health & disease

Foot-and-mouth disease, not to be confused with hand, foot and mouth disease, is a virus that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, sheep, and pigs. Foot-and-mouth disease is a serious animal disease but it does not affect food safety.



Unfortunately, many consumers are not aware of the disease until there is an outbreak. When surveyed, 69% of consumers say people can get FMD from infected meat, and many confuse FMD with bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE. FMD cannot be spread to humans through meat consumption and FMD is not related to BSE.



To help better prepare the animal agriculture industry before outbreaks occur, Dairy Management Inc., The Pork Checkoff, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association are working together to provide producers with the tools to help inform and educate consumers that FMD is not a threat to people and does not affect the safety of meat or milk. This presentation by Cindy Cunningham, Assistant VP of Communications, National Pork Board, shares the current state of the Cross Species FMD Communications Team. From 2011 Annual Conference of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, April 11 - 14, San Antonio, TX USA.

Cows are considered the largest producer of methane globally, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has reports stating "The livestock sector is a major player, responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in [carbon dioxide] equivalent."

Reduction of methane produced by cows has long been thought to be a key green house gas reduction activity. Recently, Wageningen University researcher Van Zijderveld discovered that nitrate and sulphate additives in feed help reduce methane production in cow stomachs.

If their feed contains a small percentage of these substances the amount of this powerful greenhouse gas produced by sheep is halved, research by Sander van Zijderveld has shown.

While the research is in its early stages, there is potential to reduce methane production 16 to 30 percent.

The intro note is short this week: Trent and his wife, Karen, are starting on a new venture with the birth of their son, Silas Arthur. Please feel free to send wishes and notes via Feedback@BeefCast.com.

As the temperature continues to heat up, it is not only more difficult for you and I to perform but also our cattle. Heat stress is a very serious concern and can rob cattlemen of substantial amounts of revenue. The loses can come in the form of diminished performance in the feedyard or reproductive loses in the pasture. Whichever may affect your cattle most, it is critically important to properly diagnose and treat heat stress in your herd.

BeefCast 0490 Show Notes:

• Today we learn how to properly and accurately diagnose heat stress with Dr. Larry Hollis, cattle veterinarian at Kansas State University.
• Heat Stress Chart