1. Herd Health and Beef Quality Assurance
Sustainable Beef Production
Heidi Ward, DVM, PhD
Assistant Professor and Veterinarian

2. Why Beef Quality Assurance?
Consumer concern about the safety of food
Consumer concern about animal welfare
Meat quality reflects the life of that animal
Producers can directly manage beef quality
- Manage to minimize defects
- Monitor health and body condition
- Market in a timely manner
BQA provides safe and wholesome beef for the consumer!

3. Who is Responsible for BQA?
Anyone who handles the animal from birth to adulthood to slaughter to retail are responsible for providing beef quality assurance.

4. Managing to Avoid Blemishes
Solid fences in ramps, pens and chutes so cattle only see straight ahead
Back off if an animal rears up in the chute
Never beat cattle to get them to move
Slope sides of the chute to reduce the animal’s ability to turn around
Design headgate/squeeze chute to hold the animal while treating
Avoid sharp edges and protruding objects that can cause bruising
Bruising alone causes the cattle industry $22 million per year.

5. Herd Health Per BQA Develop a plan with a veterinarian
Train ALL people who work with your cattle
A good herd health plan will:
- Improve animal health and welfare
- Reduce potential for meat residues and carcass blemishes
- Promote sustained profitable beef production
- Decrease cost and cull rates
- Reduce drug use
Sustainable: able to be upheld or defended

6. Goals of a Herd Health Program
Promote animal welfare
Prevent disease
Avoid the cost of treating disease
Get healthy cattle to market with a good body condition!

7. Aspects of a Herd Health Plan
Breed for health
Maintain a good plane of nutrition
Strengthen the immune system
Decrease parasite burden
Keep environment clean

8. Smart Breeding ♀ BCS of 6.0 at calving
- Postpartum interval and colostrum quality
- Colostrum contains protein, fat, sugars, vitamins A & E and antibodies
Vaccinate and deworm 30 days prior to breeding
- Protects cow while pregnant and builds antibodies for colostrum
Breed heifers 2 to 3 weeks earlier than mature cows
Hersom, et al., 2015
Odde, K.G. 1997
Matt Hersom is from Florida State and Ken Odde was at Colorado State but is now at Kansas State

9. Smart Breeding ♂ BCS of 6.0 at breeding (exercise important too!)
Vaccinate and deworm at least 30 days prior to breeding
Test new bulls for BVD and quarantine for 4 weeks
Trichomoniasis test on seasoned bulls
Breeding soundness exam days prior to breeding
- Head to hoof exam
- Semen collection for sperm count, morphology and motility
Average weight of a bull is 2000 pounds.

10. Smart Breeding  Pregnancy check dam for approximate calving date
Ensure calves are born in a clean and dry environment
Use plastic sleeves and clean tools when assisting calving
Ensure calf gets colostrum within 6 hours of birth
Natural colostrum is best
Feed 5% of BW q 8h for 24h
Monitor reproductive health post calving
Treat post calving infections*
Retain cull cows to honor withdrawal time
Adapted from Besser and Gay, 1994
Study was from Washington State University

11. Maintain Nutrition
Provide cattle access to quality roughage and balanced ration daily
Evaluate ration for balanced protein, energy and nutrients
Check farm-raised feedstuffs for nitrates, mycotoxins and other soil or climate-induced problems
Throw away stale, moldy feed
Handle medicated feed properly and make sure withdrawal times of medications in feed are observed

12. Veterinary Feed Directive
Changes to FDA regulations concerning medicated animal feed
Medically necessary antibiotics cannot be used for growth promotion
Medically important antibiotics in feed requires veterinary oversight
VFD drugs do not include coccidiostats or IGRs
No extra-label use of VFD drugs
Records on VFD drugs must be kept 2 years
Goal is to slow down the emergence of resistant bacteria
Goes into full effect January 1st, 2017
More info at BeefUSA.org/antibiotics

13. Responsible Use of Antimicrobials
Select and use antibiotics carefully (based on diagnostics)
Avoid using antibiotics important in human medicine
Combination antibiotic therapy is discouraged
Subtherapeutic antibiotic use is discouraged
Treatment programs should reflect best use principles
- Treat the fewest number of animals possible
- Treat for the recommended time period
- Avoid environmental contamination with antibiotics
- Keep records of antibiotic use
- Follow label directions

14. Strengthening Herd Immunity
Involves anything that impacts immune system
- Maturity
- Stress
- Sudden change in nutrition
- Vaccine status
- Exposure to disease
Biosecurity is crucial!
- Manage flow of traffic
- Quickly manage illness in animals
- Control pests and the environment
- Disinfect everything that you can
- Manage chemicals and equipment
- Report any suspicious behavior
- Manage/educate the employees

15. Strengthening Herd Immunity
Involves anything that impacts immune system
- Maturity
- Stress
- Sudden change in nutrition
- Exposure to disease
- Vaccine status
Ways to boost the immune system
- Feed additives
- Reduce stressors
- Immunization

16. Immunization not Vaccination!
Vaccines are custom to the operation (get the vet involved!)
- Previous disease
- Type of operation
- New stock
Vaccine timing is very important
- 3 to 4 weeks from injection to antibody protection
- Maternal antibodies last approximately 2 months in calf*
- Stress is an enemy to antibody production!
Vaccine schedule based on risk vs benefit
- Calves between 2-4 months of age
- 30 days prior to expected disease
- 30 days prior to breeding
- 30 days prior to weaning
- 30 days prior to transport

17. Vaccinating Properly Type of vaccine is important
- Modified live virus (may cause mild symptoms)
- Killed virus (safer but requires an initial booster)
- Bacterin (contains adjuvant and requires an initial booster)
- Toxoid (contains adjuvant and is usually in a combination vaccine)
Administration of vaccine can be tricky
- Must keep cold (never frozen) and protect from light
- Never mix vaccines
- Change needle often (every 10 animals minimum)
- Injections should be 5-7 inches apart
- Inject in neck area (SQ always better than IM)
- Use tenting method to ensure no muscle contact
- If IM, no more than 10 ml per injection site

18. Vaccine Injection Sites

19. Which Vaccines? Core Vaccines - IBR-BVD-PI3-BRSV (respiratory viruses)
- Blackleg 7-way (bacteria abundant in environment)
- Lepto 5-way (bacteria abundant in environment)
- Brucellosis (required by law for heifers for transport)
Optional Vaccines
- Scours
- Pinkeye
- Footrot
- Anaplasmosis
- Trichomonas
- Tetanus
- Rabies

20. Administer Injectables Properly
Sanitize equipment before and after use
DO NOT combine different vaccines
Mark and separate syringes and always use transfer needles
Select best route of administration (SQ over IM)
Choose the correct needle size
Mix each time before use and keep cool
Get air out of syringes to get accurate dose
Properly restrain animals prior to injecting
Choose the best location for the injection

21. Decrease Parasite Burden
Work with veterinarian to develop plan
Use only cattle approved products
Rotate chemical classes to reduce resistance
Follow instructions on label
Note withdrawal times
Dispose container according to label

22. External Parasite Medications

23. Sanitation of Environment
Keep feed area free of standing water, manure or other unnecessary farm items
Ventilate buildings to control odor and moisture
Provide clean, dry bedding for calving
Provide shade areas in the summer
Keep wild animals off your property
Observe farm biosecurity

24. For More Information… www.bqa.org www.BeefUSA.org/antibiotics
veterinary feed directive

25. Questions?