tactic for cattle health management.

“I think this explains why stocker operations often will empty out and restart,” Groves says. “We have worked with some stocker operations to actually build in an empty pen to rotate through the planning strategy so we can take advantage of this benefit.”

To illustrate this to cattle feeders, Groves developed and runs a disease model that simulates how disease can occur. The simulation shows disease dynamics and the likelihood and rate of disease transmission among newly introduced cattle.

He shared the model with ag media during the Elanco webinar last fall. In addition, he demonstrated the model during a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension webinar:
Systems Approach to Maintaining Health in High-Risk Calves

Shifting The Burden

“Today, I have a better understanding of the importance of addressing fundamental issues like pen size and management,” Groves says. “When there is a fundamental issue, there is not a quick fix. It takes a lot of time, effort and resources to understand the issue and identify interventions.”

He says veterinarians can benefit from “shifting the burden,” employing longer-term strategies to fix or improve fundamental issues.

To illustrate this, Groves refers to a sinking boat.

“We often find ourselves in a situation where our boat is leaking, and all we can do is bail water; we don’t have the time or resources to patch the hole,” Groves explains. “But, long term, to properly use the boat again, the leaky hole will need to be patched.”

The same principle goes for mitigating respiratory disease in cattle, he adds.

“When I approach an issue like respiratory disease in cattle and the tools I use, I’ll think to myself: Does this need me to bail water? Or does it need a patching-the-hole in my boat strategy?” he says.

Staying A Step Ahead

Dr. Brett Terhaar, DVM, beef technical consultant for Elanco, says the battle against BRD requires a multifaceted approach.

“When it comes to BRD risk, one crucial factor is understanding the unique challenges posed by cattle’s physiology,” says Terhaar in a company news release. “Calves have relatively small lung capacities compared to their oxygen requirements. Due to their small lung capacities, when pathogens colonize, disease progression can be rapid. These calves can get what we call ‘knockout lung lesions’ in as little as 36 hours.”

Knowing this, Terhaar emphasizes the importance of identifying sick calves at the earliest stage of disease.

“It can be extremely beneficial to walk the pens of freshly weaned calves twice a day to make sure calves are coming up to the bunk, getting feed and acting normal,” he says. “Key symptoms to watch for include runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, drooping ears and anorexia, causing a lack of rumen fill.” He adds that early detection and intervention offer a higher recovery rate.

To effectively manage respiratory risks, a well-designed and executed plan is essential. Terhaar recommends addressing the following five elements:

Animal husbandry and management: Use low-stress handling techniques and provide comfortable living conditions with adequate bedding and stocking density.
Solid nutrition: Ensure cattle receive the necessary nutrients, protein in particular, to support their immune system throughout the weaning and transition process.
Strong vaccination protocols: Implement a well-planned vaccination program to mitigate the effects of BRD and other illnesses.
Strategic treatment: Keep two antibiotics of different classes on hand and treat cattle at the earliest signs of disease.
Accelerated gain: Utilize efficient growth strategies, like the use of implants, to maximize returns on investment.

Terhaar recommends categorizing calves into risk groups, particularly for purchased calves.

“High-risk calves are likely not vaccinated, haven’t been preconditioned and are commingled, whereas low-risk calves have been preconditioned and vaccinated. This differentiation is crucial, given the dynamics of disease spread and recovery,” he says.

For more news, check out:
Longevity in the Cowherd
Survey: Beef-Cross Calves Need Better Implant, Breeding Strategies
Health Traits Have Genetic Heritability in Calves
Failing to (Biosecurity) Plan is Planning to Fail

ICASA Grant Awarded to K-State Veterinarian to Address Antimicrobial Stewardship for BRD

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 13:12:16 GMT

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a multifactorial respiratory disease with multiple causes including viruses, bacteria and environmental stressors. Cattle affected by bovine respiratory disease generally die from late-day pulmonary disease triggered by secondary bacterial diseases, like acute interstitial pneumonia.

To prevent late-day pulmonary disease from developing in cattle with bovine respiratory disease, and to promote antimicrobial stewardship, the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA) awarded Dr. Brad White, Kansas State University (K-State) production medicine professor and director of the Beef Cattle Institute, a $1,223,474 research grant.

