Understanding and using EPDs continues to be a popular topic among cattle producers because of their effectiveness when properly used in genetic selection. Use of EPDs, as with many other standard management tools, is not required to survive in the beef cattle business, but those who do will excel in terms of genetic improvement. With so many traits to monitor in a cow herd, producers should no...

A critical dimension of global environmental change is the high rate of deforestation taking place as landholders convert primary and secondary growth into pastures for raising cattle. In the Brazilian Amazon, the expansion of cattle ranching is occurring at such a rapid pace that concerned analysts have coined the term "pecuarização" (cattlelization) to depict the extraordinary increase in the...

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is a recently identified virus causing severe viral respiratory illness in people. Little is known about the reservoir in the Horn of Africa. In Kenya, where no human MERS cases have been reported, our survey of 335 dromedary camels, representing nine herds in Laikipia County, showed a high seroprevalence (46.9%) to MERS-CoV antibodies. Be...

Herd-level risk factors for dairy calf and heifer mortality in France were identified by calculating herd-level variables (including mortality risk or rate) using the National Bovine Identification Database (2005 and 2006). Eleven dairy production areas representing different livestock systems were also included. Statistical analyses were based on a probit model (mortality risk or rate=0 or >0)...

this study describes the management and products of the gasconne cattle in two neighbouring countries (spainand france), as a model study in trans-border breeds, analysing if they are significantly different depending on the place where they are located. fifty-seven gasconne breeders were interviewed (32 inspainand 25 infrance). the survey examined several aspects of the productive farming syst...

The associations between habitat and other factors that lead to the risk of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in diary cattle were examined in an unmatched case-control study. Data from 60 herds with recent history of bTB and 60 controls were analysed using logistic regression. The predictors included farmland habitat, topography, indices of badger density and herd size. Information-theoretic approache...

We have determined the mitochondrial genotype of liver fluke present in Bison (Bison bonasus) from the herd maintained in the Bialowieza National Park in order to determine the origin of the infection. Our results demonstrated that the infrapopulations present in the bison were genetically diverse and were likely to have been derived from the population present in local cattle. From a considera...

Infectious reproductive diseases have great potential to create significant damaging effects to reproductive efficiency and therefore profitability for the beef herd. Pathogens causing reproductive diseases include: bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), Leptospira, Tritrichomonas foetus, Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis (“vibrio”) and Neospora caninum, among...

There is increasing realisation amongst the public that dairy cow welfare is not good because of certain management practices and genetic selection for high milk yield. If the industry does not act rapidly, consumers will refuse to buy milk unless good cow welfare can be guaranteed by the use of welfare outcome measures. Management in such a way that welfare outcome criteria can be met is usual...

To maximize herd profits, dairy farmers are faced with the complex dilemma of minimizing costs that are associated with rearing heifers while ensuring or enhancing lifetime economic productivity. Decisions about heifer management interact with underlying biological aspects of growth, thereby influencing future profitability. A thorough understanding of these biological interactions is lacking. ...