Stillwater, Okla. (RFD-TV) — New World Screwworm cases in Mexico are up 32 percent, sparking growing concern in the U.S. cattle industry.
Dr. Rosalyn Biggs, an assistant professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Oklahoma State University, warns producers may not be prepared if the parasite crosses the border. Access to appropriate facilities for treatment and remembering how severe past outbreaks were are both essential.
“It’s one of my biggest concerns, frankly, with New World Screwworm, is access to facilities, [do producers have] access to be able to treat right?” Dr. Biggs said. “Facilities, as far as that investment goes -- it’s got to be something that makes sense. We’ve got to be able to get those animals caught. Get them handled based on what we could potentially face. That, and I have a concern that the vast majority of producers don’t remember it. That includes me. I have to listen to my father and others who had to deal with New World screwworm on a daily basis.”
Biggs says stopping the spread of Screwworm is all about daily inspections, and producers need to think of ways to make that easier now rather than later.
“Especially with the looming New World Screwworm, we had the announcement — I saw it in the middle of the night — that it’s 70 miles from the border,” Biggs continued. “It looks like it’s inching closer. If there’s any time to invest in facilities, it’s probably now. What you may find is that handling facilities will improve your cattle experience if you get good ones, right? I don’t know how many times we’ve just been dealing with something, dealing with something, dealing with something, and we finally make the investment. Why did we wait so long to do that?
Biggs said producers should keep animal handling in mind. If you finally catch that one hard-to-wrangle cow, she thinks it may be best to send them to the sale barn before issues arise, if treatment is needed.
“That’s another component, too. For that, you can have your veterinarian out. It’s a new, fresh set of eyes on it. Having facility consoles, I think, is a great approach and, again, now’s the time to invest.”
Where the Food Comes From producer Donna Sanders takes us along on a behind-the-scenes look at filming the show’s newest episode, “Clemson Blue,” where university cheesemakers reveal how they put the “blue” in their award-winning blue cheese.
October 26, 2023 09:00 AM
·
It is in there, the mold — those rich blue veins in creamy blue cheese that make you either love it or loathe it — but how does it get there? This bonus scene from “Clemson Dairy,” Season 4, Episode 4 of
Where the Food Comes From, explains how and why that happens.
October 25, 2023 09:00 AM
·
No, it is not some new college course — Clemson has been making blue cheese since 1941, and the product has developed a worldwide following and won some pretty big awards. With good reason — it is fantastic stuff. It is also fascinating to see how it is made. Check out this sneak peek look at the latest episode of Where the Food Comes From, “Clemson Blue.”
October 24, 2023 11:32 AM
·
The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, and the pampered cows get on-demand service. The team at Where the Food Comes From shares a special, behind-the-scenes account filming the show’s newest episode, Robot Dairy, premiering this Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, at 9:30 p.m. ET on RFD-TV!
October 19, 2023 09:00 AM
·
How does a robot milk a cow?
October 18, 2023 09:00 AM
·
The machines do all the work at Hickory Hill Milk in South Carolina, where the pampered cows get on-demand service. They make a premium cream line of milk you still have to shake. It is so good it is used to make the world-famous Clemson blue cheese.
October 17, 2023 01:55 PM
·
Today’s blog post by RFD-TV Agri-Legal Expert Roger McEowen takes a look at the “preferential payment rule,” a unique bankruptcy provision that can come as a suprise to farmers in financial distress.
October 13, 2023 10:54 AM
·
The meaning of a “double-fraction” clause and the impact on future oil and gas conveyances—that is the topic of today’s blog post by RFD-TV Agril-Legal expert Roger McEowen.
October 13, 2023 03:28 AM
·
Recently, a bank in Texas got confused on the financing rules governing agricultural crops and lost its security interest as a result. Ag financing and priority rules among competing security interests—that is the topic of today’s post.
October 02, 2023 02:42 PM
·
