Feed Lot

APR 2013

Feedlots and cow/calf operations in the beef industry who feed 500 or more has annually on grains and concentrates; maintain 500 or more beef cows; backgrounder, stocker/grower, preconditioner; veterinarian, nutritionist, consultant

Issue link: http://feedlotmagazine.epubxp.com/i/119569

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MANAGEMENT ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ ������������������������������������ Maintaining and managing the health of any type of herd animal can present some daunting challenges for producers and veterinarians, when considering diseases such as bovine viral diarrhea, or BVD, in cow-calf operations. Now, those trying to develop strategies to control BVD can rely on a new Internetbased tool developed at the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine called BVD Consult. This BVD management aid was created after Drs. Bob Larson and Brad White decided that there was need for the results of BVD research to be more accessible. ���One of the struggles that we have is how do you implement treatment in the different types of herd situations that you run into in the real word,��� Dr. Larson said. ���And so we wanted to develop a tool that takes a lot of the work that���s been done by scientists all over the world, and make that into a decision aid that producers and their veterinarians can come up with the best specific protocol for them.��� Drs. Larson and White worked with faculty from the University of Nebraska, Mississippi State University and Auburn University and developed a basic structure for the program. Envisioning the tool to mimic a conversation between a veterinarian and a client, K-State veterinary graduate Dr. Sherri Merrill was hired to help guide the development of the final program. ���It���s set up as a series of questions asking whether or not you have BVD in your herd, and mentions different management practices you can use,��� Merrill explained. ���Then you as a producer can decide if that���s something you can implement or maybe you already have.��� Producers continue to answer questions as they appear, and different strategies are suggested based on the producers��� answers. ���It is very interactive,��� explained Larson. ���And the types of questions are the types of questions a vet is likely to ask their client. Such as, ���What is your plan to bring new animals on the farm? Are you going to quarantine them or test them? How much fenceline contact do you have with other animals? A lot, a little or none...��� The program suggests what may be the best protocols to protect your herd, based on your answers.��� The online tool is intended to be used with veterinarian input, however it can be accessed by anyone who has questions about BVD. Depending how much interest BVD Consult receives, similar tools might be developed for other diseases. ���We think this type of tool could be very valuable for any number of different diseases,��� Larson said. ���It helps producers and veterinarians ask and answer specific questions that can then help develop a program for that particular farm. BVD Consult can be found at www.bvdinfo.org. Scroll down on the home page for the link to open FL BVD Consult. Circle No. 115 on Reply 16 FEED���LOT April/May 2013

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