August January 2013 15, —2013 Issue 1
How to pick beef to suit your palate PAGE 16 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID BRYAN, TX 77802 PERMIT # 23
JAMES IT’S A BEAR! THOMPSON IT’S A COW!
JAMES THIS BITES THOMPSON
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JAMES THOMPSON CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC
JAMES THOMPSON MUDDY FIELDS
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Straight It’s a “panda fromcow,” the horse's born on mouth. a Washington farm.
Straight talk Experts fromabout the horse's the future mouth. of Texas cattle.
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August 2013— Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
Panda-ing to public’s bear love TED WARREN Associated Press
but it turns out there is more to it than that. I cooked the delicious steak on the cover myself, and it was indeed good. I got a nice big thick steak, in hopes that I’ll be able to expense it for business purposes. If that works out, then please enjoy issue one of a 24 part series on the subject of tasty beef. And I also hope you enjoy the rest of this issue, we have a lot of news about the ag industry, information about upcoming events and our regular features. Oh, and if you happen to be at the Beef Cattle Short Course at Texas A&M, be sure to stop by our booth and say hello. I hope to meet some of you and get your take on the perfect Cheetos sandwich. ’Til next time,
August 2013— Issue 1
See PANDA COW, Page 11
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Peanut, a miniature panda cow, grazes on the farm of John Bartheld in Roy, Wash. Bartheld has been breeding miniature cows on his farm for seven years, hoping to recreate black and white markings in the pattern of a panda to make a “panda cow.”
recently had lunch with our former publisher, Jim Wilson. While we were waiting for our food, Wilson shared with us one of the delicacies he enjoys. “What you do,” he started, “is take two pieces of white bread. Put a little mustard on one side, then put your cheese slices on. Velveeta, it has to be Velveeta — no real cheese. Then you take a handful JESSE WRIGHT of Cheetos, put them right in the middle, then you smash the other piece of bread down on it.” As he described his culinary delight, I listened with a look of disgust on my face. I mean, who puts mustard on a Cheetos sandwich? It takes all sorts, I suppose, but people tend to like what they like. I’ve never given much thought to the subject, but that is exactly what our cover story is about: what makes beef good? For me, the answer is usually a knife and a fork,
ROY, Wash. — John Bartheld has been breeding miniature cows on his farm for seven years, hoping to recreate black and white markings in the pattern of a panda to make a “panda cow.” He succeeded on June 28 when Peanut was born. From most angles, Peanut looks like the endangered Chinese bear with a big belt of white fur, a white face and black hair around the eyes. Peanut never strays far from his mom, Midget, who was artificially inseminated. Another panda cow born July 3, a halfsister named Star, has similar markings, but not as well-defined. Peanut is different and he knows it, Bartheld said. “He’s got that cocky attitude. From the minute I laid eyes on him I knew he was something special,” he said Friday. “Peanut knew he was a superstar. It’s just the weirdest thing. I’ve never raised anything with this attitude — like he was born Tom Selleck,” Bartheld said. “He struts around the field like he’s in charge of the other calves and they follow him
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
News ‘Guarded optimism’ for future rebuilding of the cattle industry By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
BASTROP — While there are signs some ranchers are beginning to rebuild herds, experts at the Independent Cattlemen’s Association meeting said they are monitoring the beef cattle situation closely as drought conditions continue to affect parts of Texas beef production country. “Some areas are still in pretty bad shape,” said Phil Sadler, association president. “Cow numbers are down due to liquidations. Having said that, on the expense side, with prudent management that will be the key to being successful.” In the meantime, Sadler said any upward climb in overall cow numbers in Texas will not come overnight. “It’s going to be a slow process to rebuild herds,” he said. “The numbers are not there.” “Guarded optimism” was what he said would best describe the outlook going forward, as more than 300 beef producers recently attended sessions at this year’s meeting in Bastrop. Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist in Vernon, told producers they need to monitor expenses closely and track performance of each cow. “You can’t manage what you
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LAMPASAS — The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will conduct the multicounty Central Texas Cow/ Calf Clinic and Cooking with Beef Boot Camp from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 22 in Lampasas. Both programs will be at Grace Fellowship Church, 2974 U.S. 281. The programs involve the AgriLife Extension offices in Lampasas, Burnet and Llano counties. RSVP is required by calling the AgriLife Extension office in Lampasas County at 512-5568271. Individual preregistration is $25, due on arrival. “This joint program truly
• Maglime is an Agricultural Limestone Material containing about 90% Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) and 8% Magnesium Carbonate (MgCO3) and about 2% Acid Insoluble. • Over 4,000,000 tons of Maglime have been spread on the soils of East Texas and Louisiana. Maglime has been used to neutralize soil acidity and to provide calcium and magnesium to the plants and animals which live on the land. • Many farmers and ranchers realize they need agricultural limestone when applied fertilizer is less effective than in the past. • Soils in East Texas and Louisiana become acid for three reasons. High amounts of rain leach calcium and magnesium out of the soil. Commercial fertilizers are typically acidic compounds. The removal of crops and animals from the land take calcium and magnesium with them as they go to market.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Blair Fannin
Stan Bevers, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist, discussed records and working with data at the Independent Cattlemen’sAssociation meeting recently. don’t measure,” he said. “The whole point of being in business is to make profit,” he said. Bevers said while cattle prices remain strong, input costs continue to affect profit margins. He said ranchers without any goals identified for their business are setting themselves up for potential problems. “You should make profits, then make choices,” he said. Bevers said too many cattle producers make purchasing choices before making profit. “When I first start working with ranches, I ask individuals if they are reaching their
goals and effectively managing assets,” he said. “You need to identify what your goals are and where you are going.” Bevers said that starts with keeping good records. He added, however, producers don’t have to go out and purchase expensive software programs. “It’s doesn’t have to be a $6,000 software program,” he said. “It could be something as simple as a spreadsheet or even on paper.” Once a good record-keeping system is in place, valuable data is generated to aid making decisions about the operation, Bevers said.
Beef on the menu for Aug. 22 Lampasas clinic By Steve ByrnS Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
MAGLIME
should have something for everyone interested in preparing or producing beef,” said Heath Lusty, AgriLife Extension agent in Lampasas County. “One of the morning breakout sessions will feature preparing beef for the family while the other will deal with producing it. Both sessions will come together for an afternoon program on ranch estate planning.” Topics and speakers for the morning beef production clinic session will include: • Fall-Winter Health Concerns, Jason Cleere, AgriLife Extension beef cattle specialist, College Station. • Pasture, Rangeland and Forage Insurance, Bill Thompson, AgriLife Extension economist, San Angelo.
• Grass-Fed Beef and Niche Markets, Rick Machen, AgriLife Extension livestock specialist, Uvalde. The Boot Camp beef preparation session will include presentations on lean beef, cooking methods, recipes and samples. Both sessions will conclude with a beef lunch sponsored by the Texas Beef Council prior to the day’s final estate planning session. Three Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units — two general, one integrated pest management — will be available to participants with a valid private pesticide applicators license. For more information, contact Lusty at 512-556-8271, rhlusty@ag.tamu.edu .
• When Maglime is applied to an acid soil, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potash all become more available to the plants as the soil acidity is reduced. • Maglime is sold in two grades of fineness, premium and super fine. Studies rate the super fine as 100 percent effective while the premium is rated at about 65 percent effective. Some people find that the better handling, spreading, and storage characteristics of the premium grind offset its lower efficiency. • Much of the land on which Maglime is spread is used to grow forage for breeder cows. The fact that milk is a rich source of calcium is widely known. A rapidly growing calf demands a lot of calcium because its bones are primarily composed of calcium and phosphorus. A fully grown 1,200 pound calf has about 200 pounds of bone • Legumes, such as clovers, soybeans, and alfalfa are a unique group of plants that can transform atmospheric nitrogen into a source of plant food. Legumes typically will grow best in neutral or alkaline soil that is rich in calcium. Where soils are acidic and deficient in calcium and magnesium, legumes typically show a dramatic response to the application of Maglime. • If your soils are acidic or are deficient in calcium or magnesium, give us a call at 800 772 8272. We will be glad to put you in touch with a Maglime distributor in your local area or provide more information regarding Maglime.
TEXAS CRUSHED STONE 800-772-8272
The Land & Livestock Post
News A&M’s Rosson one of 30 distinguished educators recognized by online site By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
PARR ROSSON His applied research efforts are directed to support his AgriLife Extension programs. Rosson also teaches two upper-level undergraduate courses: international trade and agriculture, and international agribusiness marketing. Since 1995, Rosson has taught two master’s level courses at Universidad del Valle de Guatemala in applied economics and business administration. He has been director of the program in Guatemala — which now has 150 graduates — since 2005. Rosson also co-authored a textbook, An Introduction to Agricultural Economics. The book is now in its fifth edition and has been adopted by 68 institutions in the U.S. and other countries. Rosson holds a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, plus master’s and doctoral degrees in agricultural economics, all from Texas A&M.
