Boehringer Ingelheim News continued from the previous page searching for other chute side diagnostics. “For calves, there’s already a lot of stress associated with processing,” Dr. Gillespie cautioned. “That’s why any additional chute side diagnostics need to be quick — handling that animal for an extra few minutes could add stress.” Researchers are exploring technologies that might catch subtle signs of illness before workers can, including ear tag accelerometers, pedometers that monitor animal movement, or feeding systems that follow feed intake. Other chute side diagnostics currently being considered include electronic stethoscopes, blood tests, and even a “smell test” that can identify compounds in nasal secretions. “Long term, I see more and more movement to chute side diagnostics to help make targeted metaphylactic decisions,” predicted Dr. Gillespie. Choose the right antibiotic Veterinarians can recommend an antibiotic for metaphylaxis that works best for a producer’s class of cattle. Typically, several factors should be evaluated, such as efficacy studies, spectrum of activity, speed of action, and post-metaphylactic interval (PMI), or the
length of time the antibiotic is at effective levels in the bloodstream before another dose is required. Because a number of different bacteria can be involved with BRD, it’s important to choose a broad spectrum antibiotic that reaches the lungs quickly. In some instances, producers may use antibiotics with unknown sensitivity (or those not proven effective against certain bacteria) for metaphylaxis, and save the more effective drug for treatment because it’s typically more expensive. “But using a less effective class of antibiotics, in the beginning, can result in issues throughout the feeding period,” Dr. Gillespie warned. “That could cost a lot more in the long run than the money that was initially saved.” Measure success and determine return on investment - Finally, every targeted metaphylaxis plan should also include a way to evaluate the success of the program. “Larger producers will often analyze morbidity data (or the number of re-treatments needed), total death losses, and the case fatality rate,” said Dr. Gillespie. The case fatality rate is the total dead among treated animals divided by the total number of head treated, multiplied by 100.
“Operations that feed cattle to finish may also examine average daily gain and feed efficiency data,” he added. This data can help determine the return on investment for targeted metaphylaxis, but it has other uses, too. “It’s important for producers and veterinarians to take what they learn from this data and apply it to the next group of incoming cattle,” stressed Dr. Gillespie. “Incremental improvements can ultimately help boost the success of targeted metaphylaxis.” Reference 1 Fact Sheet #8.023: Bovine respiratory disease: preconditioning calves. Colorado State University Extension. 2016. Available at www. extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/
livestk/08023.pdf. Accessed February 5, 2020. Synchronization Contributes to Higher Pregnancy Rates and Heavier Calves at Weaning. Increase pounds of calf weaned per exposed female in your beef herd. The most significant measurement of success in beef herds is pounds of calf weaned per exposed female,” said Richard Linhart, DVM, DACT, Boehringer Ingelheim. “Pounds weaned per exposed female takes all efficiencies within a cow/calf herd into consideration, including reproductive efficiencies, calf death loss, genetics, and nutrition.” For example, a 700 pound average weaning weight may appear impressive, but if it’s associated with a 70 percent
Carolina Cooking Popcorn Steak Bites Total Preparation and Cooking Time - 45 minutes 1 pound beef cubed steaks, cut ½ inch thick 6 cups ridged potato chips (any flavor) ⅓ cup all purpose flour 1 teaspoon pepper 2 large eggs, slightly beaten Dipping Sauces: Ranch or Thousand Island dressing, mustard, ketchup, or barbecue sauce Cut beef steaks into 1x1 inch pieces; set aside. Place chips in the bowl of a food processor. Cover; pulse on and off to form fine crumbs. Cook’s Tip: To crush chips with rolling pin, place chips in a large, food safe, resealable plastic bag. Close the bag securely, leaving a one inch opening. Finely crush chips in the bag with a rolling pin. Combine the pepper and flour in a shallow bowl. Place the crushed chips and eggs into two additional shallow bowls. Dip the steak pieces in flour, then into the egg, then into crushed chips, turning to coat all sides and pressing chips onto steak pieces. Spray the rack of the broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the beef bites on the rack in the broiler pan so the surface of the beef is six inches from the
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The Carolina Cattle Connection q MAY 2020
heat. Broil 8-10 minutes or until 160°F. Serve immediately with dipping sauces, as desired. Makes 4 servings.
Popcorn Steak Bites