The Rural Voice, 1977-12, Page 18Advice on Farming
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New additive may help
beef efficiency
A new feed additive called /Rumensin
which will soon be available may make a
marked improvement in efficiency for beef
farmers.
The additive is a product of fermentation
by bacteria found in soil and tests in
Canada have shown an average increase of
between eight and 11 per cent in the
process of turning food into meat,
according to the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture. Tests in the U.S. showed a
10.5 per cent increase.
The product is similar to one called
Coban which has been used for years in the
poultry industry, says Stan Paquette,
associate agricultural representative in
Huron county. It acts in the cattle beasts
rumen, one of its stomachs, to change the
acid .balance and enable the animal to
digest food more thoroughly.
Many current products used to increase
weight gain are hormones which leave a
residbe in the meat but Rumensin is not.
meaning it can be used right up to the day
the cattle are shipped to market.
Although the product had been
extensively tested in the U.S., the
Canadian government would not accept
U.S. data so further testing took place at
Ridgetown, Guelph and Kempville col-
leges. The product has now passed federal
standards and should be on the market
soon, Mr. Paquette said.
The product has been in use in American
feed lots for some time but unavailable in
Canada except to some producers who got
around regulations by having a veterinaran
perscription.
It is especially useful in feed lot
operations though it does increase
effiecency for animals on pasture land as
well.
Mastitis control
can save big money
Mastitis, a recurrent problem in
dairy herds, cost producers as much as
$100 to $150 per cow each year.
Dr. G. Fisher, head of the Veterinary
Services Laboratory in Kemptville, says 97
per cent of the losses due to mastitis are
not readily visible.
While this chronic or "hidden" type of
mastitis may not appear to be causing any
M -18 -THE RURAL VOICE/DECEMBER 1977,
damage to the cow, it has been proven that
it markedly reduces production.
"Only through quarter sampling and a
laboratory test can a producer be sure of
detecting mastitis and knowing which
organisms are involved."
To achieve good mastitis control, Dr.
Fisher recommends removing two or three
streams of foremilk from each quarter to
examine for abnormalities. A strip cup is a
valuable tool to use.
Dr. Fisher says it is important to wash
the udder with a warm sanitizing
solution, then dry it with a single -service
paper towel. He says some producers have
found newspaper works satisfactorily.
Attach the teat cups approximately one
minute after washing, or when the teats
are full of milk.
Dr. Fisher advises producers to machine
strip when the milk flow slows (usually
three to four minutes) but not to overmilk.
Immediately after milking use a recomm-
mended teat dip.
Other control measures include treating
all clinical cases of mastitis, using a dry
cow treatment or the California Mastitis
Test (CMT) each month.
"Quarter sample the herd at least once a
year and more often if a flare-up has
occurred," he says.
Give your beef cows
a fall tuneup
Beef cows may not have spark plugs,
batteries and oil filters but they too can
benefit from a fall tune-up to prevent
problems during the winter.
Jim Nicholson, head of the livestock feed
and nutrition program at Agriculture
Canada's research station at Fredericton,
N.B., says farmers can save money by
carefully checking their cow herd in the
same way as they check over their car or
truck at this time of year.
"It costs about $100 for feed alone to
carry a cow over the winter," he says.
"Have all the cows pregnancy tested. If a
cow doesn't have a calf next spring,
feeding her all winter is money wasted."
Dr. Nicholson advises checking the
records of all cows in the herd to find those
that have raised poor calves. He argues
that poor performers should be culled.
Heifer calves from cows that raise good
calves each year should be saved for herd
replacements. Written records are neces-
sary to get this information.
Problems with lice increase in winter. He
recommends that h1ir of the thinnest
animals in the herd be checked for lice. If
any are found, the entire herd should be
treated. The use of a systemic insecticide
in the fall eliminates warble fly larva as
well as lice.
The presence of worms can be checked
by a veterinarian.
Dr. Nicholson also recommends making
an early decision on the winter -feeding
program by assessing the condition of the
beef cows and the quality and quantity of
feed available.
"If cows are in good condition and feed
is short, skimp on feed during the early
winter when the cows' nutrient require-
ments are low. Then, as calving time
nears, increase feed to provide for the
calf," he says.
Half of a calf's growth occurs in the six
weeks prior to birth.
The best hay and silage should be saved
for just before calving and also for the
nursing cows before spring pasture is
ready.
"Farmers should also check over this
year's calves,' Dr. Nicholson says. "Make
sure they are properly castrated and
dehorned. Vaccinate them all against such
diseases as blackleg and enterotoxemia.
They should all be treated for worms and
warbles if they have been on pasture."
The last point in the scientist's
recommended tune-up schedule is to plan
feeding of minerals and vitamins during
the winter.
Protect
your hearing
Being able to hear well is a valuable
ability that is often taken for granted.
Recent studies have found that farmers are
greatly jeopardizing this ability. In fact, of
all occupations in Canada farmers are
listed in the top three groups whose
hearing is damaged by the work they do.
Much of the farm machinery used today
emits noise at levels of above the
acceptable level of 85 decibels (decibels -
units of measurement of the power and
pressure of sound). Sound levels above this
lead to fatigue or temporary loss of the
functioning of the cochlea within the inner
ear. If these sounds are repeated often and
long enough then permanent hearing
damage will result. Another damaging
effect is a decrease in blood circulation.
Hearing damage can be controlled by
reducing noise at its source (e.g. reduce
equipment speed, use mufflers and
silencers), controlling noise of the
transmission path (e.g. sound barriers,
accoustical absorbing treatment), and by
the person using protective devices (e.g.
properly fit ear muffs, ear plugs, canal
caps.)