An additional $1,223,474 in matching funds were provided by Colorado State University, Innovative Livestock Services, Five Rivers Cattle Feeding K-State, Mississippi State University, Nanostring, Texas A&M University and Veterinary Research & Consulting Services for a $2,446,948 total research investment.

Bovine respiratory disease costs ranchers in the United States about $900 million annually due to animal death, reduced feed efficiency and treatment costs. The disease is commonly treated with antibiotics to reduce these losses.

“Antibiotic resistance is a major global public health threat. Use of antibiotics over time results in bacteria becoming drug resistant, and infections become difficult or impossible to treat,” said Dr. Jasmine Bruno, Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) scientific program director. “Dr. White’s research can lead to the mitigation of a prevalent secondary infection problem in feedlot cattle, which would reduce the need for antibiotics and help the beef industry use antibiotics more judiciously and reduce losses.”

To address these concerns, White is building a multi-disciplinary team to research how the secondary diseases form in cattle infected with bovine respiratory disease. The team is sampling over 2,400 cattle in Kansas and Texas to assess mortalities in feedlots, where many deaths from late day pulmonary disease occur. The research aims to provide veterinarians and producers with the necessary information to make informed prevention and treatment decisions

Specifically, the team is creating a set of late day pulmonary disease uniform criteria, or surveillance case definitions, to enable stakeholders across geographies to classify and count cases consistently, which is a priority for the cattle industry. The team is also employing late day pulmonary disease predictive analytics, or historical data, to forecast potential scenarios, to identify high-risk cattle pens. Additionally, economic data collected as part of this grant will help determine optimal diagnostic intervention plans.

The research represents the most comprehensive assessment of risk factors and pathological characteristics of late day pulmonary disease ever reported, generating valuable results that will help ranchers and veterinarians improve animal welfare, mitigate the negative impacts of this disease while promoting antimicrobial stewardship.

Find out more about ICASA at https://foundationfar.org

Angus Association to Host Webinar Addressing Bovine Congestive Heart Failure

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 13:23:17 GMT

Bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) is a clinical disorder that results from cardiac dysfunction with subsequent fatal outcomes in most cases.

As cattle are fed to heavier end points, the incidence of BCHF is increasing. It has been estimated that congestive heart failure is responsible for 4% of the mortality cases in feedlots today.

More Questions Than Answers
Epidemiologic results from research released in 2022 by Simplot Land and Livestock and also Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center (GPVEC), at Clay Center, Neb., indicates there is a genetic component to the disease.

The factors contributing to BCHF aren’t fully understood, however, and the beef industry continues to look for answers that can lead to solutions.

The American Angus Association has been working to address the issue and is hosting a webinar for producers and veterinarians at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 9. The focus of the webinar will address what is being done today to answer questions about BCHF from a research perspective.

Bring Your Questions
Angus Genetics Inc. President Kelli Retallick-Riley is leading the discussion. Some of the questions that will be answered include:

*What are the signs and symptoms of BCHF?

*Could new research efforts help cattlemen make better production and selection decisions?

There will be a live question-and-answer session, and webinar participants are encouraged to bring their questions to the event. Go here to register for the program.

If you have questions but are unable to attend live, you can submit them to Jessica Hartman, communications specialist, prcomm@angus.org. Hartman says to register to be notified when the recorded webinar is available.

These articles offer more information about bovine congestive heart failure and what the beef industry is doing to address it:

Congestive Heart Failure an Issue in Finishing Cattle

Angus Tackles Bovine Congestive Heart Failure

Bovine Congestive Heart Failure Work Continues

Iowa State University Advances Veterinary Diagnostics with High-Volume Testing Innovation

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 12:19:52 GMT

Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) is set to revolutionize molecular diagnostic testing with the introduction of a cutting-edge machine—the “SmartChip.” This innovative device can hold over 5,000 samples on a plate no larger than a postage stamp and uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) testing technology, combined with a 384-sample system featuring automated handling features, to significantly enhance its testing capacity, says a recent release .

“The historical patterns of pathogens are changing, so we need to be prepared for risks we haven’t seen before. Having this high-throughput capability will allow us to meet industry needs, providing more cost-efficient diagnostic tests as the need for testing grows,” says Rahul Nelli, a research assistant professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, in the release.

To refine the use of high-volume testing methods, the VDL recently secured a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The project, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, aims to prepare for future disease outbreaks. Through this initiative, researchers will ensure the accuracy and integration of the novel high-volume testing methods with existing systems for tracking and reporting test results.