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August 2013— Issue 1
Parr Rosson, head of the department of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University, recently was named to a top 30 list of distinguished lifetime achievement educators by Affordable Colleges Online. The list is available at www. affordablecollegesonline.org/ awards-and-recognition/topprofessors/lifetime-achievement/. Rosson, who earlier this year received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association, specializes in international trade and marketing and is active in the American Agricultural Economics Association. Rosson has served as director of the Center for North American Studies at Texas A&M and as an economist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service since 1989, specializing in international trade and marketing. Most recently, his AgriLife Extension programming efforts have focused on exporting agricultural products to Cuba and other emerging markets, as well as the economic impacts of immigrant labor and invasive species. Much of this work has been provided to U.S. congressional committees, state officials, commodity associations and farm organization leadership.
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
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An electric cattle guard is simple and takes about half a day to construct and install. start at the outside eye bolt and wrap the wire between the nut and PVC pipe; wrap each eye bolt in the same manner, then connect a power line from the fence to
August 2013— Issue 1
Cattle often are kept in the same pasture for an extended period of time for varying reasons. At the Noble Foundation’s Coffey Ranch near Marietta, Okla.,, for example, cattle are kept close to the working pens during calving season. During calving, we will go into the pasture two to three times, or more, per day to feed, check the cows and calves, and tag new calves as they are born. Opening and closing gates has never been anyone’s favorite chore. The earliest opportunities my sons got to “help me” was opening and closing gates as I drove through. In 2011, we revamped an old idea that we had used at the Pasture Demonstration Farm: an electric cattle guard. The idea is simple and takes about half a day to construct and install. The previous model was 7 feet long and was centered in the fence line. The revised version is 3 feet, 6 inches long and placed with one edge in the fence.
Materials used
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News
the cattle guard. (This step need only be done on one side of the cattle guard.)
See GUARD, Page 13
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
Ask the Vet
Texas is second in the nation in rabies deaths
T
he latest issue of the Texas Veterinarian has a summary of animal rabies cases in Texas for 2012. This is a good time for an update on this dangerous disease. Texas is the No. 2 state in the nation for human deaths due to rabies. That doesn’t mean we’ve lost lots of people from rabies. Over the past 50 years, 19 people have died from rabies in Texas. That’s not many out of a state population of millions. Rabies, however, is one of our most feared diseases for three reasons: • In most of Texas it is a constant low level threat. • It is 99.9 percent fatal if untreated in humans. • The symptoms of headache, painful spasms of muscles when swallowing and convulsions are horrific. The Zoonosis Control Division of the Texas Department of Health carries out the state’s Dr. STEVE WIKSE rabies control program. The control program consists of testing of human and animal specimens for rabies, reporting results of testing, quarantine regulations for animals that have bitten humans or have been bitten themselves by a potentially rabid animal, supplying human medical facilities with anti-rabies biologicals (vaccine and anti-sera) and implementing the oral rabies vaccination program. The Zoonosis Control Division’s very successful oral rabies vaccination program
• See chart, Page 25
was created to eliminate rabies in coyotes in South Texas and in gray foxes in West Central Texas. The program involves aerial distribution of edible bait containing oral rabies vaccine. Nearly 2 million doses were dropped in 2012. In 2012, 683 of 10,640 animals tested for rabies in Texas were positive. Wild animals, mostly skunks and bats, accounted for 639 cases of rabies and there were 44 cases in domestic animals. The domestic cases included 16 dogs, 14 cats, 9 cattle, 4 horses and 1 goat. Rabies is of more concern in domestic than wild animals because they are more likely to expose humans. Rabies is a viral disease affecting the central nervous system of warm-blooded animals. Transmission from a rabid animal occurs when saliva containing rabies virus is introduced into an opening in the skin, usually by a bite or scratch of a rabid animal. It is also thought that people have developed rabies from exposure to aerosols containing the virus while exploring bat-infested caves. Exposure to Mexican free-tail bats has been the most common cause of human rabies in Texas. The time lag in people between exposure and onset of clinical signs (incubation period) is usually three weeks to three months, although it lasted seven years in one person. Many factors influence length of incubation period; however, the most important one is the distance the bite wound is from the head and neck.
Courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
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In the past, rabies was considered to be 100 percent fatal in people presented for treatment with clinical signs. The survival of a few people that began treatment in the face of clinical signs in recent years gives new hope for the 55,000 people, many of them children, who develop rabies annually throughout the world. The breakthrough began in 2004 when a 15-year-old girl who had been bitten by a bat and had signs of rabies was treated by Dr. Rodney E. Willoughy of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. The girl recovered following treatment with the “Milwaukee protocol” which consisted of an induced coma that slowed progression of the disease, protected her brain from further damage by the virus and gave her immune system time to produce antibodies to attack the virus, plus administration of two anti-viral drugs. The protocol later was successful in an 8-year-old girl with rabies from Willow Creek, Calif. The Milwaukee
protocol has been used in about 35 other people suffering from rabies with limited success; only one out of five survived. Incidentally, I lived in Willow Creek back in 1953 in fifth grade, and helped a sick bat by taking it by the wing and placing it in the shade. Now, I know that was very, very dumb!
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I’ll leave you with a quote from Rabies in Texas — A Historical Perspective, a manuscript prepared by the Zoonosis Control Division of the Texas Department of Health: “The first references to rabies in Texas history appear in anecdotal accounts by cowboys. Many of these stories of the
mid-1800s mention sleeping on the ground and being attacked by ‘hydrophobic cats’ or ‘phoby cats’ which was the local vernacular for rabid spotted skunks. These stories often reference being bitten on the nose and the difficulty
See RABIES, Page 25
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Protection of families against rabies is two-pronged. It involves protection of pets against rabies and knowing the signs of rabies in animals so potential exposure can be avoided. First protect your pets by vaccinating them against rabies and keeping them current on boosters. They come in contact with wild animals and people. All dogs and cats are required by law to be vaccinated against rabies by 16 weeks old in Texas. All horses also should be vaccinated against rabies. See your veterinarian for advice on a rabies vaccination program for your animals. Your veterinarian will be
Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control Distribution of major rabies virus variants among carnivores in the United States and Puerto Rico, 2010
August 2013— Issue 1
Wikse, from Page 8
Photo courtesy of osp.mans.edu.eg
This apple shows some of the classic signs of rabies infection. Texas is second in the nation in the number of rabies cases. Hawaii is the only state free of rabies, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
familiar with the latest recommendations on rabies vaccination listed in the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians Compendium on Animal Rabies Prevention and Control. There are two sets of clinical signs of rabies in animals: furious (mad) rabies and paralytic (dumb) rabies. Either or both forms may occur during the course of infection in a single animal. Furious rabies is characterized by agitation, aggression with biting, excess salivation and loud vocalizing. Rabies is derived from the Latin word rabere: to rage. Dumb rabies includes signs of lethargy, difficulty swallowing and paralysis. Animals with rabies often have a change in attitude. Mellow animals may become belligerent and hyper animals may become calm. Beware of wild animals that do things they normally would not, such as wander about in daylight without fear of people.
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Ask the Vet
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
News Texas horse breeders take clone battle to court BETSY BLANEY Associated Press
AMARILLO, — The nation’s pre-eminent quarter horse association, trying hard to safeguard a prestigious registry that adds financial value to listed animals, faced off in court July 17 against two breeders who claim the organization is wrongly excluding clones and want the technology to join a long line of others the group already allows. Since 1960 the American Quarter Horse Association has registered animals born through means other than natural, Nancy Stone, one of the attorneys representing two breeders suing to have clones registered, said. Those means include artificial insemination, frozen semen and cooled semen, an attorney for the association said. The association “let the horse out the door,” she said about the group registering quarter horses born through other technologies. Testimony began recently in the 2012 lawsuit filed by two Texas breeders, Panhandle rancher Jason Abraham and Amarillo veterinarian Gregg Veneklasen, who own cloned quarter horses or offspring and want the animals registered with the 280,000-member organization. The case is being watched closely by other U.S. horsebreeding groups because it could set a precedent. No U.S. horse-breeder group allows clones to be registered. Breeders worldwide could be affected because semen could be transported to other countries, though some international laws might not allow the use of clones, said Billy Smith, a spokesman for the American Paint Horse Association. It costs about $150,000 to clone
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Two Texas breeders are suing the American Quarter Horse Association, charging that the organization wrongly exludes clones from its registry. a quarter horse, association lawyer Wade Arnold said in his opening comments. But to register a horse the animal must come from a registered mother and a father. In “cloning you don’t have that,” he told jurors. “That is the fundamental rule of our association and it has been since 1940.” He told jurors that Abraham, Veneklasen and others interested in cloning quarter horses could start their own organization and set their own rules as the quarter horse association does. American Quarter Horse Association members “ought to have the right to make their own rules, if those rules are reasonable and lawful,” he said. The association has denied antitrust allegations and says its rules promote competition. Stone disagreed, saying there is a reduced supply of elite quarter horses because of the rule that excludes clones, which means the value of those remaining is higher. The association wants to keep it that way and continue monopolizing the market, she said. “Registration is absolutely
See HORSE, Page 12
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Panda cow, from Page 3
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Peanut, left, a miniature Panda cow, eats hay near his mother, Midget, on the farm of John Bartheld in Roy, Wash. A half-sister named Star was born July 3, with similar markings, although they are not as well-defined. Miniature cows must measure less than 42 inches tall at 3 years old, otherwise it is considered mid-size beef. Bartheld plans to sell Peanut. Bartheld says his farm is a solo operation. “I have no kids. These things
are kind of like my children,” he said. “I feed them the best hay I can. They’re well taken care of.”
