February 2018
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Thank you to everyone who is reading our newsletter! We will continue to broaden the scope and subject matter of the newsletter as needed or requested. If you know anyone that would like to sign up for our newsletter, they can sign up on the USU Extension – Beef Cattle Facebook page, or contact Dr. Mathew Garcia and he will put them on the email list. Furthermore, feel free to contact any of the authors for more information or to suggest a column for a future newsletter!
REMINDER! UTAH BEEF FIELD DAY 2018
The Utah Beef Field Day will be held February 13, 2018 at the BYU Harman Conference Center (Corner of University Parkway and 900 east-Provo) The major focus of the field day will be technology and its implementation in today’s beef production systems. Registration is $25/person, $30/couple, and $10/student. Registration can be completed on site or you can register online at:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ We hope to see as many of you there as possible! |
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Beef Species
Is Visual Appraisal Still a Viable Tool in the Selection Process?
Dr. Matthew Garcia
matthew.garcia@usu.edu The practice of proper visual appraisal has been
instrumental to many of the improvements achieved by the beef industry over the last six decades. However, with all the tools currently available to beef producers to make selection decisions is visual appraisal still as vital in the selection process? Many would argue that with the use of centralized testing methods, EPD’s, genomically enhanced EPD’s, and commercial genomic testing that visual appraisal has become less important because we are actually able to better select for genomic value. However, I would argue that visual appraisal is just as important of a tool as these previously described selection methods. Genomic predisposition and breeding value are of great importance but a herd sire has to be able to transfer that breeding value and the producer has to have the resources to realize that breeding value into performance of his/her animals.
Visual Appraisal in a Herd Sire
With all the previously described selection tools available visual appraisal in herd sires is still vitally important prior to purchase and after incorporating the bull into your operation. Prior to purchase obviously a bull that is physically appealing (muscling, body depth, structure etc.) is very important as calves are bought based off of appearance and weight for the most part. However, structure and physical ability are the major components that should be evaluated from a visual appraisal standpoint. The first part of visual appraisal prior to purchase or breeding season is to evaluate if he is sound on his feet and legs, does he travel smoothly without wasted movement, are his eyes clear, and do his sexual organs look free from scarring or damage? The second part of visual appraisal prior to purchase or breeding season is to evaluate if his appearance is compatible with his paperwork/predictions. Essentially, does he look like he is going to give you the type of calf that his paperwork says he is capable of, and is he going to give you the type of calf that fits your marketing and managing program? The last part of visual appraisal typically happens once the bull has been breeding in your operation. In this situation the major factor to consider is how compatible is he to your operation and the resources you have for him to do his job? Specifically, is holding enough body condition to complete a breeding season or are you having to pull him early because he has gotten too thin. What is the time frame for him to recuperate after breeding season and do you have to allocate extra resources to keep him in your system? While these might not be traditional visual appraisal questions, they are questions that need to be answered if a bull is going to become a sire in your herd and if he is going to remain a sire in your herd.
Visual Appraisal of Replacement Females
Visual appraisal and selection in replacement females has been somewhat of a heartbreaking process for beef producers. Typically, producers will say “I want a deep bodied female, with a specific frame size, a large pelvic area, feminine head and a tight well shaped udder”. These are all important characteristics as they are directly related to her ability to do her job as a mother in your herd. However, visual appraisal in females has not been as accurate due to the job that we are asking females to do in our herds and the fact that fertility and reproductive efficiency are lowly heritable and highly environmentally influenced. A heifer/cows job is to breed early in life (1 year) calve, calve early (2 year), rebreed and do it every year with our resources so she pays her bills and ours. However, even if she has all the physical characteristics that you are looking for there are times that your most desirable heifer/cow falls out because she fails to adhere to her job description. While it is important to select for the visual characteristics that we have come to know make a good cow, it is probably more useful to incorporate visual appraisal as one of many tools to identify females in your operation. For example, how well does she do her “cow job description” on your resources and how well does she fit your specific system. Specifically, does she maintain body condition score (BCS) well throughout the production process and does she not have large fluctuations in BCS that cause you to allocate extra resources to her because you are concerned that she will not be able to do her job. In this case visual appraisal of our desired traits, accompanied with visual appraisal of her BCS and her ability to fulfill her cow job duties might be selection tools of how successful and compatible this cow is to your production system.
