CALF_News_April_May_2019

28 CALF News • April | May 2019 • www.calfnews.net A nimal health problems and the need for good water management are no strangers to ranchers fromWest Texas and New Mexico. This winter’s Southwest Beef Symposium in Tucumcari, N.M., corralled information that can help producers get a better handle on issues that can be costly to the bottom line. Water is often the biggest challenge to the region. Marcy Ward, New Mexico State University (NMSU) Extension animal science and natural resources specialist, said research is being conducted at the NMSU Tucumcari Bull Test to help determine how much water cattle drink. “There is very little research in this area even though water is a high priority in animal nutrition,” she said, noting that genetics may impact water intake more than some think. NMSU hopes to compare genetics and animal water usage at the bull test site. Low quality water that’s high in sulfate has caused problems for some New Mexico producers. Kenneth McKenzie of McKen- zie Land and Cattle near Santa Rosa said the process of reverse osmosis has helped his operation. It helped remove high sulfate rates from his water supply. Out of 600 calves produced in a recent year, McKenzie said high sulfate content was key to the death of 30 calves. Calving rates were also lower. However, by using a reverse osmosis system to remove impurities from water, conception rates and calving rates improved and deaths were substantially reduced. McKenzie said cost of the reverse osmosis system was about $10,000, but the rewards of prevented death losses, outweighed the costs. Antimicrobial-use issues Dr. Elaine Blyth, former veterinarian and pharma- ceutical specialist at West Texas A&M University, pointed out that the use of antimicrobials in meat animals has been declining since 2015.“It’s down in all food animals,” she said, adding that from 2016 to 2017, antimicrobial usage dropped by 33 percent, and was down by 43 per- cent from 2015 to 2017. “But that does not measure antimicrobial resistance,” she empha- sized, noting that the industry is still working to determine the impact on animals not using as many antimicrobials. Blyth said major food manufacturers and dis- tributors are increasing their efforts to monitor antimicrobial use in the origin of the meat they serve to customers. In December 2018, fast- food king McDonald’s announced a policy“to reduce the overall use of antibiotics important to human health” in meat they serve. “This applies across 85 percent of its global beef supply chain,” Blyth said.“The company is going to monitor antibiotic use in its top 10 beef sourcing markets and set reduction targets for medi- cally important antibiotic use by the end of 2020.” McDonald’s is the first burger chain to announce a reduction policy for all beef its restaurants sell, Blyth said.“Specifically, the company will partner with supplying beef producers in the top 10 sourcing markets to measure and understand current usage of antibiotics globally,” she explained. She reminded producers and feeders that “food safety doesn’t start at the feedyard – it starts even before the calf hits the ground.” She also listed a Guide for Judicious Use of Antimicrobials in Cattle:  Prevent problems – emphasize appropriate husbandry and hygiene, routine heath examinations and vaccinations.  Select and use antibiotics carefully – consult with your vet- erinarian on the selection of antibiotics and have a valid reason for using them.  Avoid using antibiotics important to human medicine as first-line therapy.  Use the laboratory to help select antibiotics – cultures and susceptibility test results should be used to aid in the selection of antimicrobials.  Combination antibiotic therapy is discouraged unless there is clear evidence a specific practice is beneficial.  Avoid inappropriate antibiotic use – confine therapeutic antimicrobial use to proven clinical indications.  Treatment programs should reflect best-use principles, using current pharmaceutical information. SOUTHWEST BEEF SYMPOSIUM Address Antibiotics, Water, Feeder Cattle Health Issues By Larry Stalcup Contributing Editor NMSU is researching water intake by cattle at the Tucumcari Bull Test site. Dr. Elaine Blyth, former veterinarian and pharmaceutical specialist at West Texas A&M University, says the use of antimicrobials in meat animals has been declining since 2015: “But that does not measure antimicrobial resistance.”