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August 2013— Issue 1
around. And he’s not the oldest calf.” Bartheld runs nine cattle and five are registered miniatures. Two, Peanut and Star, are registered with The International Miniature Cattle Breeders Society, which is a division of Happy Mountain Farm in Covington, Wash. The four other cattle are fullsize cows sold as beef. The miniatures are a pet or novelty — “too expensive to butcher,” unless they grow too big. “They butcher them all the time if they breed a miniature and it runs out 40-45 inches tall; it’s considered a mid-sized beef.” Bartheld grew up around his grandparents’ dairy, now 11 acres, which has been in the family four generations. He has a full-time job with a concrete company in Tacoma, Wash., but “I always knew I was going to have cows.” A miniature cow has to be under 42 inches tall at 3 years old. A panda cow has to have the bear-like markings, mostly the
white belt around the midsection. “A lot of cows have black eyes and white faces; the white belt really sets it,” he said. Peanut has been getting a lot of attention since a few stories hit the Internet. “It’s gone bananas,” Bartheld said. He’s hearing from people he hasn’t talked to in 10 years. “People drive by. They stop and back up and look. They love it,” he said. Bartheld plans to sell Peanut, but he can’t guess what he’s worth. He said there are 30 to 40 panda cows in the world. “Somebody’s got to want a cow like that. I’d like him to be a mascot for someone,” Bartheld said. “I think that would be kind of neat.” Peanut also could be a sire when he grows to breeding age. “He won’t fit into my breeding program because they’re all related to him,” Bartheld said. Peanut’s parents are a miniHereford and a mini-American Beltie. He’s got Midget the mom on the farm. The bull, Rebel, is at Happy Mountain Farm in Covington.
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News
• Doug Esser in Seattle contributed to this report.
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John Bartheld holds Peanut, a miniature panda cow born June 28 on his farm in Roy, Wash. Peanut’s mother Midget is pictured in the background. He hopes eventually to sell the calf.
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
News
New tests speed diagnoses in canines and cattle By Blair Fannin Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
COLLEGE STATION — The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory is offering two new diagnostic panels – one for dogs and one for cattle – that use a single specimen to detect rapidly a wide range of common health issues. The test panels were developed by the laboratory’s newly created section for diagnostic
Horse, from Page 10 essential for a quarter horse to be worth anything,” Stone said. The association “is holding these (cloned) horses and their offspring to a higher standard than horses born” through other technologies. The breeders are seeking $6 million in damages, Arnold said. But the breeders stand to make plenty of money with the technology to clone quarter horses if the rule prohibiting clones is changed, he said. One of the plaintiffs would get 10 percent of the royalties from a company with a patent on the quarter horse cloning technology, Arnold said. “This is about money,” he said. “It’s not just about the rule.” A survey to 3,000 quarter horse members a few years ago showed that 86 percent were opposed to registering clones, Arnold said. Ron Nickum, also representing the breeders, countered that only 1,000 surveys were re-
development, which is managed by Mangkey Bounpheng. A diagnostic panel runs a series of several tests simultaneously, thus saving time and money for veterinarians and animal owners. The cost of the cattle panel for Texas clients is $40, which significantly is less than running all of the tests individually. Turnaround time is three days. The cattle test is available at the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory’s full-service labs in turned and of those, 13 percent were in favor. “Even if the membership of an entity wants to do something and it’s illegal ... the entity cannot be excused from violating the law.” In 2002, the American Quarter Horse Association reached an out-of-court settlement that allowed horse breeders to register embryo-transfer foals. The settlement came after several horse breeders sued the group, alleging that the association would not register numerous superiorly bred, embryo-transfer horses — a rule that devalued their horses. By transferring embryos from one mare to a surrogate, a breeder can produce multiple foals per year, but only one foal was eligible for American Quarter Horse Association registration each year before the settlement.
College Station and Amarillo. The canine panel test is $80 for Texas clients and turnaround time is approximately three days. The canine respiratory test is available only at the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory’s College Station location. Dr. Terry Hensley, assistant agency director and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service veterinarian in College Station, said the new panels will help practitioners more quickly determine the causes of disease often found in dogs and cattle. Using a molecular test known as a polymerase chain reaction — PCR — the panels detect the genetic code of a disease-causing organism. A PCR test does not depend on the lab growing the organism in a culture, which can take days or weeks. “A PCR test will produce a faster result that is very specific,” Hensley said. “The PCR test is not an answer to all di-
agnostic problems, but it can help a veterinarian arrive at a quicker diagnosis and to finetune the treatment.” A PCR test particularly is helpful when a disease-causing organism is difficult to isolate, Hensley said, or when a veterinarian must deal with a disease outbreak in a large herd. “It’s a lot easier to run 50 PCR tests than do 50 cell cultures,” he said. The Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory’s new panel for cattle will detect bovine herpevirus, bovine leucosis, bluetongue virus and bovine viral diarrhea virus from one specimen. The panel can be run on nasal swabs, semen, milk and whole blood treated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, also known as EDTA, including tissues that have not been preserved in formalin. The panel especially is useful for export testing and herd
health screening, Hensley said. The canine respiratory panel will detect bordetella, adenovirus type 2, distemper, herpesvirus 1, influenza, parainfluenza and respiratory coronavirus. The panel requires only a single dry swab taken from the trachea or the oropharynx. Pam Ferro, section head for virology and molecular diagnostics in College Station, said the canine panel helps veterinarians arrive at a diagnosis more quickly and more accurately than did previous tests. “A veterinarian might evaluate a dog’s symptoms and initially think it has canine influenza,” Ferro said. “But it could also be distemper. With one sample and one test, we can now provide a fast and reliable result to help that veterinarian make an accurate diagnosis.” For more information, go to tvmdl.tamu.edu/products-services/testing/.
Questions About Cattle Health?
Ask the Vet! Steve Wikse - Retired DVM Large Animal Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University
WIKSE
Submit your questions to:
12
P.O. Box 3000 Bryan, TX 77805 or jesse.wright@theeagle.com
LIVESTOCK MARKET REPORT Brazos Valley
Results of the Brazos Valley Livestock Commission’s July 16 sale: Head: 1,093
7. Tighten bolts on each side of the cattle guard equally until the springs begin to separate. 8. Run a short wire 3 feet off the ground from the fence to the outside edge of the cattle guard on both sides. The electric cattle guard lets us easily manage our herd without fear of them crossing it and wandering into unwanted areas. It also has eliminated the nuisance of opening and closing gates multiple times a day. This type of cattle guard is simple, easy to construct and costs less than a conventional metal cattle guard. Not counting the cost of the wire or ground stakes, this cattle guard can be built for less than $75. There are a few maintenance issues and limitations with an electric cattle guard. First, the wires need to be 3 to 4 inches off the ground to prevent them from creating a short, and the vegetation needs to be sprayed three to four times each year. Vehicles with low ground clearance or objects hanging down from trucks or other equipment have a tendency to pull the wire off the eye bolts and springs. We have successfully contained bulls as long as they were with the cows, but it cannot be used to keep the bulls away from the cows. The electric cattle guard has been a low cost, valuable asset in the day-to-day operation of the Coffey Ranch. It has increased the speed of checking and tagging cattle, and created easier access to the eastern part of the ranch.
Head: 725 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $200-$225; 300-400 lbs., $175-$200; 400-500 lbs., $160-$180; 500-600 lbs., $140-$150; 600-700 lbs., $130-$145; 700-800 lbs., $123-$134. Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $170-$210; 300-400 lbs., $150-$180; 400-500 lbs., $140-$165; 500-600 lbs., $130-$150; 600-700 lbs., $125-$145. Slaughter bulls: $65-$96. Slaughter cows: $55-$83. Stocker cows: $600-$1,180. Cow/calf pairs: $1,150-$1,400.
