Recent Issues

SHEEP FEEDLOTS | DR JARRED MORRIS BVSc MSc (Agric)

April 27, 2024

Introduction Sheep feedlots represent a specialized and efficient system of raising weaner lambs for meat production in an intensive environment. Lambs are placed into feedlot pens, where they are fed a carefully formulated ration to optimize feedlot performance. Average daily gain, average daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio and carcass parameters should be measured. Due […]

SAVE THE DATE | FEEDLOT INFORMATION DAY | 19 JULY 2024

April 22, 2024

Ringworm

September 4, 2023

Do your calves have these strange hairless circular spots? It is a ringworm.Are you saying you get worms found in the skin? No, not to worry because ringworm is a fungal infection of the hair and surface layers of the skin. So, is it of much importance? Ringworm causes economic losses by affecting growth rates, especially […]

Lumpy Jaw in Cattle

September 4, 2023

Lumpy jaw is a disease of the jawbone caused by a bacterial infection called Actinomyces bovis. These bacteria form part of the normal flora in the mouth of ruminants. So then how does it cause disease? The bacteria enter the soft tissue of the mouth through open wounds. These wounds can be caused by foreign […]

August 6, 2019

39ste Jongooi-Kudde Evaluering | Agri Malmesbury

Die Skaapstudiegroep van Malmesbury Landbouvereniging het weer vanjaar op Vrydag, 2 Augustus 2019 sy 39ste jaarlikse Jongooi Kudde-Evaluering aangebied. Octavoscene Wes-Kaap was een van die vele ander borge wat die dag ‘n groot sukses gemaak het. Die gemeenskap het ‘n dag vol van opwinding gehad. Die omliggende skole het die dag kom bywoon sowel as die plaaswerkers wat hulp verleen het deur die dag terwyl daar ook opleiding aan hulle verskaf was. Dan was daar nog oor die 150 mense van die publiek wat ook aan die dag se verrigtinge deelgeneem het. Dit klink of dit voorwaar ‘n heerlike dag was propvol aktiwiteite vir oud en jonk. Daar was natuurlik ook ‘n demonstrasie aan die gemeenskap en so ook ‘n skaapras uitstalling wat baie leersaam was. Die gewilde slaglam-kompetisie se karkasse was weer op ‘n veiling aan die publiek beskikbaar gestel, waarvan 10% van die opbrengs aan Aandskemering, ‘n plaaslike huis vir bejaardes, geskenk was. Hier het die publiek ook die geleentheid gekry om die karkas te laat opsaag na hul behoefte. Dit was’n fantastiese geleentheid om ‘n hele gemeenskap bymekaar te bring en die dag saam te geniet. Ons wens die Die Skaapstudiegroep van Malmesbury Landbouvereniging alle sukses toe vir die toekoms en mag hulle nog groot hoogtes bereik. Francois De Villiers (Voorsitter Skaapstudiegroep) Selfoon: 083 254 0446 francois@octavoscene.co.za Zirk Erasmus (Onder-Sekretaris Skaapstudiegroep) Selfoon: 082 572 5944 zirk.erasmus@virbac.co.za Kompetisie Uitslae | 2019 Merino Albertus Heroldt Eben Schellink Janneman Louw Beste Merino Wol Janneman Louw Beste Merino GDT Toit Hamman Beste […]

July 29, 2019

Management of Highly Stressed, Newly Received Feedlot Cattle

Abstract Morbidity and mortality from bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and associated losses in performance and carcass merit continue to plague the beef cattle industry. Several viral/bacterial agents are responsible for BRD, and interactions occur among the agents. Viral agents often predispose animals to bacterial infections, and Mannheimia haemolytica is the most frequently isolated organism in cattle with BRD. Laboratory tests are available to characterize organisms causing BRD using easily obtained nasal swab samples. Testing for persistent infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus can be done by a 2-stage technique using PCR and immuno histo-chemistry. Preconditioning programs that include pre-weaning viral vaccination programs along with castration could have a significant influence on decreasing BRD in the cattle feeding industry. Meta-phylactic antibiotic programs continue to be effective; however, antibiotic resistance is a public concern, and additional management options (e.g., direct-fed microbials or other compounds with antimicrobial properties) deserve attention. Diets with an increased energy concentration achieved by decreasing the dietary roughage concentration may slightly increase the rate of BRD morbidity; however, these diets also increase ADG, DMI, and G:F compared with lower-energy, greater-roughage diets. The extent to which performance and BRD morbidity are affected by dietary protein concentration needs further study, but low and high protein concentrations should probably be avoided. Several trace minerals (e.g., Cu, Se, and Zn) affect immune function, but the effects of supplementation on performance and immune function in model challenge systems and in field studies are equivocal. Adding vitamin E to receiving diets at pharmacological […]

