Have You Herd? AABP PodCasts

Latest Episodes:

Cattle Fever Ticks May 16, 2022

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP member Dr. Dee Ellis, a veterinarian at Texas A&M University and who was previously the Texas state veterinarian. Ellis discusses the Texas Cattle Fever tick, species Rhipicephalus microplus and R. annulatus.
He describes the history of the tick control program, which dates from more than 150 years ago with the quarantine zone in south Texas established in 1943. Currently, more than 1 million acres are in the quarantine zone. The fever tick spreads the disease babesiosis which can cause severe disease in adult cattle with up to 90% mortality in naïve cattle. Calves have an innate immunity resulting in mild disease; however, recovered calves can have up to 50 pounds less weight at weaning. We discuss treatment options for cattle infested with the ticks which includes dipping with an organophosphate product or injectable avermectin products. Wildlife vectors remain a challenge and Ellis discusses management of wildlife and treatment of wildlife in pastures where cattle are raised. Ellis also reviews a recent research project that looked at varying doses of eprinomectin to establish if a longer treatment interval would control the ticks on exposed cattle. The results of the study found that Long Range® at the label dose will have a residual effect on preventing tick infestation by up to 123 days, and doubling the dose extends the effect up to 145 days after the last treatment. Research for controlling and treating the ticks is need which includes a better understanding of diagnostic methods for infested pastures, wildlife treatment options, biologic control agents and vaccines against babesiosis and the tick vector.

LINKS:

Texas A&M University Department of Entomology Resource
https://entomology.tamu.edu/extension/cattle-fever-tick-information/

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Resource:
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/solutions/cattle-fever-tick/

USDA Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/tick/downloads/bro-cft-treatment-options.pdf

Minimize rumen acidosis with Mega e sponsored by Lactipro May 09, 2022

Show notes

This edition of “Have you Herd” is sponsored by Lactipro. Lactipro harnesses the power of Mega e, a superior lactic acid utilizer, enabling beef and dairy producers to support healthy rumen function. Lactipro places a large number of Mega e into its native environment, the rumen, where it immediately begins targeting lactic acid. To learn more about the science behind Lactipro, visit https://msbiotec.com/lactipro. Our guest is Dr. Jane Leedle, a ruminant microbiologist. Leedle discusses her background and interest in environmental contamination research which led to her research in anaerobic bacteria and water quality. She eventually developed an interest in the cow’s rumen due to her research in anaerobic bacterial environments. We discuss the products of ruminant fermentation, known as volatile fatty acids, and the impact to the rumen microbiome in animals that are experiencing acute or sub-acute rumen acidosis due to higher concentrations of starches and grain in fed cattle and dairy cattle diets. Leedle reminds us that lactic acid is 10 times more acidic than acetate, butyrate and proprionate which will lead to a reduction in pH along the entire GI tract and changes in the microbiome to lactic acid utilizers. Megaspheara elsdenii is an indigenous organism that utilizes lactic acid. This is an FDA approved direct fed microbial (DFM) that can be utilized to mitigate the effects of lactic acid production in high-concentrate diets. The discovery of the NCIMB 41125 strain of Mega e allowed for the commercial production of the bacteria that can be inoculated into the rumen to provide a substrate of bacteria to step-up cattle to higher concentrate diets and allow for conversion of lactic acid to butyrate. Learn more about the role of Megaspheara elsdenii as a direct-fed microbial by visiting the links below.

Links:

MS BIOTECH – https://msbiotec.com/lactipro

Chen L, Shen Y, Wang C, Ding L, Zhao F, Wang M, Fu J, Wang H. Megasphaera elsdenii Lactate Degradation Pattern Shifts in Rumen Acidosis Models. Front Microbiol. 2019 Feb 7;10:162. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00162\

Arik HD, Gulsen N, Hayirli A, Alatas MS. Efficacy of Megasphaera elsdenii inoculation in subacute ruminal acidosis in cattle. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2019 Mar;103(2):416-426. doi:10.1111/jpn.13034.

DeClerck JC, Wade ZE, Reeves NR, Miller MF, Johnson BJ, Ducharme GA, Rathmann RJ. Influence of Megasphaera elsdenii and feeding strategies on feedlot performance, compositional growth, and carcass parameters of early weaned, beef calves. Transl Anim Sci. 2020 Mar 17;4(2):txaa031. doi:10.1093/tas/txaa031.

