Vets Provide Crucial Analysis About Commonly Occurring Symptom in Weaned Calves
Late last week, an article came out on Cattle Network, entitled “Cattle Update: Diarrhea in Weaned Calves,” which provides some in-depth information on a well-known illness most of you have probably come across over the years. As the article states, it’s pretty standard for newly weaned calves to break out with diarrhea, which is commonly “caused by BVD (Bovine Virus Diarrhea), mineral deficiencies (particularly copper or selenium), worms, and coccidiosis.”
Coccidiosis (the condition that the bulk of the article concentrates on) is an infection caused by a particular strain of parasite. Causes of the condition vary, but it is…
…primarily a disease of the young where there is crowding, stress, and/or nonimmune animals. Older cows certainly act as a reservoir and shed oocysts into the environment. Stress such as shipping, weaning, dietary changes, cattle shows or sales, and other problems can precipitate an outbreak of coccidiosis.
The entire article is certainly worth a read as a refresher, and includes in-depth details on how it might spread, how it can be diagnosed and treated, and some of the latest information available on the subject.
BR Ms Kitateruyasudoi-0632 6621 - Genetic Donor of Z278 Heifer Calf
LMR Ms Hirashigetayasu Z278 0110X is a January 2010 heifer calf and sells with her surrogate mother and 3 Grade 1 embryos. 0110X’s Inbreeding Coefficient (IC): 8%.
0110X’s donor/genetic dam is BR Ms Kitateruyasudoi-0632 6621. 6621 ranks in the top 5% of North American Wagyu for GeneSTAR Tenderness. 6621 is Frame Score 5 and sells in this year’s sale.
EPD: Westholme Hirashigetayasu Z278 (Click to Enlarge)
0110X’s sire, Westholme Hirashigetayasu Z278, is Frame Score 6.5 and is classified as a Group “C” sire in the Takeda Rotation System.
0110X is a well-balanced group “C” heifer: 67% Tajima, 14% Kedaka and 9% Okayama. She inherits growth and maternal traits from her sire, and both marbling and tenderness from her dam.
16/16 Analysis of Z278 x 6621
Click the thumbnail to view the 16/16 Analysis of Z278 x 6621.
*****
Three Grade 1 embryos are included in this package: LMR Toshiro 2-3 719T x BR Ms Takazakura-0606 3602.
EPD: LMR Toshiro 2-3 719T (Click to Enlarge)
719T is a linebred Itozakura sire (59% Itozakura) with expected high growth potential (both his Grandsire and Maternal Grandsire (MGS) had 2 lbs ADG in Japanese progeny tests).
3602 ranks in the top 1% of North American Wagyu for GeneSTAR Feed Efficiency and in the top 10% of Wagyu herd in BREEDPLAN IMF%.
The calf or calves produced from these embryos will be well balanced Group “C” Wagyu – with 29% Itozakura, 42% Tajima and 10% Kedaka. IC will be 1%.
EPD: BR Ms Takazakura-0606 3602 (Click to Enlarge)
This unique offering combines ETJ001, ETJ002, ETJ003, Takazakura, Kitaguni 7-8 genetics – all in one package.
16/16 Analysis of 719T x 3602
Click the thumbnail to view the 16/16 Analysis of 719T x 3602.
*****
The Angus-cross recipient, 484 LMR, sells open and ready to breed with the Z278 heifer calf by her side.
How Eating (Grass-Fed Only) Cows Could Save the Planet, Time Magazine, Jan.25
No, today is not “opposite day” or April Fool’s Day. You are reading that correctly:
In a recent Time Magazine article, entitled “How (Grass-Fed Only) Cows Could Save the Planet,” two renowned environmentalists are going against the grain in support of cattle as a benefit to the environment:
It works like this: grass is a perennial. Rotate cattle and other ruminants across pastures full of it, and the animals’ grazing will cut the blades — which spurs new growth — while their trampling helps work manure and other decaying organic matter into the soil, turning it into rich humus. The plant’s roots also help maintain soil health by retaining water and microbes. And healthy soil keeps carbon dioxide underground and out of the atmosphere.
