Todays Angus Advantage Spring 2022 by Today's Publishing Inc.

Canadian Publication Agreement #40021107

Thank

You

BAR-E-L BRAGGIN RIGHTS 129J by ALCATRAZ

Purchased by LLB Angus, $31,000.

BAR-E-L CRY MACHO 108J by ROBUST

Purchased by Silver Knight Angus, $28,000.

BAR-E-L MARY 29J by ROYAL MINT

Purchased by GW Murray Ranches, $16,000.

BAR-E-L BIRDIE 63J by ALCATRAZ

Purchased by Speargrass Cattle Co., $15,750. Chapman Cattle Co. Nielson Cattle AJS Ranch Huxley Colony Mackie Farms Clement Cote Farms Maxwell Farms Malchuk Farms RT Genetics Laura & Jay Biggs Rancho Las Alacanas Desert Land & Cattle Irish Creek Farms George McNeely Lindon Angus Martin Kaiser Troy Conway Morinville Colony Tom McNeely/Lisa Paget Brittainy Hebert Kyle Switzer Craig Butcher Mike Andreas Henry Hansma Dusty Rose Cattle Co Lakeland College Darren Schultz Byemoor Colony Robert Geis Doenz Ranches Doug Davidson CJF Ranches Circle G Angus Rolling View Ranch Cowtrax Cattle Co. McCutcheon Farms D & N Livestock Renegade Angus Elk Ridge Farms Dave Webster Granum Colony Jordan Hoopfer Blue Goose Cattle Co. Blackwell Ag Services Dale McNabb Anchorage Farms Double Trouble Cattle Co. Meryth Farms

L E R A B Angus

Thank you to all the buyers and bidders who continue to make BAR-E-L their seedstock source. Check out the BAR-E-L embryo donation in the “BUILDING the LEGACY” Fundraiser Auction - June 11th Dave & Lynne Longshore Family 403.740.6788 Stettler, AB Email: barelangus@gmail.com www.barelangus.com

THE TRUTH THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING U B T THE TRUTH

We have nothing to hide - Come tour our pastures

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT MADE OUR SALE A SUCCESS! JIM GRANT & PEGGY GRANT P.O. BOX 220, EDAM, SK S0M0V0 PHONE/FAX: 306.397.2541 CELL: 306.441.3590 EMAIL: EARLYSUNSETRANCH@GMAIL.COM

Today’s Angus Advantage

CHRIS POLEY 306-220-5006

SHANE MICHELSON 403-363-9973

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BEN WRIGHT 519-374-3335

THANK YOU

to all the bidders and buyers who helped make our 2022 sale a success and to volume buyers D & D Cattle, SK and Andy Neiderer, ID

LOT 29

LOT 28

$32,500

$22,500

L83 Ranch and JK Ranch, ND

Rohrich Cutting Edge Red Angus, ND

LOT 12

LOT 7

$19,000

$13,000

Riverfront Angus and Westway Cattle, AB

Bench Farming, SK

LOT 4

LOT 37

$12,000

$11,000

Lost River Ranching, SK

Ron & Jason Turetsky, MB

Stay tuned for our offering in the upcoming Blairs.Ag & Guests Opportunity Knocks Sale on December 19, 2022 in Lanigan, SK

Today’s Angus Advantag e

2022 Spring issue

In This

There is one thing that gets my blood pressure up quick these days and that is when the “tree huggers” start blaming cows for climate change! The whole “climate change” thing gets me too; climate has been changing since the dawn of time but that is another rant for another day! All my life we have known that the burning of fossil fuels; oil, gas, and coal has been a major polluter and cause of greenhouse gases. We know that modern industrialization is responsible for 80% of the earth’s greenhouse gases but now suddenly people with a platform in the media or social media have decided to blame most of our pollution problems on cows. When in all reality cattle produce 2% of the total greenhouse gas produced in North America. Transportation is responsible for 28.5%, electricity production is responsible for 28.4%, industry contributes 21.6%, commercial is 6.4% residential is 5.1% and agricultural crops 4.7%. These same people who blame cows for pollution say that cows are eating up food supplies that could be eaten by humans. In fact, two-thirds of all agricultural land in the world is classified as “marginal” and is not suited for crop production. This means two-thirds of all agricultural land in the world would be wasted if not for animal production. Take this one step further and you will also recognize that forage on these marginal lands captures carbon, which cows consume and only contribute a percentage of that back into

the atmosphere. There has been past research showing that before civilization the land was covered with Buffalo and wild game and that they produced nearly as much methane gas as the modern-day cow herd does, 80% as much. So how is it that cows are suddenly the cause of all our problems? Again, these people up on their high horses, are telling us to eat more plants and less meat… 50% of all fertilizer used in the world is in the form of manure… resulting from animal production. Basically 100% of all fertilizer used in the production of organic foods, which seems to be all the buzz… is manure. The rest of the fertilizer used is manufactured with huge energy consumption. 90% of what a beef cow eats is not fit for humans to consume and it comes from land not fit to produce human edible foods. Plus, cows consume all the bi-products from processing plant-based foods for humans. If it were not for cows, we would have an even bigger methane gas problem in the world from all these bi-products rotting in landfills. Food waste and rotting foods are already a problem in our landfills, one-third of all food produced in the world is wasted, (40% in the USA) of this 82% of all food wasted is non-animal: fruits, vegetables, and grain products. This is a staggering number on its own but then factor in all the energy and resources it took to produce and process that food and you have identified a much bigger problem than cow burps!

