Technical information

General

Dehorning best practice

In 2007, MLA produced a booklet entitled “A guide to best practice husbandry in beef cattle – branding, castrating and dehorning.” It is authored by Ross Newman and is very well put together with appropriate photos and diagrams.

Johne’s Disease - a sinister herd problem

Johne’s disease (JD) is caused by a bacterium (mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis) which slowly but progressively infects domestic and non domestic ruminants. JD is a serious disease to the grazing industries since it can reduce profits, increase social costs and introduce negative animal welfare issues.

Electrical Stimulation

Electrical stimulation (ES) of beef carcases has been shown to increase meat tenderness. But studies funded by the former Meat Research Corporation (MRC) found that the technique was not a “fix” in itself. It was a management tool that must be used properly and in conjunction with other slaughter floor and chilling procedures to deliver consistent tenderness.

Stringhalt in Cattle

A practical problem for any stud breeder irrespective of breed is to deal with inherited faults in cattle. A further challenge is to correct suspected inherited faults which only become evident due to a combination of factors.

How to interpret accuracy of EBVs

By definition EBVs are an estimate. That is; they are Estimated Breeding Values. For this reason an accuracy value is presented with every EBV and gives an indication of the amount of information that has been used in the calculation of that EBV.

Poor Sucking Reflex

The inability of some calves to suckle has been observed by many breeders. Studies (USA) suggest that as much as 30% of post partum sucking problems are due to the lack of an instinctive ability to suck which if unattended leads to death.

Australian Beef Genetics

Australia’s registered beef cattle seedstock industry has been on a serious slide for the past 13 years. In 2003 registrations hit their lowest point in the last two decades. Figure 1 shows a graph of registrations since 1990. The loss of registrations has been 28.3% in 13 years. Unfortunately, these statistics project an image of an industry rushing towards obsolescence.

Needles don't go on vaccine guns any-old-how

A needle is a pipe cut at an angle with razor sharp leading edges. The objective when vaccinating is to get the opening of the needle resting between the skin and underlying tissues. This is achieved by orientating the needle so that at entry at about 45° to the skin, THE BEVEL IS PARALLEL WITH THE SKIN.

Groundbreaking on-property project delivers results

One of Australia’s largest and most comprehensive on-property R&D projects hosted its final field day on 8 August.

Unravelling some of the “genome” technology

On the surface, cattle breeding still happens the same as it always has. However, the tools available to the producer making the critical decisions today have never been more complex. With advances in genetic technologies, you will have heard terms used and wondered about their meaning and application to your decisions in setting breeding objectives. Let’s make an attempt at unravelling the “barbed-wire” surrounding the genetic make up of an animal that has some similarities to the two strands of wire that frequently coil up at some time in a fencing career!

Stocking rates, productivity and profitability

We often hear the saying, ‘more cattle means more money’. But is this always the case? At Grazing Land Management and Nutrition EDGE workshops many producers have described how they have improved profitability by using conservative stocking rates.