Results of the Groesbeck Auction and Livestock Exchange’s July 18 sale: Head: 726. Steers: 300-400 lbs., $180-$215; 400-500 lbs., $160-$175; 500-600 lbs., $140-$151; 600-700 lbs., $135-$145. Heifers: 300-400 lbs., $150-$175; 400-500 lbs., $135-$185; 500-600 lbs., $128-$145; 600-700 lbs., $117-$150. Slaughter bulls: $96-$104. Slaughter cows: $68-$86. Stocker cows: $900-$1,500. Cow/calf pairs: $950-$1,7050.
Jordan
Results of the Jordan Cattle Auction Market July 18 sale:
Head: 1,530 Steers: 200-300 lbs., $185-$201; 300-400 lbs., $165-$201; 400-500 lbs., $148-$168; 500-600 lbs., $140-$158; 600-700 lbs., $128-$155; 700-800 lbs., $123-$133. Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $160-$175; 300-400 lbs., $140-$148; 400-500 lbs., $135-$148; 500-600 lbs., $130-$148; 600-700 lbs., $127-$145.50; 700-800 lbs., $120-$134. Slaughter bulls: $86-$98.50. Slaughter cows: $65-$83. Stocker cows: $825-$1,140. Cow/calf pairs: $1,375-$1,450.
Milano
Results of the Milano Livestock Exchange’s July 16 sale: Head: 350. Steers: 300-400 lbs., $132-$173; 400-500 lbs., $120-$159; 500-600 lbs., $125-$159; 600-700 lbs., $110-$147. Heifers: 300-400 lbs.,
19.95
$
s
sue 24 Is
$130-$160; 400-500 lbs., $125-$153; 500-600 lbs., $117-$145; 600-700 lbs., $111-$135. Slaughter bulls: $88-$97. Slaughter cows: $60-$95.
Navasota
Results of the Navasota Livestock Auction Co.’s July 13 sale: Head: 2154. Steers: 150-300 lbs., $150$225; 300-400 lbs., $150$195; 400-500 lbs., $125$172.50; 500-600 lbs., $120-$150; 600-700 lbs., $115-$145. Heifers: 150-300 lbs., $135-$210; 300-400 lbs., $130-$165; 400-500 lbs., $120-$152.50; 500-600 lbs., $115-$145; 600-700 lbs., $115-$136. Slaughter bulls: $80-$100. Slaughter cows: $60-$83. Stocker cows: $750-$1,225. Cow/calf pairs: $1,150$1,400. —- Special to The Post
August 2013— Issue 1
Guard, from Page 7
Results of the Caldwell Livestock Commission’s July 17 sale:
Groesbeck
Steers: 200-300 lbs., $190-$220; 300-400 lbs., $170-$200; 400-500 lbs., $144-$165; 500-600 lbs., $134-$160; 600-700 lbs., $122-$142; 700-800 lbs., $126-$136. Heifers: 200-300 lbs., $164-$185, 300-400 lbs., $145-$172; 400-500 lbs., $130-$150; 500-600 lbs., $122-$140; 600-700 lbs., $114-$132; 700-800 lbs., $115-$122. Slaughter bulls: $88-$97. Slaughter cows: $65-$84. Cow/calf pairs: $1,100-$1,700.
Caldwell
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
News New agent to focus on feral hogs By Steve ByrnS Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
GATESVILLE — Dan Gaskins has been named a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service assistant and will be headquartered at Gatesville, said Jim Cathey, AgriLife Extension wildlife specialist. “Dan will provide educational programs and landowner assistance across the 13-county Cross Timbers region as part of the Lone Star Healthy Streams Pro- DAN GASKINS g ram,” said Cathey, who is wildlife and fisheries sciences associate department head at College Station. “More specifically, he’ll be dealing with the program’s feral hog component. He’ll be conducting watershed-based educational programs focused on feral hogs and providing technical assistance to landowners to help them determine a feral hog population reduction strategy that is specific to their needs and their property.” Gaskins worked as an intern for the Texas A&M Forest Service and recently graduated with a bachelor’s of science degree in forestry from Texas A&M University.
TE PRIVA Y T A E TR
rk An a l C
Gaskins will cover the Lake Granbury Watershed in Hood, Parker, Palo Pinto, Ranger, Erath and Jack counties; the Lampasas River Watershed in Bell, Burnet, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Mills and Williamson counties; and the Leon River Watershed below Proctor Lake and above Belton Lake in Comanche, Hamilton, Erath, Coryell, Mills and Bell counties. Gaskins is a member of the National eXtension Feral Hog Community of Practice, the Society of American Foresters and the Texas Forestry Association. “Dan grew up hunting, fishing and camping in the rangelands of Texas and the mountains of New Mexico,” Cathey said. “His passion for the outdoors led him to his career in the wise use and management of natural resources. His distinct educational and personal background will provide him a unique perspective for tackling wildlife challenges, which should serve him well in his new position.” Gaskin’s position is funded through a Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant from the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. Gaskins can be reached at 254-248-0562 or dan.gaskins@ tamu.edu. For more information on feral hogs, see feralhogs.tamu.edu, feralhogreports.tamu.edu or www.extension.org/feral_hogs.
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The Land & Livestock Post
August 2013— Issue 1
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The Land & Livestock Post
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August 2013— Issue 1
News
Photos above and on the cover by Jesse Wright
What makes it taste so darned good? By ROBERT and JANELLE FEARS Special to The Post
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W
hether eating in a restaurant or cooking at home, we choose foods that taste good. The first requirement for a pleasant experience in eating a piece
of meat is that it must be tender. If you encounter several tough steaks, you probably will lose interest in eating beef. Since tenderness is a primary determining factor in whether people buy beef, a tremendous amount of research has been conducted on the subject. The producer now knows how to manage
his herd to yield tender meat. Technology exists to measure tenderness. The relationship between marbling and tenderness has been extensively evaluated, and marbling is a measurement used in grading beef carcasses. Nolan Ryan Tender Beef, Certified Angus Beef and certain other marketing organizations merchandize their products
as tender. Another factor that makes eating beef a pleasurable experience is taste. A steak can be tender, but if it doesn’t tantalize our taste buds, we don’t consider it appetizing. Less is understood about taste than tenderness. Several
See TASTE, Page 17
The Land & Livestock Post
News Taste, from Page 16 universities are conducting research on the taste of beef and the database is growing. Rhonda K. Miller conducts research on the quality, quantity, safety and usefulness of meat and meat products with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. She currently is researching the taste of beef.
Taste components
August 2013— Issue 1
“We have completed two projects funded by the Beef Check-off through the National Cattlemens’ Beef Association,” Miller said. “The objective of the first study was to identify the components of taste using an expert trained panel. The panel is able to taste food products and identify their components much like how wine tasters recognize floral, oak, pepper and other components of wine.” The study was conducted in collaboration with Koushik Adhikari and Edgar Chambers IV at Kansas State University. Adhikari and Chambers teach graduate classes in sensory analysis and consumer behavior. They direct research projects in product evaluation and consumer understanding for national and international companies. Their expertise encompasses meat, grains, packaging materials, personal care, fabric, paper, pharmaceutical, paint finishes, fragrance and other consumer and industrial products. An expert panel directed by Adhikari and Chambers developed a lexicon — a dictionary of terms — for trained sensory panels to use in evaluating beef products. A partial list of flavors that occur in beef include beefy, brown roasted, bloody or serumy (prevalent in meat cooked rare), fat-like, metallic, liver, green hay, animal
Photo courtesy of Robert Fears
Rhonda K. Miller conducts research on the quality, quantity, safety and usefulness of meat and meat products through her appointment with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. hair, sweet, sour and barnyard. Miller and others involved with sensory panels compared expected flavors in beef with standards developed by the American Society of Testing Materials. On her book shelf, Miller has a huge reference book published by the sensory group that lists flavors and gives references for each one. Each reference is rated on an intensity scale from 0 to 15. Zero is non-existent whereas 12 and up are considered intense flavoring. For instance, the flavor ref-
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August 2013— Issue 1
The Land & Livestock Post
To bee or not to bee worries many researchers By GeorGina Gustin St. Louis Post-Dispatch
S
Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle/MCT
A bee rests on the hand of Candy Vinduska while she and her husband, Bill, work to remove a hive from the eaves of a clubhouse at L.W. Clapp Memorial Golf Course in Wichita, Kan. very companies working for solutions, they contend, are a main cause of bee deaths in the first place. In 2006, beekeepers started noticing that bees were abandoning their hives, a phenomenon scientists dubbed Colony Collapse Disorder. Since then, the American bee population has dropped by an average of 30 percent every year,
sending researchers, beekeepers and farmers into a head-scratching frenzy to figure out the cause. Specifically and somewhat narrowly, the disorder is being blamed on mites and viruses. More broadly, researchers say, it’s a symptom of an agricultural
August 2013— Issue 1
T. LOUIS — One of every three bites of food we consume depends on pollination by honeybees, but these overlooked contributors to our food system are continuing to die in stubbornly perplexing ways. Beekeeping groups have held exhaustive conferences. Researchers have organized task forces. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has contributed some of its stretched resources to tracking down the cause of the mysterious deaths, and in a report issued recently, delivered a frustratingly complex answer: Many factors may be responsible, from stress to pesticides. Now agricultural and chemical heavyweights are getting into the mix. Missouri-based Monsanto Co., which two years ago bought an Israeli bee research company, hosted an industry conference on bee health at its headquarters in Creve Coeur last month. Bayer CropScience is building a 5,500-square-foot “bee health center” in
North Carolina, and with fellow chemical giant, Syngenta, has developed a “comprehensive action plan” for bee health. “The beekeeping industry has always crawled on its hands and knees to USDA and universities, begging for help,” said Jerry Hayes, a bee industry veteran recently hired by Monsanto to run its bee research efforts. “Now we have this very large company involved that knows how important bees are to agriculture.” And to the bottom line. Bees pollinate up to $20 billion in American agricultural crops, a number that gets the attention of the industry. Monsanto, for one, owns Seminis, the country’s largest fruit and vegetable seed producer — and many of those seeds depend on bees. Beyond that, Monsanto and its rivals have a financial interest in developing a marketable cure that so far has remained elusive. But as researchers, and now the private sector, puzzle over the issue, some scientists and environmental groups are pointing to a major culprit: The
The Land & Livestock Post
News
See BEES, Page 22
MarkYour Calendars! Special Sections Coming Soon!