Rural veterinarian shortage, recruitment and retention May 02, 2022

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Brad White from the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University. White is also the chair of the AABP Veterinary Practice Sustainability Committee. In this episode, we discuss studies and surveys on the topic of rural food animal or mixed animal veterinarians, shortage situations, job outlook and factors that impact recruitment and retention of veterinarians in cattle practice. According to AVMA data, less than 10% of veterinarians in the U.S. are employed in food animal practice in some capacity. A survey of Kansas cow-calf producers revealed that 60% of the producers felt there was a shortage of veterinarians, even if a veterinarian was in their county. We also discuss the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas (VTPRK) which has resulted in retention of 80% of participants in food animal practice. Dr. Gabrielle Gilliam published a study in The Bovine Practitioner which evaluated factors that influence administrative personnel and veterinarian turnover and compensation packages. Relationships with colleagues, clients and owners, adequate feedback, a marketing plan, frequency of meetings and adequate time away from work were all factors that positively impacted job satisfaction and retention. Veterinary practice owners should have a long-range plan for recruiting veterinarians to their practice, which can include externships, adequate mentorship and feedback, comparable compensation packages and soliciting feedback from students to ensure their job offers are consistent with associate veterinarian needs. Gingrich suggests that practice owners and future owners should consider attending the AABP Manage Your Rural Practice for Success workshop series, which will be held October 27-29, 2022 in Ashland, Ohio.

Links:

Gilliam, G., White, B., & Dodd, C. C. (2021). Factors influencing administrative personnel and veterinarian turnover and compensation packages in rural mixed-animal practices over a 5-year period . The Bovine Practitioner, 55(2), 108-114. https://doi.org/10.21423/bovine-vol55no2p108-114

A survey to identify factors associated with veterinarian and administrative staff turnover in rural veterinary practices, Proceedings of the 2020 AABP Annual Conference.

AABP Manage Your Rural Practice for Success workshop registration

Post your student externship program at this link.

Dairy veterinary practice in the southwest US Apr 25, 2022

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by recent graduate AABP member Dr. Katie Gutierrez , to talk about dairy veterinary practice. Gutierrez is a 2015 graduate of Washington State University and returned to New Mexico and eventually become a partner in Bovine Veterinary Alliance in Clovis, N.M. We discuss some of the unique characteristics of working with large dairy operations and calf ranches in the southwest U.S. and how she works with the employees on these operations to manage the care of their cattle. Gutierrez also has utilized many AABP resources such as participating in the practice management workshops to improve business management, and attending AABP recent graduate conferences to obtain CE and network with peers. We also discuss her perspectives on women in dairy practice, mentorship and recruitment and retention of veterinarians in rural bovine practice. She also discusses how she manages being a busy dairy practice owner and being a mom as well as how her practice has managed maternity leave.

Are you interested in taking the AABP Manage Your Rural Practice for Success seminar? Find out more information and register for the seminar at this link.

Use of industrial hemp in cattle Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

In this episode, AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Mike Kleinhenz and Dr. Hans Coetzee to discuss the potential uses of industrial hemp in cattle. Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) contains many bioactive phytocannabinoids but is less than 0.3% THC which is the psychoactive cannabinoid found in marijuana. There is little research on the use of cannabis in cattle and today we discuss recent research published by Kleinhenz and Coetzee which was funded by the UDSA. The first study investigated the pharmacokinetics of cannabidiolic acid (CBDa) when fed to cattle at a specific dose. The results of this study demonstrated that CBDa was absorbed from the rumen and had a half-life of 14 hours. This research could be used to establish a withdrawal interval for cattle fed industrial hemp. We also discuss another study that evaluated lying behavior and biomarkers of stress and inflammation after feeding industrial hemp for 14 days. The results of this study demonstrated a significant difference in lying time, reduction in cortisol and a reduction in prostaglandin-E. These results indicate that industrial hemp may be useful as a treatment during times of stress, such as weaning, transportation, calving or arrival to feedyards. The last study discussed investigated the nutrient composition of industrial hemp and the various parts of the plant. This study demonstrated that industrial hemp and byproducts of the hemp industry may be useful as cattle feed, similar to other forages and byproducts we use to turn forages into high quality beef and dairy protein. Kleinhenz and Coetzee discuss that further research is needed in this area to evaluate the application of industrial hemp in cattle production systems.

