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Octavoscene | 10th Anniversary
2019 Marks our 10th Anniversary since the business was established in 2009 in September by the former founding Director, Martiens Booysen. Dr Shaun Morris (BVSc (Hons) MSc Agric), a specialist feedlot expert and veterinarian took over from Martiens Booysen in 2018. Dr Shaun Morris | Director Dr Shaun Morris qualified in 1990 as a veterinarian from the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Veterinary Science. He went on to study further and got his Honours degree in 1993 from the University of Pretoria in Production Animal Medicine. Awarded his MSc from the same University in 1997. Dr Morris started his own consultancy as a feedlot specialist in 2000 and has been working as such ever since. He is a member to the following Organisations: The Academy of Veterinary Consultants in the USA RuVASA (Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa) The American Association of Bovine Practitioners He has recently been invited to join the Production Animal Consultancy Group in the USA. He has contributed to 12 scientifically reviewed publications. Since 2012 has successfully run the Feedlot School at Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria, focusing on exposing final year veterinary students to intensive animal medicine He has also been involved in The Dairy School at Onderstepoort, University of Pretoria, for final year veterinary science students. We are delighted to have reached this milestone, especially in such a competitive marketplace, and are happy to be able to celebrate with our valued partners, customers and friends from all over in South-Africa. The […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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; […]
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 […]
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