The Annual Bull Issue Fall Forage Issue October I (Deadline 9/12) September I (Deadline 8/15) The Annual Ag Directory December II (Deadline 11/28)
JULY
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To reserve Ad Space In Any of These Issues Call or E-mail:
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
News
Getting muddy with used all those oilfield fluids By Kay LedBetter Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Recycled drilling fluids, including muds and liquids, can be applied to surrounding land, but landowners need to know what to do before and after the application to prevent major land damage, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert. Due to the increase in drilling in Texas from the different oil shale formations, the need to recycle drilling fluids through land application has increased, said Sam Feagley, AgriLife Extension state soil environmental specialist in College Station. “There are numerous potential issues associated with land application of these materials,” Feagley said. “If done properly on soils that can accept these types of materials, no detrimental effects should occur. However, if not applied properly, then numerous detrimental effects can occur that can take many years to remediate. “I know money talks, and I’ve been told they will offer anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 per acre to land-apply these materials in Texas,” he said. “But we have a legacy and responsibility for our soils.” Land application can provide a beneficial use of the materials and not be detrimental to the soil, if done properly, Feagley said. Drilling fluids and muds come
from oil and gas exploration, and it is recycled until it cannot be used anymore, he said. But then it needs to be disposed of, and operators turn to landowners who will allow the “sludge” to be spread across their acreage. No two muds are the same, as each operator has a “recipe” for each hole, Feagley said. But most muds will contain bentonite clay, barium sulfate, lime, soda ash, lignite and loss of circulation materials, which can be ground peanut shells, mica, cellophane, walnut shells, cottonseed hulls — things that can be added to the sealing ability of the material. Feagley outlined the pros and cons of land-applying the drilling fluids and muds. The benefits of adding these materials can include reduced compaction in pastures due to tilling will help renovate them; the addition of clay to sandy
See FLUIDS, Page 21
Photo courtesy of www.oklahomafarmreport.com A truck applies used drilling mud to a field in a process that can be beneficial or detrimental to the field. Experts advice caution in deciding whether to allow drilling fluids to be applied to productive fields.
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Published by Bryan-College Station Communications, Inc., P.O. Box 3000, Bryan,Texas 77805. E-mail: thepost@theeagle.com All offices are located at 1729 Briarcrest Drive Bryan,Texas 77802. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Eagle, P.O. Box 3000, Bryan,Texas 77805-3000 The Post is printed in part on recycled paper and is fully recyclable.
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Fluids, from Page 20
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Soil farming with used oilfield fluids in Woodward, Okla. depth to bedrock, water table properties, Feagley advised and frequency of application landowners to get a lawyer and are all parts of the rules and make sure they know the conregulations which govern the tents of the material and their application of both water-based soil. “And be sure to check out and oil-based materials. Feagley said “Land Applica- the company, because there tion of Drilling Fluids: Land- are some that do a good job and owner Considerations” is a some, not so good,” he said. publication that gives more “Good contractors will work details on regulations and con- with you from the beginning to siderations and can be found at the end — that’s from application to three or four years down bit.ly/19kIUnA. Before considering any com- the road when you can see how mitments, whether they are by the crop responds. “And ask questions, always handshake or contract, or on a single property or multiple ask questions.”
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August 2013— Issue 1
any more clay.” The typical contents of the oil-based materials are more petroleum hydrocarbons, not as many dissolved solids as the water-based, calcium carbonate equivalents, which means it has a limiting capability, Feagley said. “So if you have acid soils and you need some limestone, this can help raise your pH a little bit,” he said. The material also can be rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium, depending on the geologic material it is coming from and whatever soil/substrate is being drilled through, Feagley said. If excess sodium and poor drainage are a problem, he said, one of the things to treat with is gypsum. “Once you get the gypsum or calcium sulfate mixed in, it replaces the sodium and reopens the pore space, allowing water to move through and the salts are pushed out,” Feagley said. “But you have to do the gypsum first before you add the water.” Slope, buffer zones, soil texture, electrical conductivity, exchangeable sodium percentage,
soils increases nutrient and water retention; and reusing a waste reduces the amount of materials going into landfills, which is beneficial from a global standpoint. The negatives would be the addition of salts to the soil, the addition of clay to clay soils, any more than three inches applied will kill grass, and the mixture contains very few plant nutrients, he said. It is better to apply only one inch to prevent plant kill. “It can take years to regenerate an area if the material is applied improperly,” Feagley said. “Remediation takes time; it’s not a quick fix to get salts in the soils out.” When considering the possibility of contracting for this service, he said landowners need to evaluate their soils and the drilling fluids “before you ever say to put it out there.” Drilling companies have analyses, but their analyses are designed only to meet the regulations. Landowners will need more information.
“In Texas, sodium is the key,” Feagley said. “You need to determine if the soil will be changed due to salts and clays in a detrimental way.” There are two types of oilfield materials: water-based and oil-based. Most of the time it is water-based that would be applied to the land, he said, and it will have dissolved solids and sodium in it. “Sodium is the major problem we have with using this water,” Feagley said. “When we get a certain amount of sodium in the soil, it has a tendency to disperse the clay and organic particles then seal the pore space in the soil. Instead of having the ability to get water into and through the soil, that first increment of precipitation seals all the pore space and the water doesn’t have any place to go, so we get runoff and eventually erosion.” Another concern is the chloride, which some plants can be sensitive to, he said. Also, the bentonite doesn’t have a lot of nutrients in it, but it adds clay to the soil, “which is good in a sandy soil, but not so much in a clay soil, where you don’t need
The Land & Livestock Post
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C Corrects Soil Acidity Furnishes Available Magnesium and Calcium for Plants and Animals F IIncreases the Efficiency of Fertilizers Aids the Growth of Beneficial Soil Organisms A
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
News Bees, from Page 19 system that relies too heavily on chemicals and monocultures, including the vast swaths of corn and soybeans in the Midwest. While bees, historically, have not foraged on these crops for food, the widespread presence of single crops means fewer dining options for the bees — and that could be leading to weakened immune systems. “We have been systematically eliminating flowers that bees require for nutrition and survival,” explained Marla Spivak, a University of Minnesota entomologist and one of the country’s most prominent bee researchers. “We started using lots of insecticides, necessary because monoculture put out feasts for crop pests. Insecticides are designed to kill insects, which depending on the dose can also kill bees.” The finger, increasingly, is getting pointed at a particular class of insecticides, called neonicotinoids, that have become widely used over the past decade, largely because they are thought to be less toxic to mammals. These neonicotinoids, manufactured by Bayer and Syngenta, are used as seed coatings on most of the corn and
Dozens of beehives sit in the shade at Vinduska Apiaries near Marion, Kan. soybeans planted in the U.S. Most corn and soybean crops grown here contain genetically engineered traits developed by Monsanto — although there is no established link between those traits
Travis Heying/Wichita Eagle/MCT
and bee health. Some recent studies suggest neonicotinoids — by some estimates the most widely used insecticides in the world — are highly toxic to bees.
