Bovine Welfare Forum Explores Link Between Contented Cattle And Quality Products SCHAUMBURG, 111. Where’s the beef today? If the numbers are right, it’s a part of nearly every meal. Consumers are reacting to improvements being made in the safety, qual ity, and wholesomeness of every thing from hamburger to filet mignon, and are eating beef more than any other meat. “The US beef industry is looking back down the chain from harvest to birth and insti tuting source-verification pro grams,” said Robert Smith, DVM, a beef feedlot consultant and part-time professor of veter inary medicine at Oklahoma State University. “‘Branded’ beef products hold the industry accountable for animal care and meat quality because consumers know who produced the meat and under what circumstances it was produced.” Dr. Smith will discuss health, comfort, and pro duction practices for beef cattle in feedlots at the American Veteri nary Medical Asso ciation’s Animal Welfare Forum, Nov. 10, 2000, in Itasca, Illinois. With more and more beef produc ers joining quality assurance programs devel oped by the Na tional Cattlemen’s Beef Association and state cattle pro ducer affiliates, better and safer beef is being pro duced. Alliances or marketing coopera tives, such as Ne braska Corn-Fed Beef, Ranchers Re naissance, and the Farmland Supreme Beef Alliance, put a name on the prod uct. Consumers have responded with their pocket books and their appetites. Accord ing to the USDA, per capita con sumption of bone less beef reached 66 pounds in 1999. Concerns about food safety have also had a major impact on beef con sumption. Govern mental regulations and proactive in dustry measures taken by groups like the Beef Indus try Food Safety Council have greatly reduced the incidence of food borne bacteria. And there is more good news from the dietary front. Milk and beef are important sources of conju gated linoleic acid (CLA)i 'which has been found to in hibit carcinogenesis in experimental an imals. In the Sep tember 2000 issue of The AABP Pro ceedings, CLA was noted as a potent anti-carcinogen in all cancer models tested. Dr. Smith is the editor of the proceedings, pub lish*! by lhe.Am«»-. ican Association of Bovine Practitioners. In addi tion, a joint 72-week study by the University of Minnesota and Johns Hopkins University re vealed that blood cholesterol levels dropped when six-ounces of lean red meat were eaten on a daily basis. Great findings, says Dr. Smith, but all for naught unless our cattle are treated well. “Happy animals will produce better and will enable us to meet the increasing demand for beef and dairy products,” he said. “Cattle deserve the best care possible, and consumers expect nothing less.” Feedlots are big business, with Texas alone feeding more than six million cattle annually. Typi cal feedlots resemble small cities, with alleys or “streets” running between large dirt pens. Pens can hold 7S to 300 cattle, depending on weight. And For C MO AOVANTA USA. ine BirN*»ndG STAC*araraf|iuradtr>tf«Mrfciof AOVANTA USA. Inc CLUJtfIEID' Production Sy*Um U «trodomart of Amancin CvanamM Company Mi QRStMESC-STACCom Ad-taM*rtaMr 117V* « n*—OC-MUno improved risk management, it’s gotta be Garsf! feedlots are a bustling business as well. Every day, feed callers use the streets as they determine the quantity of feed to be delivered to each pen. Large feed trucks bring freshly prepared feed to the cattle two to three times daily. Maintenance crews travel the streets to keep all aspects of the feedlot in good repair. Night watchers are on duty, just in case something goes awry. Pen checkers, or pen riders, on horseback ride through each pen to oversee the general condition of cattle. Pen riders are responsible for 5,000 to 10,000 cattle per day, and pens are checked seven days a week, year round. Christmas Day is no exception. There is also a crew trained by consulting veterinarians to assist in evalu ating a steer or heifer’s condi tion. “At the feedlots, we try to hybrids make it easy. Garst now has 17 G-STAC hybrids that let you tackle the toughest threats to your com crop. Along with a Garst genetics package that’s known for high yield potential, these &WM unique hybrids stack two or more beneficial traits together in one hybrid seed product. With G-STAC hybrids, t^ierC Featured Hybrid QRM Description BSBSQLS/IT 109 Widely adapted yield leader with protection from Gray Leaf Spot as well as CLEARFIELD* herbicide flexibility. 8342GLS/Bt/IT 114 Provides Gray Leaf Spot protection and CLEARFIELD* herbicide flexibility. Excellent yield and agronomic stability coupled with top-end yield punch. Also available at I342GLS/IT. 8300GLS/IT 116 Dependable yielder for the eastern Corn Belt that has CLEARFIELD* herbicide flexibility and Gray Leaf Spot protection. Garst Modern Science... Traditional Values Lancaattf Fanning, Saturday, Novembar 11, 2000-A2l provide the best health care pos sible,” said Dr. Smith. “Animals are like young children. Cattle can’t tell us what’s wrong, so we have to check them often, and early intervention can mean a more successful treatment.” The details of a treatment protocol are entered inta an on site computer and include other health care information, such as vaccinations, drugs and dosages, and body temperature and weight, which is matched to a calf s tag identification number. Technology has enhanced many health care and maintenance as pects of feedlots, but it is the people who continue to provide the hands-on interaction that cattle enjoy. “Feedlot cattle are curious and playfiil. They seem comfort able, lying around and chewing their cud,” Dr. Smith said. “There’s a perception that these your risks to maximize your yield. Garst® G-STAC® So, you can choose combinations of herbicide resistance, disease resistance, and com borer control to meet your specific needs. Expand your risk management options with Garst G-STAC hybrids. To learn more about Garst G-STAC hybrids, see your local Garst Guy or call toll-free: 1-888-GO-GARST. cattle live in unnatural, sub standard conditions, but behav ior in the feedlot is very similar to that observed on pasture.” That’s not to say that life in either setting is always ideal. Respiratory disease is the main cause of death in feedlots. About 0.10% of the cattle die each month. A second area of concern is digestive diseases, but refor mulated diets have dramatically decreased death losses to 0.04% per month in recent years. Stress and its relationship to food safety and animal wel fare is a growing area of live stock research. Julie Morrow- Tesch, PhD, is a research leader with the USDA-ARS at Texas Tech University who is studying the behavior and physiology of feedlot cattle. She will also speak at the Forum and will evaluate management practices and their impact on animal wel fare. “Many of the respiratory (Turn to Pago *34) www.garstseed.com
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