14 BullDelivery

Shorty wasn’t usually involved in delivering bulls after the sale, but Harry said this guy really needed the bull and it was a ten or twelve hour round trip, so it landed on Shorty. Shorty had called the customer’s home earlier and received detailed albeit convoluted directions to the ranch. “Jesus Billy, this sounds like you are in the middle of nowhere!” Billy laughed. “Shorty, is it?” “Yeah”

“Well Shorty, when you get to the middle of nowhere, keep going to the edge of nowhere and turn left. If you get goin’ you can be here by lunch.”

pavement ended and the road turned to gravel, then got narrower, then to dirt and finally to one lane and dirt. Shorty really hoped he was on the right track; he was over an hour back to the pavement and there was no place to turn around even if he had to go back. Shorty drove around a sharp bend in the road and there it was, a hayfield, a yard and buildings. He smiled to himself and rattled into the yard. There in front of the shop was an older man that was as big around as he was tall, and he was a tall guy. The old fellow gave Shorty a wave and approached his visitor’s truck. “You Shorty?” The old man extended a hand the size of a baseball glove. “Yes sir.” Shorty shook the man’s hand.

“Yes sir! I am on my way.” “I ain’t no sir Shorty, call me Billy.” That was four hours ago, and Shorty was in the “I will Billy. Nice place you got here... just a middle of nowhere. He picked up the directions little out of the way.” once more and checked his list. He had to find “Yeah we don’t get many Jehovah Witness out an ESSO gas station on the right and turn left. here Shorty. You hungry?” Ok... Shorty now that done and all he had to A Perspective doBreeder’s.... was follow the roadVeterinary and stay to the left. The “I could sure enough eat, Billy. Do you want to

Types of Vaccines

issue

THE REAL WORLD

NOT TAKEN FOR GRANTED

A BREEDERS VETERINARY PERSPECTIVE

CAB - A FOCUS ON SOIL HEALTH BOOSTS BOTTOM LINE

VET’S ADVICE

CAB - MISSING THE MARK LEAVES MONEY ON THE TABLE

CAB - LOOK BACK AND LEARNINGS FROM THE 2021

ADVERTISING & SUBSCRIPTION RATES

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

By Colin Palmer, DVM

My previous article: Viruses, Disease and Vaccine – A Brief Overview; explained that most infectious diseases are caused by bacteria or viruses; antibiotics are intended to combat bacteria, not viruses; and the best way to fight a viral disease is through prevention. Avoiding contact with viruses, including those potentially shedding viruses, is arguably the best way to prevent infection, but is not always practical or possible. Maintaining a completely isolated population of animals, or even a closed herd with absolutely no contact with outside animals of the same species is often difficult or even impossible on most beef cattle operations. Several viruses may survive outside of the animal and can be carried on boots, clothing and equipment. Some can be transported by alternative host species, in many cases without disease symptoms. The most economically important livestock disease on the planet is Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Footand-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can be shed in milk; survive in imported meat; carried on human skin, clothing, vehicle tires; transported by birds and other animals; and can survive in contaminated bedding, dry manure, and even frozen soil for several weeks. Maintaining closed borders, strict import requirements, and limiting or preventing contact with livestock by visitors are the best measures to keep FMD out. What about when a viral disease takes up permanent residence; in other words, become endemic? Limiting spread of the disease and consequent losses becomes almost impossible without a vaccine. Remember, antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses!

18 All vaccines are made by modifying or replicating a piece of the original virus or bacteria to stimulate the production of specialized white blood cells called memory T- and B-lymphocytes. The main types of vaccine are:

1) killed (inactivated) 2) modified-live (live-attenuated) 3) messenger RNA (mRNA) 4) subunit (component), recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate 5) toxoid 6) viral vector. An important detail is that all, or nearly all, vaccine products contain what are known as adjuvants. An adjuvant is a substance added to a vaccine product to stimulate the immune response thereby, enhancing both the level and the duration of protection. Since 1990, there has been a revolution in our understanding of the immune system. We now know that there are specialized receptors on very specialized cells that present what I think of as items that identify the perpetrator to the immune system. Sort of like how a tracking dog utilizes an individual’s unique scent. In more scientific terms, these specialized cells are called dendritic cells and they possess pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) which recognize select proteins called antigens, or more specifically pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on the invading pathogens. The PPRs function like switches that activate the dendritic cells which, in turn, activates other components in the immune system. Newly discovered molecules that target these receptors are being incorporated into adjuvants to regulate various components of the immune system. Although PRRs have only recently been discovered, it is now evident that many very effective killed and attenuated vaccines already had their own built-in adjuvant. We just didn’t know it! These discoveries have enabled vaccines producers to incorporate very specific components as adjuvants resulting in improved vaccine performance with fewer side effects.