Summary
Visual appraisal is still an important component to the success of our beef production systems. While visual appraisal is important in selection, it should also be utilized with other selection tools and benchmarks to evaluate animal performance after they have been selected as well. Visual appraisal like any other selection tool should not be the lone deciding factor that we are using to make selection decisions. Visual appraisal should be used in combination with all the tools that are currently available to producers to make more accurate decisions. In order to remain productive, profitable and sustainable, multiple selection tools should be utilized to select and produce animals that are more compatible with our resources, production goals, management capabilities, herd improvement goals and marketing strategies.
For more information or in depth conversation please contact
Dr. Matthew Garcia
Email: matthew.garcia@usu.edu
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Equine Species
Riding Responsibly on or Near Roads
Dr. Karl Hoopes
As nicer weather and longer days approach we start thinking about getting out and riding our horses. But where do we ride? The arena is still flooded, the pasture is too wet, the mountains still have snow, and we don’t have time to haul to an indoor arena today. Why don’t we go for a ride on the road? Riding on roads is easy and enjoyable but we need to take some things into consideration before we go. Let’s look at some precautions that must be taken when riding horses on our roads in Utah.
First of all, is it legal to ride a horse on public roads? Horse riders, cyclists, hikers, and walkers all have a right to be on the roads, and for this article will be considered alternate users. Alternate users are not allowed on a freeway. There are some locations in Utah where long established cattle and horse right-of-ways on freeways exist, but those right-of-ways have very specific locations, times, and purposes, such as moving cattle to and from summer range. Other than those specific exceptions, alternate users are not allowed on freeways. County and State roads generally allow for alternate users on the roads. Individual city municipalities may also have some regulations about where horses, cyclists, and pedestrians are allowed. If you have questions about specific streets contact the city and county offices, or the highway patrol where you live to find out. Remember to be smart, you may have a legal right to be on a road but if it is not safe, find another place. For instance, if there is a blind corner, narrow road, and no room on the shoulder, it is probably not a good safe place to ride your horse or bike.
Second, horses and riders must obey the same laws as other alternate users. Alternate users should travel on the right side of the road with traffic. Side by side riding is allowed if you do not impede the traffic behind you. Alternate users must be as far to the right as practical when traveling on roads and not in the middle of the lane. When traffic goes around you they are obligated by law to give you a minimum of 3 feet of space. Vehicles are also allowed to cross over into the other lanes, if there is no oncoming traffic, to provide enough room to go around alternate users. It is against the law for people in vehicles to do anything purposefully to disrupt you or your horse in any way, such as blowing smoke, honking, waving arms, or flashing lights.
Third, is your horse trained well enough to be on a road. Riding on a roadway has a lot of distractions and places that can excite a horse. There are loud noises, fast moving vehicles and poor footing. Be aware of the capabilities of your horse and do not put yourself or your horse in a place where a disaster can happen. Horseshoes on asphalt roads offer very poor footing, horses can slip and injure themselves and the rider.
In conclusion, riding horses on a road can be fun and exciting. However, safety must be our first priority. Make sure you know where you are riding and the road conditions in that area. Be courteous to others that are using the road. Know the capabilities of yourself and your horse and don’t put yourself in a situation that could lead to problems.
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Small Ruminant
Before I learned to shear sheep and Angora goats, I remember in those pre-shearing days, when tromping wool sacks, when getting out I always seemed to have what we accidently called for a few years, ticks on myself and other wool trompers. However, as I became a better shearer, I saw them same ticks crawling on the sheep I was shearing. Not much longer, I remember at a National Wool Growers Association (NWGA) Meeting that was on “Exo Parasites” or “External Parasites” of Sheep, that so called tick was NOT a tick, but a wingless fly called a “Sheep Ked”.
