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SPONSORS Profitable strategies to highlight Cattlemen’s Update ELKO – The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension will hold its annual Cattleman’s Update from Jan. 4-8 in various Nevada communities and through interactive video. The workshops, also sponsored by the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency, Pfizer Animal Health and the Nevada Cattleman’s Association, will focus on beef cow management strategies that help ranchers improve their bottom line while maintaining quality. The featured speaker for the three-hour workshops will be Dr. Tom Geary, a USDA Animal Scientist who will discuss nutritional and reproductive management of beef cows. Dr. David Thain, a veterinarian with Cooperative Extension, will discuss animal health strategies for beef cattle and UNCE beef specialist Dr. Ben Bruce will discuss range management strategies that help boost profits. Ron Torell, a UNCE livestock specialist, will discuss management strategies of beef cows that pay and adhere to the standards of the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. Incoming Cattlemen’s Association president Ron Cerri will also speak briefly on current issues affecting the beef industry in Nevada. At most locations, a local veterinarian will be on hand to discuss animal health issues of community concern. “I encourage ranchers to bring their entire crew to the program, including spouse and working-age children, and anyone who wants to learn more about management strategies for beef cattle that pay and are BQA friendly,” Torell said. Torell said the information presented will help Nevada ranchers remain successful in “a global market which is currently experiencing turbulent economic times.” “Business as usual will not keep your operation above water in the future,” Torell said. “Sound management is the key to survival and the information presented here may help you stay afloat through this tumultuous period.” Here are the dates, times and locations for the workshops: 2010 Cattlemen’s Update *Compressed video sites are tentative. Call Ron Torell at (775) 738-7291, Dr. Ben Bruce at (775) 784-1624 or Dr. David Thain at (775) 784-1377 for site confi rmation. 3-hours of Continuing Education credits approved for licensed veterinarians. University of Nevada Cooperative Extension University of Nevada College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources USDA-RMA Risk Management Agency January 4-8, 2010 • Statewide $20 per ranch registration at the door covers materials and refreshments. Management Strategies That Pay $20 per ranch registration at the door covers materials and refreshments. Monday, January 4, 2010—Reno Washoe County Extension Office 10:00 a.m. Registration; 10:30 a.m. Program *Compressed video sites: Lovelock Extension Offi ce Eureka Extension Offi ce Caliente Extension Offi ce Tonopah Extension Offi ce Logandale Extension Offi ce Klamath Falls, OR Extension Offi ce Monday, January 4, 2010– Fallon Multi-purpose Building 6:00 p.m. Registration 6:30 p.m. Program Refreshments by Churchill County Cattlewomen & Lahontan Valley Vet Clinic Tuesday, January 5, 2010—Ely White Pine County Convention Center 5:00 p.m. Registration; 5:30 p.m. Dinner 6:30 p.m. Program Dinner sponsored by Carter Agri-Systems, Intermountain Farmers, First National Bank of Ely, Gale Oil & Tire-LG Supplements, White Pine Veterinary Clinic, Stockmen’s Supply, Eureka Vet Services, Pfizer Animal Health, Global Animal Management/ Tri-Merit Nevada Cattlemen’s Assoc. Pfizer Animal Health Lahontan Valley Vet Clinic Intermountain Farmer’s Assoc. Walco International Pinenut Livestock Supply Humboldt & Churchill County Cattlewomen Snyder Livestock Fort Dodge Animal Health Ivesco Animal Health American AgCredit Neff Mill Wednesday, January 6, 2010—Elko Elko Convention Center 12:30 p.m. Registration 1:00 p.m. Program Social following program sponsored by Fort Dodge Animal Health, Intermountain Beef Producers, Ivesco Animal Health, Novartis Animal Health, American AgCredit, Neff Mill and Anipro Thursday, January 7, 2010—Winnemucca Humboldt County Extension Office 10:30 a.m. Registration 11:00 a.m. Program 12:00 Noon Lunch Lunch sponsored by Rose Feeds and Livestock Supply and Humboldt County Cattlewomen Friday, January 8, 2010-Western Nevada Wellington Community Hall 10:00 a.m. Registration 10:30 a.m. Program 12:00 Noon Lunch Lunch sponsored by Pinenut Livestock Supply Hall sponsored by Snyder Livestock “This material is based upon work supported by USDA/CSREES under Award Number 2007-49200-03892.” Intermountain Beef Producers Nevada Department of Ag Novartis Animal Health Anipro Tri-MeritGAM The University of Nevada, Reno is an Equal Opportunity/Affi rmative Action employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, creed, national origin, veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, in any program or activity it operates. The University of Nevada employs only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States. • Monday, Jan. 4, 10 a.m. Washoe County Extension Office, Reno. (Interactive video sites: Eureka Extension Office; Caliente Extension Office; Tonopah Extension Office; Logandale Extension Office, Lovelock Extension Office and Klamath Falls, Ore., Extension office. All sites are tentative. Please call Dr. Thain for verification at 775-784-1377. • Monday, Jan. 4, 6 p.m. Multipurpose Building, Fallon. (Refreshments sponsored by Churchill County Cattlewomen and Lahontan Valley Veterinary Clinic.) • Tuesday, Jan. 5, 5 p.m. White Pine County Convention Center, Ely. (Dinner compliments