Published last year, a study by Purdue University found that dead bees that had foraged in and around corn fields contained high levels of neonicotinoid compounds. The study was prompted by massive bee die-offs that happened in the spring, when corn planters were spewing neonicotinoidcontaining dust. “I know, definitively, that there’s a relationship between treated seed and spring die-offs,” said Christian Krupke, the study’s lead author. “It (neonicotinoids) blows out behind the planter and gets in the air, it lands on dandelions. It lands on the bees, even.” While Krupke says there’s no direct link between neonicotinoids and Colony Collapse Disorder, he said, “anything that’s a stressor to bees is a concern now. We know they’re weaker because of it.” The industry, however, flatly denies any link between bee health and the neonicotinoids it produces. “There’s no scientific evidence linking neonics with bee health — period,” said Dave Fischer, director of environmental toxicity and risk assessment at Bayer CropScience. Bayer, he explained, relies heavily
See COLLAPSE, Page 23
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Cattle & Domestic Hog Processing
August 2013— Issue 1
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Marketplace
on bees for pollination, particularly in its canola fields in Canada, where it brings in 70,000 hives a year to pollinate fields. “It would be a poor business model if we were poisoning the bees we depend on,” he noted. The debate over neonicotinoids is likely to get more heated, particularly in the wake of a two-year European Union ban on the compounds, announced on April 29. The vote on the matter was split — with 15 of the 27 EU members voting for the ban. “It’s a controversial subject,” said Gene E. Robinson, director of the Bee Research Facility at the University of Illinois. “Not all studies agree with each other. It’s a subject that bears more scrutiny.” It’s also one that some researchers think is almost unnecessary. While the industry claims the use of neonicotinoids on seeds boosts yields by 6 to 12 bushels an acre, many question that. Krupke has done side-byside field trials to determine whether the seed treatments improve yield. “We have not found any difference in yield or root damage — nothing,” he said. “It doesn’t mean it never works. But it means we certainly don’t need to be putting it on every kernel of corn.” Environmental groups agree, and have called for an EU-style mindset until links are more solidly studied. “Any kind of reasonably cautious approach — given the severity of the problem — would dictate that we should act sooner rather than later,” said Doug Gurian-Sherman, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Washington-based science advocacy group. “And that would be a moratorium on these insecticides, especially since we know they have such negligible impacts on yield.” Neal Bergman remembers a seven-year stretch in the 2000s when crop planes doused cotton fields in the Missouri Bootheel with the insecticide malathion. “They sprayed 400,000 acres of cotton every week,” he said. “It didn’t matter how the wind was blowing or what time of day it was. They sprayed over
people, over animals, over beehives — everything.” For Bergman, who operates the state’s largest bee operation, it was the dousing of beehives, naturally, that worried him most. He says his bee population plummeted, costing him $1 million and almost putting him out of business. Since then, he’s been wary — and working hard to keep his bees alive. He uses several medicines and gives his hives protein supplements. “I don’t think the pollen they get is as good anymore,” Bergman said. “And that’s where they get their protein.” Bergman, echoing many beekeepers, says more coordination is required among farmers so they don’t spray chemicals when the bees are foraging a particular crop. The labels on the chemicals say that farmers shouldn’t apply them when bees are present — but some don’t pay attention, and enforcement is lax. Human behavior, he says, can have a major impact. Indeed, more hobbyist beekeepers in urban and suburban areas have started keeping bees in the hope that they can contribute to a solution. Robert Sears, president of the Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association, says he thinks that there’s a greater awareness of the problem, and that beekeepers are learning to maintain healthy hives with a multi-pronged approach, using medicines and good hive management techniques. “I think the best practices are moving in the direction of using soft chemicals and organic treatments,” he said. “There are also mechanical ways to manipulate hives that don’t involve chemicals.” But time, many worry, is getting short. “These are little creatures, working behind the scenes,” Robinson said. “You don’t know about them until they’re gone.”
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
24
News Beef, from Page 17 erences for metallic are 0.10 percent potassium chloride solution (intensity of 1.5), select strip steak (4.0) and Dole canned pineapple juice (6.0). The flavor reference for green hay is dry parsley (6.0) and for liver-like, it is Braunschweiger liver sausage (10.0). Panel members learn to recognize certain tastes by training on the appropriate lexicon. Sensory panels also identify aromas of various foods by sniffing their volatile gases. There is a separate intensity scale for aromas than used for taste. For example, dry parsley has an aroma intensity of 5.0 and a taste intensity of 6.0. Each taste is defined in the reference book and sample preparation instructions are provided. The definition for green hay is, “brown/green dusty aromatics associated with dry grasses, hay, dry parsley and tea leaves.” “Many different flavor components are found in beef, but most are at low levels.” Miller said. “The most common are beefy, brown/roasted and fatlike. It is assumed that when some of the flavor component levels become too high, the consumer doesn’t like the meat. Often people who regularly eat grass-fed beef think that grain-fed beef is tasteless. Grain-fed beef has flavor, but different components than found in grass-fed beef. Consumers who eat grass-fed beef are not familiar with these tastes.” Grass-fed beef is lower in fat and tends to be more metallic, liver-like and bloody/serumy. It can be more beefy in taste depending upon how it is cooked. Grass-fed beef might have hay and grass flavors and sometimes chemical. Grassfed beef consumers don’t mind these tastes because they are used to them. “But people who primarily eat grain-fed beef may say that they don’t like those tastes, even though they probably can’t recognize the various components contributing to the taste.” Flavor is unique because it is tied to emotion. Miller said that when she is tired and stressed, she wants to go home and cook a pot roast with car-
rots, potatoes and onions. This is her comfort food because it reminds her of home in Colorado on a cold, windy winter day. The pot roast is tied to her emotions as it is associated with calm and comfort. Flavor also is complicated more when you add food concepts to the mix. Beef can be used with other foods and different concepts, such as Tai, barbecue, TexMex, and many others. Beef flavor can be altered through preparation. The method of cooking (grilled, roasted, fried, broiled), length of cooking (rare, medium, well-done) and seasonings all change the flavor of beef. “Feedyards do a good job in removing variability in flavor,” Miller said. “It takes 70 days to alter the flavor of beef, and cattle are usually fed at least that length of time. Beef flavor is standardized by finishing cattle on grain. “Variability can occur in grass-fed beef because each forage species, stage of plant growth, moisture availability, soil type and temperature affect the taste. An example is cattle grazing on forage with high selenium content will transfer the taste to their meat.”
Additional studies
“In the first study we learned to identify the various taste components in beef,” Miller said. “We did a second study in which we identified the chemical drivers responsible for various taste and aroma components of beef. “We just received funding for a third study that will connect the first two studies to the consumer. “We are randomly selecting panels of beef eaters in Houston and Kansas City and at
Photo courtesy of Robert Fears
The type of forage on which cattle such as these in East Texas graze can be a determining factor in the flavor of beef. locations on the East and West coasts. These panels will be fed samples of the same beef prepared by the same methods to determine what they like and what they don’t like. “A few people will be selected from each panel for one-onone interviews in an attempt to better understand their desires for certain flavors. “The objective of this study is to segment beef consumer groups by taste preferences.” Research being conducted by Miller and her peers will aid beef producers in providing the products desired by consumers that will result in more demand.
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
WITH SEASON-LONG CONTROL, YO UR CAT TLE
will look so good
Introducing new LONGRANGE with 100 to 150 days of parasite control in a single dose.1
Nothing else comes close to the control of LONGRANGE.2,5-7* CYDECTIN® (moxidectin) Injectable
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DECTOMAX® (doramectin) Injectable
SMALL INTESTINAL WORM (C. oncophora) SMALL INTESTINAL WORM (C.punctata) STOMACH HAIRWORM
A pasture full of thicker, slicker cattle is a beautiful sight. Get the look with LONGRANGE. Its unique THERAPHASETM Technology gives you 100 to 150 days of parasite control in a single dose.2 Break the parasite life cycle and see the performance benefits all season.3,4 Ask your veterinarian for prescription LONGRANGE.
T H E NE I GH B O R S W IL L STA R E.
BARBER’S POLE WORM NODULAR WORM BROWN STOMACH WORM (O. ostertagi) BROWN STOMACH WORM (O. lyrata) LUNGWORM 0
30
60
90
120
DAYS *SAFE-GUARD® has no demonstrated persistent activity.
For more information, visit
150 Available in 500 mL, 250 mL and 50 mL bottles. Administer subcutaneously at 1 mL/110 lbs.
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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: Do not treat within 48 days of slaughter. Not for use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older, including dry dairy cows, or in veal calves. Post-injection site damage (e.g., granulomas, necrosis) can occur. These reactions have disappeared without treatment. 1
®LONGRANGE and the Cattle Head Logo are registered trademarks, and THERAPHASE is a trademark, of Merial. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. ©2013 Merial Limited, Duluth, GA. RUMIELR1213-E (9/12)
26
Dependent upon parasite species, as referenced in FOI summary and LONGRANGE product label.