Publications:

Kleinhenz, M.D., Magnin, G., Lin, Z. et al. Plasma concentrations of eleven cannabinoids in cattle following oral administration of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa). Sci Rep 10, 12753 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69768-4

Kleinhenz, M.D., Weeder, M., Montgomery, S. et al. Short term feeding of industrial hemp with a high cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) content increases lying behavior and reduces biomarkers of stress and inflammation in Holstein steers. Sci Rep 12, 3683 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07795-z

Michael D. Kleinhenz, Geraldine Magnin, Stee M. Ensley, Jason J. Griffin, John Goeser, Eva Lynch, Johann F. Coetzee, Nutrient concentrations, digestibility, and cannabinoid concentrations of industrial hemp plant components, Applied Animal Science, Volume 36, Issue 4, 2020, Pages 489-494, ISSN 2590-2865, https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2020-02018

Impact of meloxicam on respiratory virus titers and health outcomes when administered concurrently with a modified live respiratory vaccine in abruptly weaned beef calves Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Homerosky to discuss a research project that was funded by the AABP Foundation through the Competitive Research Grant program. Her purpose in conducting this research trial was to investigate if administration of meloxicam on arrival to calves would decrease their ability to respond to a viral vaccine. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of meloxicam on vaccination response and health outcomes on a larger scale in a field setting. Calves enrolled in the study were from commercial farms in Alberta, Canada and were abruptly weaned and transported to the feedlot. Calves were randomly allotted to a control group which received a saline injection and a treatment group which received a commercial injectable meloxicam product. Antibody titers to BHV-1, BRSV, BPIV-3 and BCV were measured on arrival, day 7 and day 21. There was no statistical difference in titer response by treatment groups. Health outcomes demonstrated a numerical difference, but no statistical difference between treatment groups with four animals in the meloxicam-treated group pulled for BRD treatment. Homerosky discussed the challenges she identified in her study with the smaller treatment groups and low frequency of BRD in identifying a difference between the treatment groups, suggesting that more research is needed. The take-home message from her study demonstrated that administering meloxicam to calves on arrival concurrently with administration of a modified-live respiratory viral vaccine does not impact antibody titer response to the vaccine. We also discuss the importance of the AABP Foundation in funding clinically relevant research for cattle veterinarians to use in their practice. We challenge listeners to donate to the Foundation to continue to support our efforts in funding this research.

To donate to the AABP Foundation, visit this link. Projects that were funded by the Foundation through the Competitive Research Grants can be found on this page which includes links to publications and AABP conference presentations for completed projects.

Homerosky, Elizabeth R., Michael J. Jelinski, and Craig Dorin. "Impact of meloxicam on respiratory virus titers and health outcomes when administered concurrently with a modified live respiratory vaccine in abruptly weaned beef steers." Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 85.2 (2021): 101-105. https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/cvma/cjvr/2021/00000085/00000002/art00003

Just a signature, Doc Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

How can veterinarians assist dairy farmers from only requesting a signature on the VCPR form in the FARM program to developing a culture of continuous improvement? In this episode, AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP member Dr. Corale Dorn to discuss the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program. Dorn discusses how she has implemented the tenets of the FARM program and included it as part of her billable services valued by her clients. Dorn graduated from Iowa State University in 2001 and is the owner of Dells Veterinary Services in Dell Rapids, S.D. Find out information about her practice at this link. Dorn offers tips about completing the various checklists of the FARM program including identifying training opportunities during routine farm visits such as fresh cow protocols, euthanasia protocols, milking procedures and sick cow protocols and keeping the forms in your truck to sign off on them and include in the binder that is used by evaluators to ensure training is completed and protocols are updated. Dorn utilizes her team to assist with the services her practice provides to dairy and beef clients. She recommends veterinarians start with small bites and implement portions of the program during various times of the year and suggests that veterinarians consider becoming a second-party evaluator, so they are familiar with the audit process. She also discusses three models of charging for this service and incorporating it into your routine preventive medicine programs. By incorporating these protocols and procedures into your practice, veterinarians can move the FARM program beyond “just the signature”.

Find out information about the NMPF FARM Program at this link. Resources that can be used by veterinarians and producers can be found in the FARM resource library found here.

AABP Guidelines and Position statements are used by NMPF FARM program and can be found under the About menu of the AABP website at this link.