For many years the populations of sheep keds in the Western U.S. were fairly high, and considered a serious problem not only by the National Wool Growers Association but also by the American Sheep Producers Council (ASPC). While I was managing the NWGA National Ram Sale held annually in Salt Lake City, Utah, both the NWGA and ASPC and especially the State Wool Growers Associations, implemented a National drive for “Ked Free States”, which we achieved not only in Utah, but I remember our neighboring States in our Region did too. It took a few years, and lots of collaborative work too with the Cooperative Extension Service in our State’s too, but having “Ked Free” sheep was especially beneficial not only for the host of the sheep ked, the sheep, regardless of gender, but also improved the quality of the wool clips.
Well, those days and years are long gone, as I’ve been at numerous shearing’s in our Region in the 21st Century, I’ve also noticed the sheep ked population is on the rise again, and on some outfits, worse than it was back in the 20th Century. I also know some of our American Sheep Industry Association (ASI, formed with merger of NWGA and ASPC in January 1989), is also concerned about the increase in sheep keds, as I’ve been.
External parasites on sheep are common across the United States, despite a number of effective methods for eradication we have. However, if treated properly they can be completely eliminated from your flock or bands. But, another source of sheep keds, is the procurement and introduction of replacement rams and/or ewes into your operation that have not been check for external parasites and especially sheep keds. Biosecurity, quarantining, treating, etc. before mixing with your flock or bands is very important.
Sheep Keds (Melophagus ovinus)
Sheep keds, or “ticks” as they are mistakenly called, are the most common parasite in the West. Again, they are NOT a true tick whatsoever, but a blood-sucking wingless fly, with six (6) legs, that has developed to require itself to live its entire life cycle on its host, the sheep. True ticks are actually eight (8) legged, and in the spider class (Arachnid). Sheep keds are somewhat large insects with adults ranging from 4 – 7 mm (5/32 in. to 9/32 in.), that are most commonly seen in the fleece of infected sheep, especially when shearing them, and post-shearing as well. Many sheep producers are not aware of infestations until the shearer observes them during the annual wool harvest. In heavily infested sheep, significant itching, rubbing and visible damage to the fleece. Frequently the sheep are highly irritated and rub on fences, feeders, and I’ve seen eating and chewing parts of their fleece. Heavy or degenerative infestations can bring the sheep to conditions of anemia, fatigue, and low or poor body condition. In addition to those conditions affecting the sheep, the fleece is contaminated with the sheep keds feces and can create problems for the wool mills to scour out, in order to have a clean fleece for further processing in the mill operation.
Sheep keds will spread fairly easy between other sheep within the flock or band, and can be carried between flocks by visitors or working equipment. Adult keds can survive 4-8 days off the host. Keds mover very quickly from newly shorn ewes to lambs at foot. The most frequent route of entry of keds into a flock is from a purchased sheep outside of the home based flock or bands. Just be cautious of where and from whom you procure sheep from, and as I said earlier in this article, quarantine newly added rams or ewes before you introduce them to your own sheep.
Treatment of sheep keds is relatively inexpensive and somewhat easy, and if done properly, it will be very effective in removing this external parasite. Many people do not know or realize that the ked spends its entire life on the sheep. Female keds do not lay eggs, bu they deposit larva on the host, the sheep. The larvae pupate within a few hours, and remain in this stage for up to 19-36 days. Adults are capable of mating within a few hours of hatching from the pupa, and the life cycle starts over again. Adult keds generally travel around the sheep’s body in a circle while feeding.
We have a number of safe products for treatment of sheep keds with a high efficacy rate. These products are usually available from your nearby feed and livestock supply stores, as well as some veterinary clinics. However, “always” read the label and properly utilized whatever product you’ve selected. Over the year’s we’ve dipped, sprayed, and used more contemporary pour-ons, but if you aren’t sure, pleasecontact your local large animal veterinarian, or your County Extension Agent, for conformation or additional information. Let’s go back to a “Ked Free Utah!”
Sheep Ked on sheep and in fleece
Sheep Ked (Melophagus ovinus)
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