“ISU VDL’s first-hand experience in responding to pandemics of high consequence to both animal and human health over the past few years, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza and COVID-19, have clearly illustrated the value of high-throughput testing platforms and need for further innovation,” said Dr. Rodger Main, ISU VDL director, in the release.

The SmartChip testing relies on microfluidic technology to detect targets of interest in samples, using a volume 100 times smaller than the VDL’s standard 96-well machines, the release explains. With samples precisely distributed in the chip’s 5,184 testing wells, the SmartChip machines can produce up to 30,000 test results per day. In comparison, the conventional 96-well method yields approximately 2,000 tests. Additionally, the 384-well machine offers a more moderate increase in capacity, capable of handling about 9,000 tests per day through smaller samples and automated loading.

Nelli envisions the SmartChip testing as a reserve resource for sudden spikes in demand for qPCR tests. This reliable method detects trace amounts of genetic material, including infectious agents in humans and animals. On the other hand, the 384-well automated machines can be part of regular lab operations, mitigating labor shortages. Moreover, by making test prices more affordable, they pave the way for wider use of surveillance testing among livestock producers.

Over the next two years, researchers will focus on integrating the new testing machines with existing reporting software. They will also validate the new methods and develop protocols for various samples used in veterinary diagnostics, including fluids, fecal matter, eggshells, and feathers. By 2025, these high-capacity testing methods could potentially be implemented in the VDL.

Main emphasizes in the release that ISU VDL, with the largest veterinary diagnostic laboratory caseload in the nation, plays a crucial role in serving the needs of 21st-century food animal agriculture. Consequently, the next-generation high-throughput testing platforms will undeniably contribute to fulfilling these requirements.

Time of Feeding Influences Time of Day When Cows Calve

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 22:01:48 GMT

Calving season is a critical time of year in cow-calf operations. Calving, especially during winter months, can be challenging. If you are interested in simplifying calving season, this week’s topic addresses a simple change in management that can result in more cows calving during the day time.

Calving during daylight means calves are born during times of warmer temperatures, cows calving are easier to find and provide assistance if needed and accordingly, more calves saved and alive. The simple management change that leads to more cows calving during daylight hours? Feeding cows at night.

There are several data sets collected over time that indicate feeding cows at dusk will increase the number of cows calving during the day time. Bear in mind, feeding cows in the evening does not completely eliminate cows calving during the night but does result in a distinctly higher percentage of cows calving in daylight hours.

In one of the largest trials conducted, 1331 cows on 15 farms in Iowa were fed once daily at dusk, 85% of the calves in those herds were born from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is noteworthy that the change from morning to night feeding can be made as soon as a week before calving and result in the benefit of more calves born during the day. But keep in mind, night feeding for several weeks prior to calving season is even more effective in getting more calves born during the day time.

References: http://beef.unl.edu

Dr. Glenn Selk explains how feeding cattle later in the day can help ensure calves will be born during the day on SUNUP TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AOOSfH4Q_o

Maternal Bovine Appeasing Substance Reduces Stress, Cortisol Levels In Cattle, Research Shows

When you observe a mama cow soothe an upset calf – taking it from bawling to calmly nursing in nearly an instant – you’ve just witnessed a naturally produced pheromone, called maternal bovine appeasing substance (MBAS), at work.

The pheromone, which is secreted through the skin of the mammary gland of lactating cows, is now available as a synthetic analog in the U.S., called FerAppease, for use in cattle experiencing stress from routine practices that are part and parcel in beef and dairy production.

Developed and marketed by FERA Diagnostics & Biologicals, FerAppease has been researched and evaluated by animal health scientists across a variety of production practices for the past decade.

“The maternal bovine appeasing substance is something that I’ve been investigating for nearly 10 years now, and the results are always consistently positive,” reports Reinaldo F. Cooke, DVM, PhD, endowed professor of beef cattle production at Texas A & M University.

FerAppease is designed to be topically administered to the nuchal skin (poll) and the skin above the muzzle. The product is locally assimilated by the vomeronasal organ located in the nasal cavity and is effective for 14 days.

“When the animal smells the bovine appeasing substance, the vomeronasal organ picks up that stimulus and translates into the brain as an appeasing, calming effect. It basically alleviates perception of the stress by the calf’s brain,” Cooke told Dr. Dan Thomson, Production Animal Consultation veterinarian and host of DocTalk, during a recent podcast.