Beef Calf Vigor Assessment Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Homerosky to discuss her research project on identifying calves at risk for not consuming colostrum within 4 hours of birth with the development of the Beef Calf Vigor Assessment (BCVA). Homerosky is the 2021 recipient of the AABP James A. Jarrett Award for Young Leaders and a partner at Veterinary Agri-Health Services in Alberta. Find out about their practice and student opportunities at this link. Homerosky discusses the challenges of identifying calves at risk in beef production systems, especially cattle on open range. A study from Waldner and Rosengren of the University of Saskatchewan, suggests that for optimal passive transfer, calves need 24 g/L of serum IgG and approximately 1/3 of beef calves do not achieve this optimal level of IgG. It can be difficult to assess passive transfer in beef calves versus dairy calves due to the differences in management systems. Homerosky explains that concentration of immunoglobulins in beef cattle is not considered a major risk factor, however, timing of colostrum consumption is critical for passive transfer in beef calves since we rely on the maternal-neonatal bond to allow for nursing within 4-hours. The BCVA is a practical and producer friendly tool that clients can use to identify at-risk calves. The APGAR scoring system used in human neonates has not been found to have a high association with outcomes of interest. In her study, Homerosky identified that the suckle reflex was highly associated with disturbances in blood gas abnormalities and failure of passive transfer. Adding calving ease into the algorithm and applying the BCVA to all calvings will improve the ability to identify at-risk calves. Veterinarians are encouraged to work with their beef producers to identify at-risk calves using the BCVA and providing protocols for interventions when indicated.

Relevant publications:

Homerosky, E. R., et al. "Clinical indicators of blood gas disturbances, elevated L-lactate concentration and other abnormal blood parameters in newborn beef calves." The Veterinary Journal 219 (2017): 49-57.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.12.001

Homerosky, E. R., et al. "Predictors and impacts of colostrum consumption by 4 h after birth in newborn beef calves." The Veterinary Journal 228 (2017):1-6.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2017.09.003

Waldner, C.L. and Rosengren, L.B., “Factors associated with serum immunoglobulin levels in beef calves from Alberta and Saskatchewan and association between passive transfer and health outcomes.” Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 2009; 50:275-281

What's on Dr. Jones' Mind? Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

This episode of Have You Herd? is the audio recording of the closing presentation from the 5th Annual AABP Recent Graduate Conference held Feb. 18-19 in New Orleans, La. The program committee charged Dr. Meredyth Jones to develop a final message to the attendees. Jones starts her presentation by discussing a difficult time she had during an early stage of her career and how she was supported by the veterinary clinic owner who was also her father. She then asked her audience to participate in Slido polls. The results of the polls showed that 60% of those in attendance said that they came to the conference feeling run down. She also asked if attendees frequently worry that when they go into work, they will face something they cannot handle, and 58% of respondents replied yes. Jones then revealed to the audience that she contacted their employers to ask them how they felt about their recent graduate veterinarians and revealed those answers. Jones reminded the audience that “your value has nothing to do with how you feel.” She asked them “how would you carry yourself and conduct yourself if you knew you were profoundly impactful?” which was the theme of the conference. Her final message to the AABP recent graduate members, from the older members in the audience, was “we are proud of you!”

#profoundlyimpactful

The future of the dairy industry Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

“It is reasonable to ask, what is a fundamentally good idea to do with a farm, and dairy foods fit this idea.” Dr. Bill Wavrin was one of the keynote speakers at the 5th AABP Recent Graduate Conference in New Orleans, La., and delivered this message to our attendees. Wavrin is a veterinarian and a dairy producer in Washington. In this episode, he discusses his thoughts on the future of the dairy industry with AABP President Dr. Pat Gorden and AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich. Wavrin reminds us that although fluid milk consumption has declined, the commercial disappearance of dairy is increased due to consumption of non-fluid dairy products as well as increases in exports. He discusses that we used to export the milk from 1 out of 100 cows, and now we are exporting the milk from 1 out of 6 cows which has a tremendous impact on the price of dairy commodities. Wavrin states that the dairy industry does have an environmental impact, however, we are interested in decreasing this impact. Dairy utilizes the entire plant instead of only the fruit of the plant, and we should compare environmental impact to protein production. Dairy produces 16% of human protein intake and contributes only 1.3% of CO2 equivalents. We discuss the four sources of these greenhouse gases on the dairy which include fermentation, manure handling, energy inputs and feed. We close our conversation with a discussion of the importance of the clinical research projects that are supported by the AABP Foundation. As a veterinarian and producer, Wavrin states his views on the importance of this research to continually improve the dairy industry to be competitive in the protein market. He is a generous supporter of the Foundation research projects and encourages other members to support the Foundation as well. If you would like to make a donation to the Foundation, please join him by visiting this page. View the 2021 Foundation Annual Report at this link.

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