Vet’s Advice

By Roy Lewis, DVM

Cover Photography Grant Rolston

Lapses in Vaccination Programs

e must as veterinarians and producers be constantly reviewing our vaccination protocols to check for lapses in either booster shot administration, missing certain antigens in our vaccines, and new or emerging diseases for which there are vaccines. Cattle being transported into other areas where other diseases are more prevalent have often been the cause of outbreaks to such things as redwater disease or anthrax being two good examples. With more and more pressure to use fewer antimicrobials, there is a greater need to vaccinate as maximally as possible in non-stressed cattle so the biggest protection against disease challenge is garnered. Vaccination will not ever be able to prevent everything but it definitely can get the majority of the population immunized to reduce outbreak situations. Pharmaceutical companies are all developing more comprehensive vaccines to keep most vaccine shots down to two or three at the very most. More and more intranasal vaccines are being developed which can eliminate needling. Intranasal vaccines are becoming more broader spectrum. There are even oral vaccines on the market, so producers have a vast repertoire of choices. This can sometimes make it difficult and confusing to make a choice and depending on our management level groups of cattle can get missed. Every time you process cattle one needs to consider if there any vaccines I am missing or that need a booster. Are the vaccines stored properly, given properly? Veterinarians need to be consistent at the clinic level in vaccine suggestions otherwise further confusion ensues. Your herd veterinarian knows your herd the best so depending on history and disease challenges in the past recommendations may vary slightly from herd to herd. I like to use the concept of the core vaccines given pretty much across Canada. Other more specific vaccines or time intervals for vaccines will vary depending on when the disease challenge comes and geographically what unusual is in the specific area. New advancements and health nutrition and parasite status Core vaccines recognized by most veterinarians and producers I would say is as follows. The five-way viral vaccines (IBR, PI3, BRSV, and BVD types one and two). These are given to the calves often along with at least Mannheimia and often Pasteurella as the pneumonia preventing vaccine. These often come together in one shot. These vaccines are often given at two

to three months of age and again at or ideally before weaning. If producers have pneumonic issues in calves prior to the two to three months that is where commonly the viral and bacterial intranasal vaccines are given. The intranasal vaccines are also finding a place on entry to the feedlot where quick immunity is paramount. Later in the feedlot finishing period, many veterinarians recommend boostering with IBR specifically at reimplant time. This helps prevent the severe cases of pneumonia and tracheitis IBR can cause late in the finishing period. These are examples of where a respiratory protection gap is most commonly noted. The five-way viral component is given as a follow-up yearly to the mature cattle and heifers ideally before breeding to prevent reproductive diseases. In some dairy and beef herds especially in the east if pneumonia has been a problem in mature cattle Mannheimia & Pasteurella can be added to the mix. Histophilus is the other agent causing pneumonia, arthritis, heart and brain issues so it is often combined with the clostridial vaccines in one needle. Some veterinarians have removed it because they weren’t seeing any cases or felt were still seeing brain issues. The fact is the vaccine has worked well for decades and we don’t see cases because we do vaccinate. There are many other causes of brain disease so one must get a proper diagnosis before jumping to conclusions. It is one disease that starts with stress so preconditioning programs are the one way to significantly prevent cases. Vaccination upon entry to the feedlot is often too late for cases initiated at weaning. This is where reliance on the cow-calf producer for giving the priming shots for histophilus BVD and others can avert big problems in the feedlot. With the purebred herds where preimmunization ahead of weaning is a wise decision and weaning as stress-free as possible. Clostridial disease is another that still occurs in outbreak form in unvaccinated cattle or some of the multivalent vaccines lack tetanus, clostridium hemolyticum (redwater), or clostridium sordelli. Lots have been written about clostridial disease so will say nothing more. There is no excuse for not using this vaccine. If worried about lumps which rarely happen vaccinate show cattle on the non-show side (left ) and can even hide the vaccine behind the elbow. They are more sensitive here but gives you an option. Lumps are a little more common with clostridial vaccines.