LONGRANGE product label. Morley FH, Donald AD. Farm management and systems of helminth control. Vet Parasitol. 1980;6:105-134. 4 Brunsdon RV. Principles of helminth control. Vet Parasitol. 1980;6:185-215 5 CYDECTIN® Injectable product label. 6 DECTOMAX® Injectable product label. 7 SAFE-GUARD® product label. 2 3
From Texas and Oklahoma producers’ perspective: Is it now time to restock? By Deke Alkire Samuel Roberts Nobel Foundation
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Gastrointestinal Roundworms Cooperia oncophora – Adults and L4 Cooperia punctata – Adults and L4 Cooperia surnabada – Adults and L4 Haemonchus placei – Adults Oesophagostomum radiatum – Adults Ostertagia lyrata – Adults Ostertagia ostertagi – Adults, L4, and inhibited L4 Trichostrongylus axei – Adults and L4 Trichostrongylus colubriformis – Adults Parasites Gastrointestinal Roundworms Cooperia oncophora Cooperia punctata Haemonchus placei Oesophagostomum radiatum Ostertagia lyrata Ostertagia ostertagi Trichostrongylus axei Lungworms Dictyocaulus viviparus
Lungworms Dictyocaulus viviparus – Adults Grubs Hypoderma bovis Mites Sarcoptes scabiei var. bovis
Durations of Persistent Effectiveness 100 days 100 days 120 days 120 days 120 days 120 days 100 days
August 2013— Issue 1
normal year. If it turns hot and dry again, I plan to sell out completely. Two years of drought have worn me out, and I don’t plan to do it another year.” • Spring calving herd, Pushmataha County, Okla. “I have always stocked conservatively and that has allowed me to get through the drought with very little culling. I am currently running about 85 percent of my normal stocking rate because I have not kept back many replacements the past two years. “I have had good rains this spring and very abundant volunteer ryegrass. I already have the hay I need to get through winter, and it looks like there is enough moisture for my warmseason grasses. I do not plan to add cows this year, but if the grasses recover like I expect, I will increase my numbers in 2014.”
It is amazing how fast the landscape can change with rain, especially after a drought. Cattle producers are just as resilient. Spring 2013 rains have resulted in green pastures for many and the question on everyone’s mind: Is it time to restock? This decision is difficult and unique to each operation. Cattlemen from Oklahoma and Texas share their thoughts on this topic. • Spring and fall calving herds, Murray County, Okla. “We have had to cull about a third of our cows over the past two years. Prior to the rains in late May, we weaned fall-born calves and culled deeper into our fall cow herd. The cool-season grasses did well this spring, but our native grasses have been slow to take off. Hopefully, we are stocked conservatively enough to allow some pastures to rest and recover. We have kept back quite a few replacement heifers that we plan to add back to the herd, but if our grasses don’t recover, they will be for sale.” • Spring and fall calving herds, Pottawatomie County, Okla. “We are in the process of purchasing cows now. We plan to increase our stocking rate to pre-drought levels. Fall and spring rains have all the ponds full, and cool-season annual grasses were abundant. We had to bale some of the excess forage because our stocking rate has been down the last two years. Our bermudagrass was slower than usual to take off because of the late freezes this spring, but has been getting ahead of the cows. We hope it keeps raining, but we’ll keep a six-month hay supply just in case it turns dry again.” • Spring calving herd, Wise County, Texas “We are really dry here. Our tanks are very low because we have not had any runoff in a long time. We have had a few small rains, and hopefully it will grow enough grass to get by. We are currently running at about half the normal stocking
rate and think we can hold on to them for the rest of this year. If it stays hot and dry, we can always early-wean the calves. Our warm-season grasses really need a growing season of rest so we will not restock until next year at the earliest even if we do catch some rain.” • Spring and fall calving herds, Canadian County, Okla. “I have been able to hold my cow numbers the last two years, but my pastures have paid the price. I have had good moisture this spring, but I don’t have as much grass as usual because drought has weakened the stand and I had to graze harder than I wanted to. I am in the process of culling about 20 percent of my cows, and the majority will come out of the fall herd. I have about three or four months of hay right now which will get me through the winter if we have a
Extended-Release Injectable Parasiticide 5% Sterile Solution NADA 141-327, Approved by FDA for subcutaneous injection For theTreatment and Control of Internal and External Parasites of Cattle on Pasture with Persistent Effectiveness CAUTION: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian. INDICATIONS FOR USE LONGRANGE, when administered at the recommended dose volume of 1 mL per 110 lb (50 kg) body weight, is effective in the treatment and control of 20 species and stages of internal and external parasites of cattle:
The Land & Livestock Post
News
150 days
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION LONGRANGE™ (eprinomectin) should be given only by subcutaneous injection in front of the shoulder at the recommended dosage level of 1 mg eprinomectin per kg body weight (1 mL per 110 lb body weight). WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Withdrawal Periods and ResidueWarnings Animals intended for human consumption must not be slaughtered within 48 days of the last treatment. This drug product is not approved for use in female dairy cattle 20 months of age or older, including dry dairy cows. Use in these cattle may cause drug residues in milk and/or in calves born to these cows. A withdrawal period has not been established for pre-ruminating calves. Do not use in calves to be processed for veal. Animal SafetyWarnings and Precautions The product is likely to cause tissue damage at the site of injection, including possible granulomas and necrosis. These reactions have disappeared without treatment. Local tissue reaction may result in trim loss of edible tissue at slaughter. Observe cattle for injection site reactions. If injection site reactions are suspected, consult your veterinarian.This product is not for intravenous or intramuscular use. Protect product from light. LONGRANGE™ (eprinomectin) has been developed specifically for use in cattle only.This product should not be used in other animal species. When toTreat Cattle with Grubs LONGRANGE effectively controls all stages of cattle grubs. However, proper timing of treatment is important. For the most effective results, cattle should be treated as soon as possible after the end of the heel fly (warble fly) season. Environmental Hazards Not for use in cattle managed in feedlots or under intensive rotational grazing because the environmental impact has not been evaluated for these scenarios. OtherWarnings: Underdosing and/or subtherapeutic concentrations of extended-release anthelmintic products may encourage the development of parasite resistance. It is recommended that parasite resistance be monitored following the use of any anthelmintic with the use of a fecal egg count reduction test program. TARGET ANIMAL SAFETY Clinical studies have demonstrated the wide margin of safety of LONGRANGE™ (eprinomectin). Overdosing at 3 to 5 times the recommended dose resulted in a statistically significant reduction in average weight gain when compared to the group tested at label dose.Treatment-related lesions observed in most cattle administered the product included swelling, hyperemia, or necrosis in the subcutaneous tissue of the skin.The administration of LONGRANGE at 3 times the recommended therapeutic dose had no adverse reproductive effects on beef cows at all stages of breeding or pregnancy or on their calves. Not for use in bulls, as reproductive safety testing has not been conducted in males intended for breeding or actively breeding. Not for use in calves less than 3 months of age because safety testing has not been conducted in calves less than 3 months of age. STORAGE Store at 77° F (25° C) with excursions between 59° and 86° F (15° and 30° C). Protect from light. Made in Canada. Manufactured for Merial Limited, Duluth, GA, USA. ®The Cattle Head Logo is a registered trademark, and ™LONGRANGE is a trademark, of Merial. ©2012 Merial. All rights reserved. 1050-2889-02, Rev. 05/2012
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
News
Drought continues in Texas despite mid-July rains By RoBeRt BuRns Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
All of the state received rain during the third week of July, from 1 inch to 2 inches in most locations, according to the National Weather Service. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service county agent reports indicated there were instances of 6 inches — or even 10 inches — but according to weather service records, amounts more than 4 inches were extremely isolated events. The good news came from the South Plains, Rolling Plains and Panhandle regions where the rains fell slow and steady, allowing the moisture to soak into soils and replenish soil profiles rather than run off. The rain came too late in many areas to save dryland crops such as cotton, but it did come just in time for High Plains corn that was tasseling, allowing irrigators to let wells rest for a few days. The rain also quickly greened up pastures and rangeland and made another cutting of hay a possibility. In the Central and Northern regions, where the drought hasn’t been so severe, the rains mainly improved crop yield-
potentials. Most Coastal Bend counties that border the Gulf Coast and were under extreme drought conditions on July 16, received from 1 inch to 2 inches. The rains created a few minor problems along with the benefits. For example, Corrie Bowen, AgriLife Extension agent for Wharton County, southwest of Houston, noted that the rains, from 1 inch or less, not only slowed corn harvesting but caused some seed sprouting. The rains continued the wetterweather trend that started in mid-June. According to the weather service, many parts of the state have received totals of 4 to 8 inches or even more from mid-June to mid-July. Despite the rains, drought still reigns in Texas. According to the July 16 U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 94 percent of the state remained under moderate to extreme drought conditions. More information on the current Texas drought and wildfire alerts can be found on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Drought Task Force website at cont/drought/. AgriLife Extension district reporters
compiled the following summaries for the week of July 16 – 22: Southeast — Soil-moisture levels ranged from short to adequate. Corn and rice were in fair to good condition. Soybeans were fair to excellent, with most fields reported as good. Cotton was in fair condition. Rangeland and pastures were in fair to excellent condition, with most counties reporting good condition. Most counties received rain, from as little as 0.5 inch to as much as 4 inches, with 2 inches being common. The rains greatly helped crops and pastures, though cloudy, cooler weather held back hay production in some areas.
