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Livestock Notes
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BEEF: PINKEYE INFECTIONS
John W. Comerford
Penn State Beef Specialist
Every few years, beef cattle
producers report a large number ol
pinkeye cases in their herds. This
year appears to be one of those
years. Pinkeye can infect any size
or color of cow,’ but younger cattle
appear to be more susceptible.
There are no easy answers to why
it happens or what can be done to
prevent it
Pinkeye is an infection of the
cornea, the transparent, protective
cover over the eyeball. The bacter
ium most often associated with
pinkeye in beef cattle is Moraxella
bovis (M. bovis), but Infectious
bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) has
been implicated in some cases.
Although pinkeye infections
occur in most mammals, each spe
cies is affected by different
strains, so the variety that affects
cattle is not necessarily spread to
humans, sheep, horses, or other
animals.
Tearing and redness are among
the first signs of pinkeye, but the
eye can become completely ulcer
ated overnight. Scar tissue results
from ulcers which form between
the layers of the cornea, causing
loss of vision in severe infections.
In extreme cases, the cornea may
even burst.
Factors that contribute to pink
eye infection include flies, dust,
grass seed heads, sunlight, and
windy conditions. In fact, any
thing that irritates the eye could be
a cause. This seems to be especial
ly true during dry, hot weather
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such as has occurred across the
commonwealth this year. Sunlight
is implicated because it is thought
that ultraviolet light loosens the
cellular junctions in the cornea,
allowing a path for the germ to
invade. M. bovis is already pre
sent in the eyes of most cattle, but
flics may be the likeliest source of
cross-contamination.
An alarming number of herds
have been infected this year, even
after having been vaccinated for
the disease. Veterinarians and
technical representatives with
whom I recently spoke reported
that pinkeye vaccines are about 70
percent effective. This implies
that up to IS head in a 50-cow
herd could reasonably be expected
to be infected under conditions
optimal for the disease. Secondly,
there may be a time lapse between
the onset of an infection and con
trol from the vaccine. Although
some early symptoms may be seen
in cattle, the infection will often
subside when the vaccine- u kicks
in.” In pinkeye infections, the dis
ease must already be present and
at work before the vaccine starts
working. However, infections are
often much worse in animals not
protected by vaccines.
Treatment for pinkeye includes
covering the eye and using intra
muscular infections of tetracy
cline’s or ocular injections of anti
biotics. Long-acting tetracycline
should be given in the neck.
' To prevent occurrence or
spread of infection;
• Control flies with insecticide
ear tags. If the tags were put in last
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Zeneca To Market Surpass
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.
Zeneca Ag Products (formerly
ICI) has announced that it plans to
offer two formulations of new
Surpass com herbicide for 1994,
and additional formulations in fol
lowing years.
Surpass EC and Surpass 100
will be the first two formulations
to become available, according to
Steve Miller, product manager at
Zeneca. The company anticij&tes
commercial registration of both
formulations in advance of the
1994 use season.
Surpass EC
Surpass EC is primarily a grass
herbicide, but it also gives effec
tive control of several small-seed
ed broadleaf weed species. Miller
said.
The product controls foxtails,
fall panicum, crabgrass, barnyard
grass, woolly cupgrass, lambs
quarters, redroot pigweed, com
mon ragweed, black nightshade,
and additional grasses and broad
leaf weeds. It also suppresses wild
proso millet, shattercane, and
seedling johnsongrass.
Surpass EC contains 6.4 pounds
per gallon of the active ingredient,
acetochlor, plus 1.1 pounds per
gallon of the com safener dichlor
mid. It’s applied at a rate of 1 to 3
pints per acre, according to Miller.
spring, put in new ones.
• Provide plenty of shade for
the herd.
• Separate infected animals
from the rest of the herd if
possible.
• Watch for early signs of the
disease and treat it early.
• Clip off seed heads in
pastures.
• Continue using vaccines.
“Rates depend on soil texture,”
Miller said. “For a medium soil,
such as a silt loam, a typical use
rate would be 2 pints per acre.”
The safener provides a wide
margin of crop tolerance. Miller
says Surpass has been applied at
four times the labeled rate in uni
versity trials, with no signs of crop
injury.
Atrazine Premix
Surpass 100 is a premix of Sur
pass and atrazine, again with (he
com safener included. Each gallon
contains 3 pounds acetochlor, 2
pounds atrazine, and O.S pound di
chlormid.
Because acetochlor helps con
trol broadleaf weeds, Surpass 100
provides broad-spcctmm control
with lower atrazine rates than
other premixes. Use rates for Sur
pass 100 are 1.6 to 3.3 quarts per
acre, which provides 0.8 to 1.65
Sheep Association
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
The Lancaster County Sheep
and Wool Grower’s Association
will hold their Bth annual meeting
on Monday, November 1, at 7
p.m. at the Lancaster Farm and
Home Center.
Highlighting the evening will
be a presentation on “Making
Your Small Hock Profitable” by
David L. Greene, Carroll County
extension agent in Maryland, who
has written a sheep management
guide that provides information
aimed primarily at the small sheep
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Timber
Formulations
pounds atrazine per acre.
“At typical use rates. Surpass
100 contains about 2S percent less
atrazine per acre than Bicep,”
Miller said. “This may be helpful
to farmers as atrazine rates be
come increasingly restricted.”
Both formulations of Surpass
are applied preemergence or shal
low-incorporated, up to 30 days
prior to planting. They may be
sprayed with water or liquid ferti
lizer as a carrier, or impregnated
on dry bulk fertilizer, and they
may be tank mixed with other
herbicides for com.
Future Formulations
Zeneca is evaluating additional
formulations of Surpass for the fu
ture, including liquid and dry en
capsulated products, dry granules,
and a premix of Surpass and
Eradicane herbicides.
flock operator. Greene is also a
successful sheep producer, judge,
shearing instructor, and is annual
ly involved in the Maryland Sheep
and Wool Festival.
A brief business meeting .will
be conducted by President Ed
Donough.
Anyone interested in sheep,
curious about profit making, or
yearning to become involved with
the association should feel free to
attend. For more information, con
tact Chester D. Hughes at the Lan
caster County Cooperative Exten
sion Office (717) 394-6851.