of local sponsors.) • Wednesday, Jan. 6, 12:30 p.m. Elko Convention Center, Elko. (Social hour follows, compliments of local sponsors.) • Thursday, Jan. 7, 10:30 a.m. Humboldt County Extension Office, Winnemucca. (Lunch sponsored by Rose Feeds and Livestock supply and Humboldt County Cattlewomen.) • Friday, Jan. 8, 10 a.m. Wellington Community Hall, Wellington. (Lunch and hall sponsored by Pinenut Livestock Supply and Snyder Livestock.) Other program sponsors include Intermountain Farmer’s Association, Stockman’s supply, Pinenut Livestock Supply, Rose Feeds and Livestock Supply, American AgCredit, Neff Mill, Snyder Livestock, Intermountain Beef Producers, Ivesco Animal Health, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Anipro, Norvartis Animal Health, TriMerit-GAM, Nevada Department of Agriculture, Lahontan Valley Veterinary Clinic and Churchill and Humboldt County Cattlewomen. A $20 per-ranch registration fee at the door includes the popular “Red Book” and refreshments. For more information, contact program coordinators Ron Torell (775) 738-1721 or torellr@unce.unr.edu, David Thain (775) 784-1377 or Ben Bruce (775) 784-1624. AGENDA Karen Hinton, Dean/Director University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Welcome & Impact Assessment of UNCE Agriculture Programs Dr. Tom Geary, USDA-ARS Research Animal Scientist Nutritional & Reproductive Strategies of Beef Cows That Pay and Are BQA Friendly Dr. David Thain, UNCE Veterinarian Animal Health Strategies of Beef That Pay and Are BQA Friendly Ron Torell, UNCE Area Livestock Specialist Management Strategies of Beef Cows That Pay and Are BQA Friendly Dr. Ben Bruce, UNCE Livestock Specialist Range Management Strategies That Pay and Are BQA Friendly Ron Cerri, Nevada Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Current issues affecting the industry Local Veterinarian Issues of Local Concern January 4-8, 2010 Statewide 12 December 2009 The Progressive Rancher www.progressiverancher.com
UCD VET VIEWS John Maas, DVM, MS, DACVN, DACVIM, Extension Veterinarian, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis Beef Quality Assurance: What’s The Weakest Link? We have been conducting quite a few Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs over the past year in California. These have been put on to certify producers for the first time as well as for re-certification to comply with national guidelines to re-certify on a three year basis. The programs are always a two-way street with many good points and comments brought up by attendees. A number of topics were discussed that warrant emphasis in this column. Therefore, this month we will discuss some factors that affect the immune response of the calves when we vaccinate them as part of the BQA programs we all put in place. A large part of BQA is prevention of disease so the animals do not have to be treated after weaning, shipping, or in the feedlot. Vaccination against the common diseases is an important part of disease prevention. For vaccination and the animal’s immune response to work appropriately a number of steps (links in the chain) have to all work together. First we need to present an appropriate antigen (vaccine) to the animal via injection or intranasal inoculation. The vaccine antigen has to have been properly stored and mixed before presentation. Secondly, the animal’s immune response has to respond to the vaccine to produce protective immunity. Many factors are important in the proper working of the immune response; but, two of the most important are trace mineral nutrition and parasitism. So what are some of the weak links in the chain of protecting cattle from disease and what can we do about them? Can storage conditions affect vaccines? Definitely! Most vaccines should be stored at 35-45º F. The recommended storage conditions are on the vaccine label. Vaccines should be stored at the recommended temperatures from the time they are manufactured until the time you use them chute side. Overheating vaccines can cause obvious problems, as the proteins in the vaccine will breakdown (denature) and will not produce the desired immune response. Worse than overheating, freezing vaccines will decrease their effectiveness even faster. So the recommended storage conditions of 35-45º F is a strict range on both ends. Both modified live vaccines and killed vaccines are affected by improper storage temperatures. Almost all killed vaccines contain an adjuvant that aids in the immune response, as do some live vaccines. High or low storage temperatures cause these mixtures to separate and lose their effectiveness to prevent disease. What about refrigerators and their effectiveness? It turns out that many of the refrigerators we use for storing cattle vaccines and drugs are cast-offs from some other use and may not be functioning properly. A survey by Dr. David Thain at the University of Nevada, Reno found 25% of ranch refrigerators failed to maintain temperatures to keep vaccines in the safe range and most of the failures had to do with freezing the vaccines (temperatures as low as 10º F for extended periods). Many of the old refrigerators we use tend to freeze items stored in the back near the coils and overheat items stored near the front or in the door because the rubber seals no longer work. Additionally, some of the older refrigerators cannot insulate well enough when placed outside in the winter and the vaccines simply freeze inside the refrigerator. How can I tell if my refrigerator is working correctly? You can buy a thermometer which records minimum and maximum temperatures and place it in your refrigerator