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an absolute minimum. But stress free does not mean life in a vacuum.
Cattle handling is still a physical act, so practicality cannot be ignored.
Pressure is needed to create movement, but it is important to know
when to use it and when to release it.
Ron Gill, program leader for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service
said, “Just getting them to move and do what you want them to do,
that’s stockmanship. But when I take stockmanship to the next level
and use that to actually manage the psychology and well-being of an
animal, that’s low-stress handling. Use the right pressure at the right
time and make sure they have a place to go.”
Cattle will display their own emotional states and all interactions
with handlers will affect stress levels and health status. They will
remember both positive and negative situations and react accordingly.
JAN 14, 2020
The compartment of the necessities of life
Sale hosted by Limousin365.com
Sale Opens: JAN 13, Noon CST
Sale Closes: JAN 14, 6 p.m. CST
Featuring hand-selected bulls from
Limousin breeders exhibiting bulls at the
National Western Stock Show Show.
Every bull offered will be on display in the Yards.
SALE TEAM:
KILEY MCKINNA KEN HOLLOWAY
(402) 350-3447 (580) 581-7652
MARK SMITH
(515) 229-5227
RANDY RATLIFF
(615) 330-2735
2020 NWSS LIMOUSIN SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11
7:00 p.m. Magness Mile-High Elite Female Sale
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12
5:00 p.m. National Limousin Sale
MONDAY, JANUARY 13
7:30 a.m. Annual Meeting
6:00 p.m. Membership Banquet & Genetics on Ice Auction
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14
9:00 a.m. Junior Limousin & Lim-Flex® Shows
1:00 p.m. National Limousin MOE Show
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15
9:00 a.m Limousin & Lim-Flex Pen & Carload Shows
Lastly, the compartment containing the delivery of the necessities
of life including vaccinations, parasite control and humane castration
is extremely important when striving for health management.
Vaccinations do not provide 100 percent protection, but they do
increase the level of herd immunity and the level of disease resistance
in individual animals.
“Vaccination continues to be one of the most important
management tools in the fight against infectious disease,” said Gerald
Stokka, Associate Professor at North Dakota State University and
Timothy Goldsmith, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University
of Minnesota, in a combined research study. “As such, it is imperative
that veterinarians are involved in the recommendation of the
administration and use of efficacious vaccines, resulting in the desired
protective immune response.”
Both producers and consumers derive benefits from providing the
necessities of life for cattle including proper castration techniques. In
a perfect world, this procedure would be done as soon as possible after
calves ingest a bellyful of colostrum. Studies have shown that calves
castrated as young as 24 hours of age show a reduced stress level and
lower rates of sickness. Ease of the procedures is also greatly enhanced
by managing a newborn in comparison to an older, stronger animal.
Beyond reducing sexual activity and reproduction, bulls are naturally
aggressive and as such castration is necessary for the welfare of the
herd and the protection of those that work with them.
The large picture of overall health management can be broken
down and profitably realized by paying attention to the individual
compartments of feed, water and nutrients, protection from the
environment, stress free conditions and life’s necessities. When
combined with the technical expertise of veterinarians, nutritionists
and feed company specialists, overall health management can become
a reality for all operations.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bruce Derksen has worked in Western
Canada’s ranching and feedlot industry for more than 30 years. In
his spare time, he writes about present day agriculture related topics,
hoping to give today’s producers as much up to date information
about the future of the industry as possible.
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• JANUARY 2020