Health Outcomes In Dairy And Beef Animals

In beef animals, Cooke has evaluated the product in a variety of production stages: at weaning in cow/calf herds, in calves being placed in feedyards and in finished cattle being shipped to a packing plant.

He also has conducted one study on the use of the technology in dairy calves ready for weaning¹. The dairy study was conducted on a commercial dairy in New York to evaluate health outcomes in treated vs. untreated Holstein calves. Application of the MBAS decreased the incidence of diarrhea (71% in controls and 59% in treated calves) and decreased mortality (7.8% in controls and 2.4% in treated calves).

An overview of the dairy study results is available in the American Association of Bovine Practitioner (AABP) The Bovine Practitioner.Cooke also addressed the study in Episode 184 of the AABP podcast Have You Herd? Listen to it here: AABP PodCasts - Effect of Maternal Bovine Appeasing Substance

More Than 10 Studies Conducted In Beef Cattle

For beef cattle, Cooke and his colleagues have authored articles from more than 10 published studies demonstrating the performance of FerAppease. One of the latest Texas A&M University peer-reviewed studies published in the August 2024 Journal of Animal Science².

Results from this study showed that administrating FerAppease resulted in decreased physiological stress markers in beef cattle. Compared to the control group, cattle receiving FerAppease had lower serum cortisol concentrations after castration and lower hair cortisol concentrations during the initial 28 days on feed.

“An increase in cortisol levels is the key negative physiological driver resulting from stress that impacts cattle appetite, health and weight gain,” Cooke says.

Specific to health benefits from administering FerAppease, the study results demonstrated improved immuno-competence with higher serum antibody concentrations against Parainfluenza 3 upon initial and booster vaccinations, according to a FERA news release.

Overall improved health response and better recovery from Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) were also observed in this study for FerAppease-treated beef cattle. A higher portion of cattle administered the technology required only a single antibiotic treatment to recover to positive health after BRD diagnosis compared to the control group. Mortality rates due to BRD were 83% lower in cattle treated with the product compared to the control group.

Multiple, Practical Uses With Positive ROI

As Cooke has considered where the technology fits within livestock production, he says his first thought was for calves at weaning, “especially because the calf takes about two weeks to recover from the separation from the cow,” he says.

“Then my next focus was on high-risk receiving cattle, because of all the stresses associated with the feedlot receiving. Reimplant is also another time point where we can address the stress of processing cattle. And the last period that I suggest is right before they go to the packing plant to address the stress of loading, transport, arrival, and waiting at the packing plant, which can translate into more carcass dressing,” Cooke told Thomson during the DocTalk podcast. Watch it here:
DocTalk Ep 634 - Bovine Appeasing Substance (FerAppease)

Cooke adds that the study published in the August 2024 Journal of Animal Science showed that by alleviating stress related to the process of shipping cattle to the packing plant, there was an increase of 1.5 percentile points in carcass dressing, roughly an additional 14 pounds of carcass.

“That’s $3 a pound of carcass today, so an additional $30 to $50 per head, which is significant” Thomson estimates.

Cooke adds that the economic analysis for use of FerAppease, depending on the production stage for use, offers producers a return on investment between 20:1 to 30:1.

Rodrigo Bicalho, CEO FERA Diagnostics & Biologicals, says A FerAppease treatment retails for about $3 per head for adult cattle and $1.50 per head for calves.

FerAppease use doesn’t require a veterinarian’s prescription or a Veterinary Feed Directive plan, and there are no meat withholding requirements. For more information and study data, visit www.FERAah.com .

References:¹Bringhenti, L., Colombo, E., Rodrigues, M., and Cooke, R. Effect of maternal bovine appeasing substance on health and performance of preweaned dairy calves. The Bovine Practitioner, Volume 57, No. 2, 2023. Available at: https://bovine-ojs-tamu.tdl.org/bovine/article/view/8772 .

²Pickett, A., Cooke, R. de Souza, I., Kertz, N., and Mackey, S. Administering the maternal bovine appeasing substance improves overall productivity and health in high-risk cattle during a 60-d feedlot receiving period Journal of Animal Science. Manuscript ID for Peer Review: JAS-2024-8536.

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