Today’s Angus Advantag e

Autumn ANGUS CLASSIC SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2022 MAPLEHILL AUCTIONS, HANOVER, ON

WATCH FOR THE CATALOGUE ONLINE AT WWW.BUYAGRO.COM

SALE MANAGEMENT CHRIS POLEY 306-220-5006

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SHANE MICHELSON 403-363-9973

BEN WRIGHT 519-374-3335

2022 TRAILTECH L370-24’ Price: $20,900.00

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CONTACT US: Hwy #9 North, Carlyle, SK Canada | 306-453-6773 FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: WWW.CARLYLERV.COM Today’s Angus Advantag e

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As inflation soars so do rumors of price fixing by the packers in the beef industry.

were called to testify cancelled out claiming they feared retribution from others in the market.

During the last week of April 2022, the United States House Agricultural Committee held hearings on cattle markets, chaired by U.S. Democratic Representative David Scott. In attendance were the CEO’s of the four companies that process 85% of the country’s beef supply… Cargill, JBS, National Beef Packing Company and Tyson Foods. He asked if they colluded on issues which may have impacted pricing or supply, all four executives denied the allegation.

Although it is sad that the Department of Justice is involved… the results of their findings will be certain to affect markets moving forward. We must be aware that there are many hands that are involved in the beef supply chain… starting with breeding a female, calving her and weaning the resulting calf, then continues through the feeding process and on to a packing plant for swinging carcass or boxed beef, to an individual package in the meat section of your local grocery store. This beef chain employs an enormous number of workers and their families, billions indirectly… a gigantic industry. How much government intervention would you like in this free-market system… that is one for you to decide upon? We must remember that there could well be a new set of rule makers in four years that will have new and different ideas.

The current administration is considering new regulations for the meatpackers, with rules that would require them to reveal the details of their private agreements with larger cattle producers and enforce that they buy a certain percentage of their cattle in the cash market and create a USDA office to investigate anticipative activities. The CEO’s stated that record profits in the past two years were the result of market conditions due to the pandemic, in addition, an increased consumer demand which added pressure to processing capacity. Labor shortages and transportation costs have put a large economic strain on production. In late February of this year, Reuters reported that JBS USA has agreed to pay a $52.5 million settlement over allegations of beef price-fixing. JBS said it did not admit liability but that settling was in its best interest. Independent producers testified that the “Big Four” controlled the livestock supply and that the system is set up where the packers will never see a loss, while rural farmers and ranchers lose their livelihoods. The large feedlots each year grow larger in size and volume of cattle fed, while small operations go down by the same percentage. They argued that the small operations are being slowly choked out and are killing small town America. Many which once were a profitable family-owned operation now must work off farm to sustain their livelihood. Several witnesses that

But there is good news… Prime (AAA) beef doubled last year which tells us that the purebred sector of the industry is producing more predictable sires and feedlot management practices have advanced. The pandemic which put consumers back to “Mama’s kitchen table” has changed many eating habits to the better, consumption is up and Mrs. Consumer is not afraid to spend a little more and feed the family Prime beef. No doubt the war in Ukraine will influence world markets and there are murmurs of food shortages. High grain prices will put pressure on the feedlot operator who has the highest risk position in the beef supply chain. What is needed right now is rainfall… ample moisture for crop land, hay meadows, pastures and ponds… so we can successfully start this year’s beef supply chain.

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EPDs as of 4/18/22

®Your Success Our Passion. is a registered trademark of Select Sires Inc.

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SALE MANAGEMENT CHRIS POLEY 306-220-5006

SHANE MICHELSON 403-363-9973

ONLINE BIDDING BEN WRIGHT 519-374-3335

VIEW THE CATALOGUE AT BUYAGRO.COM

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e r ’ e W

k c a B

Toronto, ON

entry nomination deadline june 15, 2022

CHRIS OLEYP 306-220-5006 Today’s Angus Advantage

E N AH S O L E H C I M 12

403-697

BEN WRTIGH 519-3745

Selling yearling and two-year old bulls and replacement heifers by private treaty

Proud to purchase Red Six Mile Mr Wicked 288J From Six Mile Red Angus $17,000.00

We pride ourselves on being able to offer bulls suitable for cows and heifers from a herd that has an excellent reputation for producing quiet, functional cattle. All of our young cattle are pail fed!

SIRED BY: Walking Sires: Red Double C Dino Red Double C Brando Red Double C Gladiator A.I. Sires: Red DKF Razor 55C RRA One and Only 733 Red Lazy MC CC Detour 2W

Red LWNBRG Electric 50H From Leeuwenburgh Angus

Check out our 2022 lineup! Dr. Colin Palmer DVM, Kim Palmer & Family Box 39, Site 502, RR 5, Saskatoon, SK S7K 3J8 (20 minutes from Saskatoon) Phone: 306.492.2134 Cell: 306.290.8431 Today’s Angus Advantage

CattleDogs Nearly every place has a dog. Dogs are part of the “rural lifestyle.” It is like a rule or something. If you live in a city or a town, you can have a poodle or something like that, but if you live on a farm, you have dog.

and their cow dogs. It has been my observation, that the most common command used on these cow dogs is “Get to the house you stupid son of a bitch!”, however “Get the hell out of there!” is also very common.