Of course the percentage of American cattle that are raised in such a way, or even close to it, is staggeringly low when compared with the numbers of cattle fed out in concentrated feeding operations. And those operations are notoriously on an environmentalist’s black list.
The heartening and most salient point here is that, if we could find a way to encourage more small producers in this country – and make it economically viable for them – we could collectively tip the scales and ease the divisiveness that exists in this conversation (as mentioned in our earlier post.)
Ok, Friday soapbox is done. Have a great weekend, all.
P.S. The full Time Magazine article is definitely worth a read.
Big news on the Genestar front, according to this Drovers article:
At the National Western Stock Show this week, Pfizer Animal Genetics announced a genetic milestone with the completion of HD 50K, the beef industry’s first commercially available predictions based on a High-Density panel of more than 50,000 markers. This breakthrough represents significantly greater selection opportunities for owners of black Angus cattle.
Read the article for the complete implications of HD 50K, but “the most powerful use of the HD 50K is to establish a genetic profile for animals early in life… long before progeny data is available and with greater accuracy than parent average information.”
Is Wagyu next?
The issues facing agriculture today are much more complicated than lining up behind labels such as "local" and "organic." (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
A recent LA Times article entitled “The Facts About Food and Farming” is worth a read, particularly for any of us who feel strongly about food and farming issues on a national or global level.
In the article, writer Russ Parsons outlines a few “ground rules” he proposes for moving forward what has become a too-heated, too-polarizing conversation. And it’s hardly a “conversation”; more, a screaming match:
On the one side, the hard-line aggies seem convinced that a bunch of know-nothing urbanites want to send them back to Stone Age farming techniques. On the other side, there’s a tendency by agricultural reformers to lump together all farms (or at least those that aren’t purely organic, hemp-clad mom-and-pop operations) as thoughtless ravagers of the environment.
The bottom line is that the issues with food system are real, and the growing population is real. We do need to come to some solutions – or at least be able to come to the table and have a civilized meal together, right?
To that end Parsons puts forth some undeniable truths that we can all agree on. Some zingers include:
* Agriculture is a business. Farming without a financial motive is gardening.
* Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
* Quality is more expensive than quantity.
Read on for the full list of “ground rules.” Sure, some of this might seem pretty obvious, but these are easily forgotten, especially given that this is our livelihood we’re talking about.
807T, pictured above at 2 1/2 years of age
Pedigree of 807T
In anticipation of our 3rd Annual Fullblood Wagyu Sale on April 17th, 2010, have a look at one of our superior bulls that will be up for auction.
LMR KENICHI 807T
This Breedplan graph shows the breadth of his traits – from growth to carcass quality – and is measured against the larger Wagyu database of almost 50,000 animals.
LMR Kenichi 807T | Group Breedplan EBV
Click here to view this EBV in Animal Enquiry.
LMR Kenichi 807T is a brilliant composite bull:
27% Itozakura; 53% Tajima; 2% Kedaka; 2% Tottori; 9% Shimane; 2% Okayama; 2% Hiroshima; and 6% other.
His Grand Maternal sire, Kenryu, is Kensei (25% Kedaka, 25% Tottori, and 50% Shimane) crossed with Kiyotaka 4 (75% Itozakura and 25% Shigekanenami). Resulting in a good Itozakura line breeding on the Dam side. The Sire side is Michifuku – one of the great Tajima bulls – sired by the great Monjiro, of Yasumi Doi and Tanishige legendary heritage.
FE (MVP= -0.13) 40th percentile
Marb (MVP= 0.60) 40th percentile
Tend (MVP= -0.70) 5th percentile
Inbreeding Coefficient: 0%
As Wagyu producers it’s a part of our daily ritual to scan the internet for news and mentions of Wagyu beef. To be sure, food writers have been scribbling for years now about Wagyu beef and how American consumers fancy the fine marbling and heftier tab. But we’ve noticed that, lately, consumers are getting a deeper dive into the Wagyu industry than ever before.
