  BeefTalk:
Ear Tags are Only for Those Who Surrender
By Kris Ringwall, Extension Beef Specialist,
NDSU Extension Service
The first responder team was out the other day and was lost--at least those
of us who wanted to know where they were could not locate them. This particular
responder team is a mobile cattle-working facility operated by the North Dakota
State University Dickinson Research Extension Center.
Currently the team includes five people who can react in the event of a beef
cattle crisis. Their equipment consists of a For-Most hydraulic chute pulled by
a one-ton diesel crew cab pickup and a Wilson alleyway, pulled by a pickup.
Last week, the team was also pulling a second Wilson alleyway and a breeding
and ultrasound box for reproductive evaluations. Along with the equipment, two
generators are required, plus the electronic ear tag reader and computer.
We could not locate the equipment. They were roughly 8 miles north, 14 miles
east and another 5 miles north of a major highway. Everyone had cell phones, but
cell phones don’t work in all areas of the country. The crew was working, and we
were just trying to catch up with them.
The producer had worked the previous day rounding up cows and calves but,
when the crew arrived, he was still 40 plus pairs short. The penned cattle
needed to be worked anyway, so the crew began pregnancy checking and vaccinating
calves while others were busy looking for the missing portion of the crew.
This story illustrates a common point: not all cattle can be found and, even
if located, not all individual cattle can be accounted for. The first responder
team was conceived to assist in the working of cattle in remote areas if the
need arises. Just how remote was not probably fully appreciated until the trip
started.
I have addressed this point many times, that cows are not always easy to
find, but for some reason, when we couldn’t even find the crew, equipment and
rigs, it really drove home just how difficult gathering cattle really can be.
Difficult may be an understatement, without some appropriate adjective in front
of the word. In the mean time, the team works cattle at various opportunities,
in order to improve proficiency of working cattle.
Next week, all the Dickinson Research Extension Center’s calves will have the
opportunity to go through the facility and receive their pre-weaning
vaccinations. The calves will receive a booster for the Clostridial diseases and
disease caused by Haemophilus somnus, and an initial vaccination for the
respiratory and reproductive diseases IBR, BVD Type 1 and Type 2, PI3 and BRSV,
and Pasteurella haemolytica pneumonia.
Although the first responder team was initially developed to help in the time
of need, the ability to give calves an appropriate vaccination regime is
probably more important on a day-to-day basis. Today, many calves leave the
comforts of home with no protection from the elements, particularly viral and
bacterial attacks.
At today’s calf prices, and even at yesterday’s calf prices, the vaccination
regimes should not be skipped. Granted, the debate will remain as to who should
pay. The bottom line, however, is if you currently have an inventory of
unvaccinated calves, then your inventory is at risk.
I would rather pull out, search out or simply discover and work a set of
cattle anytime for the sake of vaccinating, rather than the dreaded day when we
may be called to assist in the diagnosis of a fatal event, involving the rapid,
acute death of cattle.
Yes, the cow prefers to live in solitude. She will not surrender without
resistance, but let’s not forget who is the boss.
May you find all your ear tags.
Your comments are always welcome at
www.BeefTalk.com. For more information,
contact the North Dakota Beef Cattle Improvement Association, 1133 State Avenue,
Dickinson, ND 58601 or go to
www.CHAPS2000.com on the Internet. In
correspondence about this column, refer to BT0165.
###
Source: Kris Ringwall, (701) 483-2427, kringwal@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu
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10 Signs that a Cattle-Working Facility
Could be Considered Remote
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1. Cows can't read signs.
2. Bulls don't follow directions, they make them.
3. Calves believe in flight, fight or just don't show up.
4. Out of sight: is out of mind, is no cell service.
5. Ear tags are only for those who surrender.
6. To a happy cow, EID is short for "Enemy In Distress,"
that's you.
7. Even a good radio wave won't go down that slope.
8. Only the neighbor's bull really knows what
happens after midnight.
9. You thought there were how many cows?
10. Did I really say just down the road a piece?
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