Now if you have a cattle ranch, you may have a cow dog. I say may have, because there are several other critical elements to owning a cow dog. Besides having cattle, you must have a horse or two, a cowboy hat and a 4X4 pick up. If you have a quad, you really can’t have a cow dog.

Some ranchers have spent a lot of money to have their cow dogs trained by a professional. I see where that would be advantageous, especially if the rancher has children. It’s not that the kids are safer around professionally trained dogs, it is just that the pro dogs start running for the house before the real swearing starts.

Cow dogs come in two shapes. They are either a Collie or a Heeler, not necessarily pure Collie or Heeler, but at least part of one or the other. I must specify here, that by Collie I mean Border Collie not the stupid Lassie type Collie. So, if you have been thinking you have a cow dog that is a Lab or a Shepard or a Poodle or something…. forget it. Now cow dogs have to obey very specific commands. I have a lot experience in this matter, having been around a lot of cowboys

I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that a dog’s place isn’t in the corral anyways and that you only use your dog to bring the cattle in. In fairness to the dogs, I agree that a dog’s place is really in the pasture. I have observed the cow dogs in action in the pasture. They are a thing of beauty. The cowboy, on his horse, going across the pasture to gather his cows, while his cow dog chases

Today’s Angus Advantag e

gophers and rolls in cow shit. Finally, the human command “Come here you son of a bitch” mastery over canines takes place and the work generally refers to the horse. begins. If the cowboy is still on his horse, the The cowboy begins to gather the herd and command will be the same, but it will refer to the sends the dog out to gather a stray. The dog dog. To the untrained eye, this can be confusing, goes out to the stray and finds her to be the most but it does explain why cowboys only have protective bitch in the herd. The ballet begins, Collies or Heelers, but never both. dog chases cow, cow chases dog, dog after cow, cow after dog and so on and so on and so It is often said that a dog is as good as two on…… The cowboy eventually rides over to the cowboys. I think that comment was made stray and gets her going towards the herd. originally by some rancher who had just finished paying a bunch of hung-over cowboys and who It is at this point that the keen observer sees didn’t have the opportunities I have had to watch the differences between the Collies and Heelers. cow dogs in action. If the cowboy has a Heeler, the dog will be busy heeling his horse as he makes his way back to the Well….it is time to go move my cows. herd. The Collie will be chasing ducks, usually chasing ducks in front of the cows. “Come on dog…. let’s go.” To the casual observer, it may be hard to distinguish the different commands at first, but there is a simple rule of thumb. If the cowboy is on foot watching his horse run to the barn, while his dog is busy scattering the cows, the

Oh, this stuff is about other people’s dogs, not mine. Mine is a good dog. “Come on boy, get in the truck while I get my hat.”

Today’s Angus Advantag e

Building the Legacy has become the Canadian Angus Foundation’s main fundraiser focus and is a main source for generating resources to further our mission. Please join us. The Canadian Angus Foundation functions to preserve and expand the Angus breed for future generations through education, youth development, scientific and market research, and historical preservation and restoration. The Canadian Angus Foundation was incorporated in 1993 and is the charitable arm of the Canadian Angus Association. The vision of Building the Legacy is to allow the Foundation to build monetary resources. The Foundation uses its funds to provide opportunities for our youth, young breeders and membership to grow in the areas of leadership, marketing, networking, animal husbandry, genetic improvement and to learn about developing tools to enhance Angus production. The vision also includes the importance of preserving Angus history. By fostering these areas we can ensure our Angus history is not lost and will keep Angus as the breed of choice for the commercial beef sector and end users for years to come. Because of generous donors, we can support initiatives, scholarships, travel bursaries and learning opportunities. Through benevolent donations of livestock, semen, embryos, items and experiences, as well as the purchasing of the auction offerings, the Foundation is able to put together a great suite of opportunities for our Angus membership. Please join us! If you would like more information please contact: Belinda Wagner Canadian Angus Foundation Executive Director bwagner@cdnangus.ca • (306) 537-1518

C A NA D IA N A N G U S F OU N DAT IO N ’ S

BUILDING the LEGACY

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Canadian Angus Foundation’s Building the Legacy Sale 10 Saturday June 11, 2022 – 8pm

delta hotels beausejour by Marriot Moncton, New Brunswick

TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST

TOUGH TEAMS DO...

GIVE US A CALL AND GET OUR

WINNING TEAM WORKING FOR YOU

Chris Poley 306-220-5006

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Shane Michelson 403-363-9973

Ben Wright 519-374-3335

A Breeder’s.... Veterinary Perspective

Types of Vaccines By Colin Palmer, DVM

Today’s Angus Advantag e

Dr. Colin Palmer is an Associate Professor of Theriogenology (Animal Reproduction) at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine. Originally from Nova Scotia, Dr. Palmer worked in mixed practices in Ontario and British Columbia and has owned/operated a practice in Saskatchewan. Dr. Palmer along with his wife Kim and children Lauren, Emily and Carter run a herd of purebred Red Angus cattle under the KC Cattle Co. name.