for several days. Put it in different locations to be sure you don’t have cold spots or hot spots. These thermometers can be purchased for less than $20. They are made in both electronic form and magnetic form (the high/low thermometers we use to record daily temperatures). Simply go on the web and type in recording thermometers and browse the various offerings until you find one that suits your needs. Leave a thermometer in your storage refrigerator and monitor it from time to time. What affects the immune response of the calves? Many things will affect the calves’ ability to respond to vaccines or disease challenges. These include the presence of the BVD virus in the herd, stress, previous vaccination history, the products used, parasites, nutrition, and vaccine handling. The storage of vaccines was discussed above, as an important part of vaccine handling. Cattle that are parasitized do not respond normally to vaccines. Also, calves deficient in trace minerals such as selenium (Se) or copper (Cu) respond poorly to vaccines and infectious diseases. Why do parasites affect the immune system? Most parasites have complex life cycles and depend on evading the host’s defenses to be able to survive. Part of this evasion is to affect the host’s immune system, so there is not a large reaction against the parasites. Therefore, most parasites make chemicals that decrease the animal’s ability to make a full immune response. While this helps the parasite, it harms the host in terms of handling other infections. How do you minimize the parasites’ damage? Having a good comprehensive parasite control program for the entire herd is the first step. Deworming the cow herd before they enter clean pastures will help keep the parasite load low in the herd and keep the number of parasite eggs on the pastures to a minimum. The use of effective products will also have a positive impact. Your veterinarian can advise you on the use of appropriate products and the timing of use in your herd. What are the best dewormers to use? Again, your veterinarian can best advise you on this topic for your herd’s particular situation. However, I recommend using the brand name products at this time. There have been a number of situations in the recent past where generic ivermectin products have been associated with significant parasitism, i.e., the generic ivermectin were used and clinical problems remained. If you have any indication that a dewormer did not work have your veterinarian investigate the problem and analyze fecal samples to determine if patent parasitic infections are present. How do trace minerals affect the animal’s immune system? Many trace minerals and vitamins are now referred to as “antioxidants”. As part of their antioxidant function they are very important in the immune system. In California, most of the beef cattle are deficient in either Se or Cu (or often both) unless they are supplemented. These minerals are very important in the calves’ immune system for a normal response to vaccines and to ward off diseases such as pneumonia. Also, neither Se nor Cu are well transferred to the calf via milk, so near weaning the calves are often at their lowest level in terms of Se and Cu—at greatest risk for deficiency. How do I know if my calves are deficient? A few blood samples taken from your calves at or near weaning will tell the story. They can be analyzed for the trace minerals and will reflect how well your supplementation program is working. There are a number of effective ways to supplement Se and Cu and your veterinarian can help you work through the options that will work best for you. What’s the bottom line? With regard to handling vaccines—make sure your refrigerator and vaccine storage system is working. Be sure to store your vaccines and other animal health materials according to label instructions. For vaccines this is usually between 35 and 45º F. For parasite control—use brand name products recommended by your veterinarian at an appropriate time to make sure calves to be vaccinated are not heavily parasitized. With regard to trace minerals—have a good supplementation program that includes occasional monitoring of calves’ blood levels to be sure the program is working efficiently. Strengthen these weak links and combine them with good BQA practices and your calves will be healthier with minimal disease problems. Garcia Bits & Spurs The gift that won’t be re-gifted! Bit #122 $400 NV. Sales tax 6.85% S&H $10 Spur #273 $400 NV. Sales tax 6.85% S&H $10 500 Commercial St. Elko, NV 89801 Phone: (775) 738-5816 Fax: (775) 738-8980 capriolas.com www.progressiverancher.com The Progressive Rancher December 2009 13
Page 2 and 3: In this Issue... Nevada Cattlemen
Page 4 and 5: UPDATE Ro n Ce r r i Nevada Cattlem
Page 6 and 7: Back to Basics Cooperative Extensio
Page 8 and 9: Back to Basics Cooperative Extensio
Page 10 and 11: By Julie Kay Smithson, property rig
Page 14 and 15: BEEF CHECKOFF NEWS News From the Ne
Page 16 and 17: Interior, Agriculture Secretaries t
Page 18 and 19: John Carpenter Dan Gralian, John Ca
Page 20 and 21: 7th Annual Nevada Cattlemen’s Ass
Page 22 and 23: People are often unreasonable, illo
Page 24 and 25: A continuation of the SCIENTIST CON
Page 26 and 27: ➤ ➤ Winnemucca ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤
Page 28 and 29: SOCIETY FOR RANGE MANAGEMENT Wild H
Page 30 and 31: Photo Laurie Errington-10/09 Cory S
Page 32 and 33: DR. Margaret, Ph.D. How to Conditio
Page 34 and 35: The Progressive Rancher Coloring Co
Page 36: PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit

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