Central — The region received from 3.5 to 6 inches of rain. Pastures greened up because of the rain and warm days. Corn and sorghum harvests were delayed by the rains. Prussic acid poisoning was reported from Johnson grass and Sudan grass. Cotton needed the rain badly and improved. Hay producers expected to get another cutting because of the rain. CoastalBend—Much-neededrainbrought relief from the heat and drought.The rain halted the corn harvest for a couple of days. The rain may have come in time to benefit cotton and sesame. Soybeans were filling pods. Pastures showed some improvement, but ponds remained low or dry in many areas. Livestock producers were still feeding, with some having to buy hay. East — Most counties received rain, with the average being about 3 inches, though some western and southern areas received as much as 10 inches. Anderson County corn was doing well with the harvest expected in two weeks. Cotton was flowering. Hay production prospects improved where there was rain. Producers continued weed control. Grasshoppers were still plaguing forages. Pond and creek levels improved. Livestock were in good condition. Producers were marketing spring calves. Farmers continued harvesting fruits and vegetables. Feral hogs continued to cause damage.
September: Sept. 5 - Jordan Cattle Auction Stocker-Feeder & Premium
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Sept 26 - Jordan Cattle Auction Special Stocker & Feeder Sale. San Saba, TX
Sept. 27 – Real Estate Auction. Jourdanton, TX. 979-885-
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Sept. 28 - Live Oak BBA Fall Sale. Three Rivers, TX Sept. 28 - Live Oak BBA Fall Sale. Three Rivers, TX
Aug. 19 Jordan Cattle Auction Special Stocker & Feeder Sale, Mason, TX
Aug. 24 - Jordan Cattle Auction Special Replacement Female Sale Featuring Deep Creek,. San Saba, TX
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Do you have a sale or event you’d like listed? Call Jesse Wright at (979) 731-4721 or email jesse.wright@theeagle.com
The Land & Livestock Post
August 2013— Issue 1
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The Land & Livestock Post August 2013— Issue 1
30
News
Understanding the Y of bull fertility critical to the herd By Matthew Swayne Special to The Post
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Y chromosomes of cattle have more genes and are more active than the Y chromosomes of other mammals, according to researchers. This discovery may help biologists better understand how cattle and other mammals evolved, as well as help animal breeders and farmers better maintain and enhance fertility in the cattle industry, said Wansheng Liu, associate professor of animal genomics at Penn State. “Low fertility is a big problem WANSHENG LIU for the dairy and beef industry,” Liu said. “In the past 60 years, we paid more attention to milk, or beef production as a sign of herd success, but even as milk production goes up, the animal’s fertility goes down, which means it’s time to pay more attention to male fertility now.” The researchers identified 1,274 genes in the male specific region of the bovine Y chromosome, compared to the 31 to 78 genes associated in the Y chromosomes of various primates. Theyalsosaidthegenesinthebovine Y chromosome were much more transcriptionally active compared to other mammals. Transcription is the first step of gene expression when DNA is copied. In this process, the cell produces messenger RNA that copies the genetic information from the cell nucleus to serve as a template for protein synthesis. In addition to the 1,274 genes that take part in coding proteins, researchers also identified 375 novel noncoding gene families on the bovine Y chromosome, which are predominantly expressed in different stages of the testis. Most researchers believed that the Y chromosome of cattle would be similar to the Y chromosome of other mammals, which does not have a large number of genes and is considered mostly transcriptionally inactive, Liu said. Currently, the gene content and transcription pattern of the bovine Y chromosome is the only non-primate Y chromosome that researchers have studied in depth, according to Liu.
“These findings directly contradict the traditional view that the Y is largely heterochromatic with a paucity of genes and transcription activity,” said the researchers, who released their findings in the current online issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The X and Y sex chromosome in most mammals began to diverge after 160 million years of evolution. Genetic isolation and lineage-specific evolution, however, resulted in the unique structure of the bovine Y chromosome, which determines the gene content and transcriptional activity of the Y chromosome among cattle, according to Liu. With little knowledge of the roles that the Y chromosome genes play in fertility, most animal breeders and farmers select bulls based on physical characteristics, such as the size of the testis. Because the Y chromosome is present in males only, the Ylinked testis genes that govern male fertility are passed directly through the male line. Understanding genetic diversity may give farmers another tool for managing their herds
Photo by Patrick Mansell This bull is one of nearly 200 head of Angus and crossbred cattle housed at a breeding facility on Penn State’s University Park campus, part of the College of Agricultural Sciences Animal Science Department. to improve male fertility, Liu said. The lineage of most of the bulls in current Holstein herds, for example, can be traced back more than a hundred years to just a few bulls, said Liu, who worked with Ti-Cheng Chang and Yang Yang, both former post-doctoral fellows in animal science at Penn State, and the late Ernest Retzel of the National Center for Genome Re-
sources. The potential impact of a limited number of bulls on fertility and the surviving of the breed has not been investigated. “We can begin to understand the Y chromosome variation among male lineages in a cattle
breed,” Liu said. “And, also, we can better understand how we can maintain genetic diversity in males, particularly in a breed, such as Holsteins, that has been extensively selected and is almost all based on artificial insemination in reproduction.” The researchers analyzed the expression of the entire Ylinked genes as the bull aged, beginning soon after the bull’s birth, during puberty and then again after the bull matured. They analyzed complimentary DNA from the bull testis. Complimentary DNA is a form of DNA that is synthesized from a messenger RNA template “The bovine genome sequence was published in 2009,” said Liu. “As that genome sequence was from a female, the findings of the bovine Y chromosome study is a significant contribution to the completion of the bovine — male and female — genome project.” The United States Department of Agriculture supported this work.
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10 Acres 1406 FM 1940 Franklin 1,600 sq. ft. Home Built in 2007 with Metal Frame, Roof and Siding, 3 bed, 2 bath, foam insulation, full length porches, detached 36’x24’ garage/shop 39’x24’ storage shed, Mostly wooded, small pond, Franklin ISD $218,000
CALDWELL LIVESTOCK COMMISSION
2 Ac, 1152 McNutt Rd, Franklin 2,683 sq.ft., stone home built 2002, 4 bed, 2 bath in primary residence, metal roof large covered porch.,attached 575 sq, ft. 1bed/1bath apartment, and detached 750 sq. ft . building with full bath all with central HV&A/C, Frankin ISD
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62 Ac, 1114 LCR 705, Kosse 75 Ac., Walnut Cemetery Rd, Bremond 3,091 sq. ft., 4 bed, 2.5 bath, brick home built in 2004, (2) fpl, granite counters, formal dining, metal roof, 75/25 Bermuda pasture/wooded, X-fenced, pond, creek, 100’x75’ metal barn w/office & bath, tack room, water well; Bremond ISD; $795,000
2,000 sq. ft., 3 bed, 2 bath, 30/70 wooded, improved hay pasture, pond, live creek, fenced, GISD $3,205/Ac
94 Ac, FM 2446, Franklin 15/85 wooded/open, 914 ft. rd. frontage, 2 ponds, Elect & RCW available, FISD $3,450 per ac
99.81 Ac, Hanhart Rd., Franklin
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4 Ac and/or 21, Dunn Rd., Bremond 4 ac, water & electric available, 35’x40’ metal barn w/loft storage, BISD; $39,900 (adjacent 21 ac available for purchase $79,999)
60/40 wooded/coastal Bermuda, new fence on front 1/3, live creek, marsh, small pond, electricity & metered water,1,675 ft. Rd. frontage; Franklin ISD; $,3650 per acre
282 Ac, Little MS Cemetery Rd, Franklin
Hwy 36 South, P.O. Box 542, Caldwell, TX 77836 Sale Barn Phone: (979) 567-4119
26 Ac, FM 1940, Franklin 50/50 wooded & rolling terrain, road frontage on 2 sides, several homesites, water meter, elect. 100% surface rights convey; FISD; $194,500
to be divided into two tracts of 112, 170; lots of CR Rd. frontage; electricity, RC water, wooded & coastal, water wells, 50% new fence, 3 bed, 2 bath brick home on 170 ac tract; Franklin ISD; $3,496/ac
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Quality and Integrity at Prices You Can Afford.
 August 2013— Issue 1
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The Land & Livestock Post  August 2013— Issue 1
Serving Agriculture Since 1943 z Livestock Feed/Nutrition Services z Handling Equipment
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