Inactivated or heat inactivated, also known as killed vaccines and bacterins (another name for vaccine directed against a bacteria) represent the first generation in vaccine technology. These products contain whole forms of killed, disease causing bacteria or virus. Generally, inactivated vaccines do not confer as strong or as long-lasting immunity against the disease agent as other types of vaccines. A notable exception are the rabies virus vaccines. Inactivated vaccines are safe and do not cause disease. Many inactivated vaccines can now rival some of the more efficacious vaccine types largely due to advances in adjuvant technology. Modified-live (live-attenuated) vaccines use a form of the diseasecausing virus or bacteria (also called a bacterin, like the killed vaccine) that does not cause full-blown disease yet has a similar antigenic profile. The virus is alive, therefore, it can still invade and replicate within the host for several days or even weeks before it is neutralized. This is the reason that attenuated vaccines create such a strong and long-lasting immunity. Attenuated vaccines can take a long time to develop and sometimes may cause just enough disease to be harmful to the recipient. For example, modified-live infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) vaccines have traditionally not been recommended for use in pregnant animals because of the risk of abortion. Select products are now considered safe if used according to specific manufacturer recommendations. Mixing of sterile diluent with dried powder and the fragile nature of these vaccines require the product to be used within 1 or 2 hours of mixing are other disadvantages. Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines contain the genetic code for a select viral proteins that elicit a suitable immune response. Instead of using the whole virus, mRNA vaccines use a tiny piece of the genetic code of the virus which will then teach the host cells how to make a protein or a piece of a protein. Live viruses would normally take over host cells then use their own genetic code (RNA or DNA) to replicate themselves and in so doing create a number of proteins. By exposing the immune system to only a few select proteins the host can create memory T- and B- cells without risk of disease. The mRNA is destroyed after the new protein is made and the new protein tends to be made for a few weeks enabling stimulation of the immune system. Messenger RNA vaccines have been in existence for a few decades. Benefits include rapid production, improved storage and transport compared to other vaccine types, and no risk of causing disease in the patient. A very high level of safety has been advantageous in the fight against COVID-19. A disadvantage is relatively short-lived immune protection compared to having live virus replicating in the body.

Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines all contain a piece or pieces of the disease agent that have been shown to elicit an immune response that is targeted at that piece of the organism. Part of a cell wall of a bacterium, perhaps 1 or more proteins, a sugar etc. They represent a purified form of an inactivated, whole-organism vaccine. Another name used for this class of vaccines is component vaccine. These vaccines are safe but generally do not confer long protection, therefore, regular booster shots are needed. Toxoid vaccines use the toxin produced by select toxinproducing bacteria to create the immune response instead of the bacteria itself. Many cattle producers are familiar with blackleg (Clostridial) vaccines – those products providing protection against tetanus contain tetanus toxoid produced by Clostridium tetani. The clinical signs associated with tetanus are due to the toxin produced by the bacteria rather than the bacteria itself. By vaccinating using a toxoid vaccine the immune system will be directed towards neutralizing the toxin. Viral vector vaccines used a modified version of another virus to create the immune response. The vector virus does not cause disease; however, it will infect cells and create its own proteins as it replicates. One or more of these proteins will be the same as the proteins produced on the surface of the harmful virus, aptly named spike proteins. If the body encounters the harmful virus, it will recognize these spike proteins and will already have antibody protection to fight the disease. Modified-live and viral vector vaccines tend to confer longer periods of protection in recipients because the administered virus lives and replicates within the body for an extended period allowing continued stimulation of the immune system. Multivalent and polyvalent are two terms often encountered in the vaccine literature and product labels. Essentially these terms mean the same thing – the vaccine product contains antigens from different strains of the same disease-causing organism; therefore, a broader range of immune protection will be produced. Most of the cattle vaccines available now are multidisease or combination vaccines which means that they confer protection against several disease agents. Many of these vaccines often contain inactivated and modified live components within the same product. In the past, all vaccines were administered into the muscle mass; however, many were proven effective when administered subcutaneously and labelled instructions followed suit. Very recently intranasal vaccines have been introduced for cattle. My next article will discuss routes of vaccine administration.

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u o Y nk

S U D E RUST

T O H W E N O Y EVER

P R I E H SE T

O T M A ROGR

A C W O TO SH

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D! L R O THE W

GET A HEAD START THIS SPRING

IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO BOOK YOUR FALL SALE CONTACT US TODAY! 306-933-4200 BRYAN@TBARC.COM BOX 2330 WARMAN, SK S0K 4S0 WWW.TODAYSPUBLISHING.CA

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Invitation

to participate in the Male Fertility Project

If you are semen testing this spring, CAA is collecting semen test data for our male fertility project. The objectives of the project are to estimate genetic parameters for the various semen quality factors that are measured during semen testing and estimate correlations with conception rates and scrotal circumference. Please contribute your semen test results by emailing the semen test report from your vet to our Director of Science and Technology, Kajal Devani at kdevani@cdnangus.ca.

