BACKGROUND Calf output is a key element in determining the profitability of a suckler beef enterprise. Infectious agents such as Bovine Virus Diarrhoea (BVD) virus, colostrum management and parasitic challenge can all affect calf output. Prior to the national BVD eradication programme, there was little published information on either the prevalence or effect of BVD in Irish beef herds. There is...

The world-wide increase of antimicrobial resistance in micro-organisms complicates medical treatment of infected humans. We did a risk-factor analysis for the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant Campylobacter coli on 64 Swiss pig finishing farms. Between May and November 2001, 20 faecal samples per farm were collected from the floor of pens holding finishing pigs shortly before slaughter. Sam...

Background Growing and finishing performances of pigs strongly influence farm efficiency and profitability. The performances of the pigs rely on the herd health status and also on several non-infectious factors. Many recommendations for the improvement of the technical performances of a herd are based on the results of studies assessing the effect of one or a limited number of infections or env...

In my work advising individuals on their investment strategies, I get somewhat of a front-row seat when it comes to observing behavioral investing in action. More than occasionally, I find myself explaining to a client why his or her desired course of action is likely to do more harm than good. But knowledge of market conditions and historical risk/return dynamics is hardly the sole determinant...

Problem statement: Imported Holstein Friesian dairy cattle are exposed to hot arid climate in feedlot management in Kuwait. Desert climate is extreme reaching high 45-50°C in summer and low -4oC in winter at day and night respectively. High calf mortality, poor reproduction and milk yields were main constraints to viable dairying. The objectives of this study were to assess the magnitude of cal...

Fifty-nine commercial dairy farms were sampled 7 times over 15 to 21 mo to determine the role of animal movement, including off-farm rearing of heifers, in the interherd transmission of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella spp. Farm management data were collected by on-site inspections and questionnaires on herd management practices before and after the study. Forty-four percent (26/59) of herd...

International dairy sire evaluations have traditionally been calculated using a two-step process. Lactation records within each country are used to predict national estimated breeding values, then these national breeding values are transformed to the genetic base, scale, and units of measurement of other countries by using conversion formulae or the multiple-trait, across-country evaluation met...

BACKGROUND Neospora caninum is considered one of the major causes of repeated abortions in livestock. This study aimed to determine the seropositivity to N. caninum using indirect ELISA and the influence of the infection on the occurrence of abortions in selected dairy herd in Slovakia. METHOD Blood samples were obtained from 490 cattle over a period of two years and were tested for N. caninu...

The United States of America (U.S.) has made several attempts over the years to develop a producer accepted voluntary program. The focus of the U.S. Voluntary Bovine Johne's Disease Control Program (VBJDCP) is to provide producers with the tools to control Johne's disease on their farms and identify herds with a low risk for the presence of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) ...

Determining the 'dynamic biogeography' of range collapse in threatened species is essential for effective conservation, but reconstruction of spatio-temporal patterns of population vulnerability and resilience can require use of non-standard ecological data such as historical archives. Père David's deer or milu, one of the few living mammal species that has become extinct in the wild, is histor...