CALF_News_April_May_2019

29 CALF News • April | May 2019 • www.calfnews.net that are a good alternative to what might be a poor eating choice after school can open kids’ eyes to a lifetime of better routines. How did they begin? The State of Nebraska initiated a Farm to School program five years ago, encouraging public schools to purchase their food locally. Litchfield has been pursuing homegrown food far longer. Reynolds says that when she took over as head cook, one of her first orders of business was to utilize a garden on the back side of the school building. Groups such as the grade school and summer school classes were responsible for the upkeep. All that changed two years later, when Trotter, Inc., put up a greenhouse a few blocks from the school. Now a variety of at least 30 fruits and vegetables are grown both inside and outside in adjoining fields. Grade school students and high school sci- ence and FFA classes continue to help with their care. Summer vegetables are harvested and frozen for use during the school year. Trotters operates the greenhouse as a for-profit business, while graciously donating all the produce to the school lunch program that they need. When meat is needed in the kitchen, it is published in the school newsletter. FFA students, having better access to live- stock, are instrumental in finding meat donors. Word of mouth is good, too. Some generous folks may not have a steer to donate, volunteer to pay for processing costs to save the school money. Each year, the kitchen will use two whole beeves and two hogs, in addition to donated ground meat. Getting the job done The Litchfield school kitchen opens each day at 6 a.m., with breakfast available to students at 7:30. High school and junior high kids can get a pick-me-up during a 10 a.m. break to get them through the morning. Reynolds says that it is a scientific fact that junior high-age students have a different metabolism that requires they eat about mid-morning, prompting the mid- morning offering. Pre-K children start the noontime lineup at 11:15, followed by the grade schoolers, junior high and high school students. Cleanup is done by 1:30. Sound like a big day? Reynolds laughs as she relates one of her favorite stories. A third-grader, after eating a tasty meal at home, complimented his mother, saying “Gee, Mom, that was pretty good. It was almost as good as what we eat at school.” That, dear readers, is a compliment for the ages. Reynolds’ parting thought was quick and resolute. She wants to thank the farmers who donate or are a part of making her school lunches better.“It is with your help we are able to bring meals to our students that are higher quality and that taste better.”  SCHOOL LUNCH Continued from page 27  Treat the fewest number of animals as possible – limit antibiotic use to sick or at-risk animals.  Treat for the recommended time period to minimize the potential for bacteria to become resistant to antimicrobials.  Avoid environmental contamination with antibiotics.  Keep detailed records to evaluate therapeutic regimes and follow proper withdrawal times.  Follow label directions and never use them off label with- out a valid veterinarian’s prescription.  Extra-label use must follow FDA regulations and meet state and federal requirements.  Sub-therapeutic antibiotic use is discouraged, and antibi- otic use should be limited to prevent or control disease and not used if the principle intent is to improve performance. Blyth encourages producers and feeders to use the “R-3 rule – read the label three times” – when using antimicrobials. “Remember that FDA’s primary goal is not to reduce anti- microbial sales volume, but to support implementation of good antimicrobial stewardship practices in order to slow the develop- ment of antimicrobial resistance,” she said. Congestive heart failure Greta Kransfur, DVM and assistant professor at the South Dakota State University Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department, discussed the troubling subject of congestive heart failure (CHF) in cattle. ( CALF News’ “Chuteside Manner” column addressed CHF and Brisket Disease in our Feb./March 2019 issue.) “Everyone in the fed cattle industry, from retained owners and feedyard management staff to nutritionists and veterinarians, is very frustrated because presently we have no means to predict or identify which cattle are at risk for developing CHF,” Kransfur told CALF News in a post-symposium interview.“Anecdotally, it appears that well-managed cattle with high performing genetics are most susceptible.” She stressed that there is an “urgent need for biomarkers that can be used in the field to identify at-risk cattle so that we can mitigate the impact” of the disease, enhance cattle health and welfare, and improve sustainability of beef production. Kransfur said production-animal medicine relies heavily on chute-side analysis, which can inform management and help deter- mine treatment decisions much earlier in the production cycle. “Of course, maternal health and nutrition, fetal programming, vaccination protocols and preconditioning programs influence the ability to resist comorbid respiratory disease,” she said.“I think a lot of mortality events are getting classified as primary respiratory disease, when in fact they are probably secondary to underlying cardiopulmonary disease. “It is important to perform a thorough necropsy that includes taking samples from both the right and left ventricle, main pulmonary artery, aorta and multiple sections of lung and liver, at minimum. We don’t know if we don’t look.” A survey to study the impact of CHF was started in January by the University of Nebraska, Kansas State University and Texas Tech University. Conducted in cooperation with NCBA, the survey is available online at www.beefusa.info/survey/ . Following the beef symposium, participants also toured the Tucumcari Bull Test site. The 56th annual Performance Bull Sale took place March 6. More than 150 bulls were on test from 23 cooperators from New Mexico, Texas, Colorado and Okla- homa. Angus, Braunvieh, Charolais, Hereford and Red Angus breeds were represented. 