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A Focus on Soil Health Boosts Bottom Line By B.J. Eick, Freelancer, Certified Angus Beef taken from the same location in different growing seasons across several years builds a database of information which can be referenced along with weather conditions and grazing use to understand how management is affecting the area. A third system is to develop what Aljoe called a diversity list. Simply list all the species of plants, animals and other organisms observed both above and below the surface of the soil.

Establishing a grazing management plan is a good first step to create a baseline to measure improvements over time.

Land is the common ground on which all other resources thrive. That’s why monitoring, managing and maintaining soil health is key to productivity and, ultimately, profitability on the ranch.

“Soil health is improving as your diversity improves,” Aljoe said. “We’re trying to manage this together for the benefit of grazing animals, as well as our wildlife and all the other organisms that are associated with it. From butterflies, bees and birds to earthworms and beetles, that’s all part of what we’re trying to positively influence.” By combining these methods and working with soil health and grazing specialists with NRCS and state grazing lands coalitions (GLC), producers track progress over time to better understand how grazing management decisions influence soil health. By combining these methods and working with soil health and

Speaking at a Cattlemen’s College session at the recent Cattle Industry Convention, Hugh Aljoe, director of producer relations for Noble Research Institute, brought to light the importance of grazing management to soil health. “What we want to do is make sure we have the foundation there, so we can continually build and grow our operation for the long term,” Aljoe said. “Raising cattle is one of the most enjoyable parts of being a rancher, but we’ve got to take care of the land, take care of our finances, then the cattle can better care for us. As we begin to focus more on the land and the soil, the others tend to come with it.” When it comes to soil health, it’s important to establish metrics which can be measured and evaluated over time to assess progress. Several means of tracking soil health are available through local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offices. This can be a great asset for getting started with soil health and a grazing management plan. For soil testing, Aljoe recommended utilizing the Haney Test and Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) test. “These tests look at the total soil nutrients and soil biology,” Aljoe said. “These give you a really good indication of soil information to benchmark and monitor over time to see what improvements occur.” Another simple method of tracking progress are landscape photographs called photo points. Creating an album of images

Hugh Aljoe, Noble Research Institute, talked about ways to create a strong foundation with the land to build long-term growth of a cattle operation during a NCBA Cattlemen’s College session

grazing specialists with NRCS and state grazing lands coalitions (GLC), producers track progress over time to better understand how grazing management decisions influence soil health. Aljoe suggested regenerative grazing management. “It’s adaptive grazing management for continual improvement of the grazing lands.” The four grazing management factors include timing, frequency, intensity and duration. Timing is the season in which a pasture will be utilized, also considering how it was grazed in previous seasons. Ideally, everything should fully recover before a pasture is grazed again.

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How managing grass sets the foundation for a ranch’s continual improvement.

Frequency refers to the pasture recovery period. “Recovery is the single most important variable we have to manage,” Aljoe said. “We want to make sure that the bulk of the time our pastures are fully recovered and ready to be grazed. We know the more carbon we can produce above the ground in plant tissue, the more carbon we can put back in the soil.” Intensity is how close to the ground the grass will be grazed. A good rule of thumb is take half, leave half. If livestock graze more than half the leaf area of the plant, the roots quit growing until the leaves recover. At that point, the root and soil activity are on hold and so are the soil health benefits. Duration is how long the pasture will be grazed. “We would like to have short grazing events,” Aljoe said. “Typically, a grass plant will want to start regrowing three to four days after it’s been bitten. We would like to move the cattle off that pasture before we hit that three-to-four-day period.”

Grassland management is key to proving the net carbon footprint of the beef industry in the ongoing conversation of sustainability. As consumer demands evolve, attributes supporting beef ’s responsible use of resources shift to the forefront. Sure, taste is still king, but premium brands like the Certified Angus Beef ® brand must adapt to stay relevant to the consumer. “If we look at long-term sustainability and what it means for the beef business, for producers out on these ranches, we’ve got to consider continual improvement,” Aljoe said. “For true sustainability, we’ve need to improve our soils, our lands, our land stewardship, our animal wellbeing, just as well as our stockmanship skills.” Aljoe cautioned not to do too much too soon. “You want to manage what you can manage well,” he said. “We can’t make all the changes at one time. So take an area that you know you have easy access to, that you know you can manage well, and that might be a little forgiving. We want to be safe to learn. You’re going to have little, small failures, but you want to fail early, often and cheaply. Make it a safe to learn experience.”