Make strategic cattle marketing decisions

July 2, 2019

Commingling Calves and Respiratory Disease

We would like to invite farmers to keep a farmers’ day in their area regarding the study done in this particular article. This has been a very informative study and we think every cattle farmer can benefit from this. Please contact the Octavoscene Head Office if you are planning to hold such a day in your area. Dr Shaun Morris (BVSc (Hons) MSc Agric), Director of Octavoscene (Pty) Ltd, a specialist feedlot expert and veterinarian, would like to assist you with the training and we will help to make this event a very successful day. This is a relatively long article and the study is about the following topic: Effects of commingling beef calves from different sources and weaning protocols during a forty-two-day receiving period on performance and bovine respiratory disease D. L. Step*,3, C. R. Krehbiel†, H. A. DePra†, J. J. Cranston†; R. W. Fulton**, J. G. Kirkpatrick*, 5D. R. Gill†,M. E. Payton‡, M. A. Montelongo**, andA. W. Confer** 67*Departments of Veterinary Clinical Sciences and **Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for 8Veterinary Health Sciences;†Department of Animal Science, Division of Agricultural Sciences 9and Natural Resources;and ‡Department of Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences, Oklahoma 10State University, Stillwater, OK 74078. Approved for publication by the Director of the Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station. This research was supported under project H-2438 and a grant from the Noble Foundation. The authors acknowledge R. Ball, B. Starr, and students from the Willard Sparks Beef Research Center for providing processing, animal care, and record keeping expertise, and Cattleco, […]

June 9, 2019

Outbreak of Anthrax | 30 May 2019

Red Meat Producers Organisation | By Maryna Brits All farmers are requested to urgently vaccinate their animals against anthrax. This includes cattle, sheep and goats. Anthrax also occurs within game and under no circumstances must venison of infected game, be consumed. Farmers must also be very cautious when buying in new animals and ensure that the animals are disease-free. The movement of animals (live stock and game) must as far as possible be avoided and if any mortalities occur, the carcass must be handled with the utmost care and it must under no circumstances be cut open. This follows after an outbreak of anthrax has been confirmed near Maseru in Lesotho. In this case, humans also got infected with the disease after the carcasses have been cut open and eaten. A ten kilometer radius has been quarantined. Farmers from Ha-Tseka were warned not to take their products to a Maseru trade fair. Even animal movement between the Free State and Lesotho will be restricted and no trade will be allowed. The areas affected includes Ladybrand in the Maseru-zone, Zastron, Wepener, Maputsoe, Botha Bothet and Thabo Mofutsanyane. Anthrax is a highly contagious and infectious soil-borne disease caused by Bacillus anthracis, a relatively large spore-forming bacteria that can infect mammals. Animals are infected with anthrax when they eat contagious plant materials, water or even the bones of dead animals. Animals who contract the disease show the following symptoms :-they don’t eat; there is a decline in milk production; milk may be bloody; […]

May 26, 2019

Pig Production and Management Discussion Session | 22 May 2019

Octavoscene Western-Cape held a Pig Production and Management Discussion Session on the 22nd of May 2019. They held the session at the Nuweplaas Farmstall situated in the scenic countryside of Malmesbury, nearby the Riebeek Valley and Swartland Wine Route. Dr Peter Evans from CS Vet and Dr Friedrich Osterhoff was our guest speakers for the session. It was a very interesting and inspirational learning experience. Dr Peter Evans talked about optimising your Pig Farm . The demands for sustainable production in the competitive pig farming industry can only be met when the whole production chain from farm to fork becomes more efficient. Dr Peter Evans graduated from Onderstepoort in 1983 and joined CS Vet in 1993. There is no way a farmer can run a profitable pig business unless he feeds properly. Healthy pigs need a nutritious, well-balanced diet at every stage in production; if the nutrition is poor the pigs will not be productive and the business will not be profitable. “Pigs need the right nutrition to perform well. You can’t take shortcuts in feeding,” says vet and pig specialist, Dr Peter Evans. Dr Friedrich Osterhoff of AHRHOFF GmbH talked about Recent Advances in Sow and Weaner Nutrition. Feeding and nutritional strategies for weaned pigs, regardless of age, should be thoroughly reviewed on a regular basis to ensure success of your weaning age program. Properly designed nutritional programs and feed budgets cannot, by themselves, ensure a successful nursery program. It’s important when moving to an older pig at […]

May 13, 2019

Beef Cattle Research Update

BEEF CATTLE RESEARCH UPDATE Britt Hicks, Ph.D., PASArea Extension Livestock SpecialistOklahoma Panhandle Research & Extension CenterMarch 2019 Effects of Vaccination Timing on Performance, Antibody Response, and Health in Feedlot Cattle The bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex is the most is the most devastating health problem of the beef industry. 1, 2 It is the primary cause of morbidity (70%–80%) and mortality (40%–50%) in feedlots in the United States and continues to contribute to substantial losses in feedlot performance, health, and carcass quality. 3 A 2011 USDA survey of U.S. feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head indicated that most feedlots vaccinated cattle and that the most common vaccinations administered were for the prevention of BRD.4 As a percentage of all feedlots, 96.6% vaccinated for bovine viral diarrhea and 93.7% vaccinated for infectious bovine rhino-tracheitis (IBR), while 89.1% vaccinated for bovine respiratory syncytial virus and 85.1% vaccinated for parainfluenza-3 virus. It is widely accepted that vaccination of healthy calves for respiratory pathogens is important for preventing BRD and maintaining optimal calf health. Hence, most feedlot receiving protocols include vaccination against BRD viruses for high-risk cattle within 48 hours of arrival. However, research suggest that vaccine efficacy is reduced when administered to highly stressed animals since immune function can temporarily be compromised. Weaning, marketing, and shipment of feeder cattle to feedlots are major stressors to cattle.5 For these reasons, altering the time of vaccination against BRD has been investigated as an approach to enhance vaccine efficacy, immunity to BRD, and […]