A2B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 15, 2003 Penn State Cooperative Extension Capitol Region Dairy Team WHAT EVERY DAIRY PRODUCER SHOULD KNOW BEFORE TREATING A SICK COW Galen Kopp Extension Agent Dairy/Livestock Lebanon County Dairy producers are responsi ble for the safe use of animal health products. This includes withdrawing milk during and after treatment according to label instructions. Meat withdrawal is equally important, and is sepa rately labeled and typically much longer than for milk. Some medicinal compounds take many months to clear the body’s filtering system, com prised of organs such as the kid neys which are targeted for test ing by USDA inspectors. Antibiotic meat residues were the second most frequent prob lem cited by packers in the 1999 National Market Cow and Bull Quality Audit. As the media spot light centers on animal health and food safety issues, govern ment regulators are stepping up their surveillance for these resi dues in cow and bull beef. Pack ers are spending more money to address these issues, and they are beginning to require producers to certify that they have followed Galen Kopp FDA regulations and are market ing animals which will contain no illegal drug residues in the meat or filtering organs. Violators risk increased penal ties and reduced access to mar kets. And the entire dairy and livestock industry is at risk for in creased regulation of the animal health products producers de pend upon. Penn State University meat scientist Dr. William Henning noted that for dairy beef proces sors, antibiotic residue avoidance is top priority because they have a quality and safety commitment I * I Ifl«« I 11141 to consumers. Dairy producers share that commitment every time they cull an animal. In gen eral, producers are doing a good job with meat residues avoidance; however, everyone pays for the proverbial “five percenters.” According to USDA’s Residue Monitoring Program, the overall incidence of antibiotic meat resi due violations is very small and declining. However, dairy cows and dairy bob calves still have the highest rate of violative residue among all classes of cattle. Ultimately, the final food product of every dairy animal is beef. So, the time to consider the meat withdrawal period is before treating. Producers and their vet erinarians have an obligation to consider the cow’s final destina tion when making choices about her treatment. The best way to avoid market ing animals that are severely dis abled, or animals with treatment residues in the body, is to evalu ate health conditions early, before they get out of hand. Waiting to treat for overt signs of illness is costly, and jeopardizes the health of the herd as a unit. Plus, the producer runs a greater risk of losing the cows, or losing the op tion of marketing the animal for its beef value. Researchers estimate that each year, 30 percent of dairy cows come to the packing plant with clinically apparent inflammation of the mammary gland, which presents challenges at the plant. Also, 7 percent of cows are lame or disabled. On average, 39 pounds of carcass product is lost because of removal of arthritic joints and nearby tissue. These inflammatory conditions are typ ically treated with animal health products on the farm, before the animal is finally culled. FARMING, FINANCING AND WO TOCETH Remember when being efficient was all it took to be a successful farmer? With some help from mother nature, bei efficient is still the key to su farming. And that, by itself, is a tough job. Today's farmer has to know financing and marketing as well as production. And today, as in the past, The Ephrata National Bank is here to help. We've been financing local farming since 1881 and plan to for years to come. Next time you need some honest advice on financing your farming operation, see your friends at The Ephrata National Bank. To learn more, call Bob Zook at 717-721-5220 Si? Cumberland Co. 4-H Dairy Roundup At Shippensburg CARLISLE (Cumberland Co.) The Cumberland County 2003 4-H Dairy Round Up took place recently at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds. One of the high lights was the dairy showman ship competition. The 2003 showmanship win ners include Junior Showman ship Champion (ages 8-10), Kerri Wickard; Reserve Junior, Abby Harris; Intermediate Showman ship Champion (ages 11-13), Robert Weber; Reserve Interme diate Reserve, Janel Zinn; Senior and Overall Showmanship Champion (ages 14-18), Scott Walton; Reserve Senior, Sarah Wickard. Amy Packard, Elizabethtown selected the following breed champions: AYRSHIRE Junior Champion: Michael Woods. Reserve Junior Champion; Janel Zinn. Senior Champion: Jennifer Zinn. Reserve Senior Champion: Janel Zinn. GRAND CHAMPION Jennifer Zinn RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Janel Zinn BROWN SWISS Junior Champion: Sarah Wickard. Reserve Junior Champion: Kem Wick ard. Senior Champion: Aaron Comman. Reserve Senior Champion: Sarah Wick ard. This is why more attention must be paid to early disease evaluation, culling, and treat ment. When a producer makes the decision to treat, rather than cull persistent or declining health conditions, he believes the cow will recover to sound health. If the animal’s health continues to decline while the prescribed meat withdrawal period is still in ef We've stood the test of time... Ephrata National Bank You'll feel the difference. www.ephratanationalbank.com GRAND CHAMPION Aaron Comman RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Sarah Wickard GUERNSEY Junior Champion: Brian Nailor. Reserve Junior Champion; Michael Woods. GRAND CHAMPION Bnan Nailor RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Michael Woods HOLSTEIN Junior Champion: Melissa Detman. Reserve Junior Champion: Clayton Weber. Senior Champion: Aaron Comman. Reserve Senior Champion: Morgan Creek. GRAND CHAMPION Aaron Comman RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Melissa Detman JERSEY Junior Champion: Tori Fuller. Reserve Junior Champion: Manah Pay nter. Senior Champion: Scott Walton. Reserve Senior Champion; Ton Fuller. GRAND CHAMPION Scott Walton RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Tori Fuller MILKING SHORTHORN Junior Champion; Madison Miller. Reserve Junior Champion: Madison Mill- Senior Champion: Bnan Nailor. Reserve Senior Champion: Bnan Nailor GRAND CHAMPION Bnan Nailor RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Brian Nailor feet, euthanasia is the only option available. Antibiotic use, observance of meat withdrawal, and the condi tion in which cows are culled are human health issues that are managed at the farm level. Source: The Pennsylvania Beef Council and the National Beef Association. Member FDIC
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