“If we look at long-term sustainability and what it means for the beef business, for producers out on these ranches, we’ve got to consider continual improvement,” said Hugh Aljoe with Noble Research Institute. “For true sustainability, we’ve need to improve our soils, our lands, our land stewardship, our animal wellbeing, just as well as our stockmanship skills.”

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ver the years producers have encountered many different reasons to run cows through late in pregnancy. While some of these procedures are definitely needed one must always ask the benefit gained versus the stress of running heavily pregnant cows through the chute. Previously when pregnancy checking was done late in pregnancy vitamins A&D and in some cases selenium is given if deficiencies are determined. With proper ration balancing and adequate levels of micro and macro minerals given, nutritionists would tell us most of these needs are met. Deficiencies can occur because of uptake of the minerals or competing elements such as sulphates leading to a copper deficiency as one example. So these nutritional boosts may be necessary in some circumstances. Scours vaccines are often given close to calving depending on the brand of scours vaccines you use. I and other veterinarians have seen over the year’s instances where cows may go down after handling. We must remember that heavily pregnant cows are susceptible to metabolic problems. Remember being heavy, big bellied they potentially could become stuck in some chute systems. With the cows starting to pool lots of calcium in the udder with milk production and colostrum production and the increased exertion downer cows can be the result. In the last month of gestation the fetus is starting to grow rapidly and there is further strain on the pregnant cow. From more strain on the cow’s kidneys from filtering the calf’s blood to being immunosuppressed because cortisol is what initiates the calving process the heavily pregnant cow must be coddled so to speak.

as bad feet, swollen udders with potential mastitis, weakness and low body condition score. Make sure footing is extremely good especially when handling heavily pregnant cows as slipping and tripping is heightened. Good time to practice low stress cattle handling with no prods canes etc being used. One must also keep in mind with heavily pregnant cows they get extremely wide and can get stuck in certain handling systems. There have been instances where we simply can’t process the cows because of their huge size. The worker loading the tub system must be aware of this and sort extremely wide or low statured cows out as some systems are narrower lower down. If any cows do seem weak or staggering it may be wise to have your veterinarian treat the cows and check bloods to see if any or a combination of the macro minerals Calcium Phosphorus or Magnesium are low. Producers may not be bad to have a couple bottles of calcium combination products on hand to give either intraperitoneally or under the skin (if indicated on the label). Your veterinarian may give it intravenously and listen to the heart because if given too fast can cause heart arrhythmias and even death.

With downer cows one must keep them well bedded with good footing and give feed and water. Your veterinarian will make sure there are no injuries and that the fetus is alive and doing well. If necessary there are good cow lifters on the market. One in particular called “Upsi Daisy” lifts the cow from around the udder and has a sling/harness for around the front end. This causes no damage when they are lifted as getting a downer cow to the right area and off of cement or hard surfaces is imperative. Watch for other conditions that cause cows to loose condition It is really good if running the cows through close to close to calving. Cows can also be checked out for calving be ever cognizant of recognizing things such potentially carrying twins, kidney infections, and

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peritonitis or in older cows potentially missing or poor teeth. Many causes of thin cows close to calving. Cows going downhill close to calving we must be cognizant they may either abort or give birth to premature calves. Abortion is a bit of a protective mechanism. This is where you and your veterinarian may reach the dilemma of possibly inducing the cow to calve. This has the potential of getting a live calf and taking some of the strain away from the cow with carrying a close to full term fetus. This is very tricky as everyday that goes by brings the cow closer to term but her condition could be deteriorating. It is a difficult decision but if we have breeding dates and can check the viability of the fetus as well as checking to see if the cow has good quality colostrum a decision to induce can be made. A straight sticky mucous in the udder means the cow is too early but if nice sticky yellow thick colostrum she has gotten close enough to natural calving to induce. I use a combination of prostaglandins and dexamethasone. Both of these are prescription drugs and your veterinarian will have a combination that works well for them. Calving should

happen thirty to thirty six hours after the shots but as I said it is not an easy decision to make. If too quick premature calves are born and the retained placenta incidence goes up considerably. Elective c-sections are done in extreme cases where the cow’s condition is rapidly deteriorating. This spring provide the individual animal care where necessary and under the guidance of your veterinarian, don’t hesitate to use pain killers/anti-inflammatory drugs where necessary especially with harder calving’s or with prolapses or episiotomies and the very rare c sections we get. The speed of recovery from using these NSAIDs can sometimes be just short of tremendous. You will benefit from quicker recoveries and better doing patients. Again calves can also benefit from these NSAIDs on most occasions. There are now oral injectable and pour on forms off NSAIDs on the market. Have a great 2022 calving season everyone with vigorous calves and not being sleep deprived ourselves hopefully.

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Bruce, Ione & Breanna Austen & Katie Comp2 RR2 Swan River, Mb R0L 1Z0 204 734 2073 andersoncattle@inethome.ca

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