Articles like this one are becoming more common, though we like this one for its particularly informative content:
New York strip steak (left) next to a four-ounce cut of Miyazaki beef
From Oakland North comes “Pampered, Massaged and $90 On Your Plate: The True Story of Kobe Beef” which is well worth a read in its entirety.
Some strong points covered are:
• the differences between Kobe beef, Miyazaki beef, and ‘American-Kobe’ beef: “The purest, “true” Kobe beef comes only from the Hyogo prefecture, the Japanese region where the city of Kobe is located. Miyazaki beef comes from the same breed and is produced in the same way, but comes from the Miyazaki prefecture of Japan….American-Kobe, on the other hand, is a cross between Wagyu cattle and Black Angus cattle.”
• why there is such confusion on the matter: “Ozumo [Restaurant] in Oakland serves Miyazaki beef. But on the menu, the beef is listed as “Kobe.” Matsuzaki, Ozumo’s executive chef said, that both Miyazaki and Kobe beef can be called Kobe beef since the style of cattle rearing and beef production started in Kobe and was then adopted in the Miyazaki region.”
• and why, it seems, so many restaurants are jumping on the ‘American-Kobe’ bandwagon: “In the end, American-Kobe beef is still marbled, but not to the degree of authentic Kobe and Miyazaki beef. The result is a steak with a lower fat content, but a less artistic look. That’s close enough for many Japanese restaurant patrons.”
Like we said, the full article is definitely worth a closer read. And because articles like these are so often lauding the high quality (with some exceptions), it’s a feel-good reading regiment. Like in this other piece from a London food blogger that called Kobe beef, the “king of steaks”:
“One particular type of breed that continues to elude my voracious appetitie are what I believe to be the true King of steaks : Kobe beef. Bred in Kobe, Japan, this was the original location of the vaunted Wagyu cattle, before breeding began in elsewhere in America and Australia.”
You’ve probably already gotten wind of this news – either from us directly, from an advertisement, or from word of mouth – but we figured an official announcement on the blog was in order.
It’s as much to make an official invitation to our readers to join us in April at the sale, as it is to let you know that we are chugging along full steam to bring you the best Fullblood Wagyu Sale yet. Not only that but it will be the Largest Female Fullblood Wagyu Sale in U.S. History.
So stay tuned for more details and for the sale catalog in March. Until then, we will be highlighting some of our exciting lots in the coming weeks.
And of course, a happy belated new year to you all.
As the holiday season is almost upon us, we at Lone Mountain Ranch want to wish you all a warm and delightful time. It’s been quite a year, and we thank you sincerely for being a part of our extended clan of peers, friends and family. Here’s to you.
See you in 2010!
Cattle Network reports that a Kansas man is testing small generators to harvest the energy in cow manure at feedlots into electricity. Gene Pflughoft, economic development director for Grant County in southwest Kansas, is developing a pilot project.
The demonstration plant set to start next year is backed by Adaptive ARC and Emerald Energy. Adaptive ARC makes the gasifier that consumes the manure with an electric arc. The resulting gas is then used to generate electricity.
The manufacturer claims the gasifier is cleaner burning than incinerators. The units, which are small enough to be moved on trucks, could be placed at each feedlot and eliminate transportation costs. And the manure could be kept dry under a roof.
The generating plants would be small by utility standards in Pflughoft’s plans, but they could produce enough to power 3,500 homes.
“Our goal is to put one in every feedlot and hook it up to the grid,” said Pflughoft.
As the article states, it’s not news that ranchers have been using cow manure in various ways for energy – whether by burning “meadow muffins” in fires or by dairy farmers in the 1970s using “manure digesters that produced methane to run electric generators.”
Of course, it’s not as simple as tossing a log on a burning ember. Moisture content is key. And burning manure certainly isn’t a clean renewable fuel since it releases carbon dioxide, the article notes.
But fluctuations in fuel costs in the future might make this an attractive addition to cattle operations.
Full Article: Cattle Network, Project Seeks to Turn Manure Into Electricity
