We set goals in life to give ourselves an ideal to aim for
and to motivate us to reach a little higher than we thought we could. Everyone of us has felt that
fulfilling sense of achievement upon attaining a lofty goal and undoubtedly
also the sting of disappointment when despite your best intentions you fell
just short of that elusive target.
As livestock producers we are constantly setting new goals
and developing strategies to improve the well-being and productivity of the animals
we are fortunate to work with and care for every day. Not only because it is
our livelihood but because we are truly concerned about the comfort and health
of the livestock we raise. I am concerned that a portion of today’s consumers
believe we have lost this connection to our animals and that agriculture has
turned into nothing more than a ruthless corporate machine driven by greed. In
reality the many advances in modern technology, medicine and behavior research
have enabled individual farmers and ranchers to take better care of their
animals than ever before.
At our own little cattle operation in the flint hills we set
goals for everything from pregnancy rate in the cows to calf survivability and
weight at weaning. None of these production goals can be achieved without focusing
on both the nutrition and health of the cowherd.
Above some of our newly weaned calves can be seen eagerly lining the
bunk to get their breakfast. An image that indicates they are feeling good and
ready to grow. Weaning is a necessary but especially vulnerable time in any
young animal’s life. The stress of being away from their mother, put into a new
environment and fed a new diet can sometimes lead to illness. This year we have
been especially fortunate and met our health goal of avoiding sickness and
thereby the need to give any antibiotics or treatments (knock on wood). By
employing a strong vaccination program prior to weaning, allowing the calves to
visibly see their mothers across the fence during weaning, and providing the
best possible nutrition we were able to minimize the stress of the event
resulting in improved calf health and comfort. It is through the ingenuity of
modern agriculture research that we have access to tools and information that
enable us to reach such goals.
We won’t bask in the glory of this small victory for long as
we know all too well that despite your best health management efforts cattle,
much like people, can still get a respiratory infection, an eye infection, an
upset stomach or find any number of ways to injure themselves. And when the
inevitable does happen we won’t allow them to suffer. We will do whatever we
can to bring them back to full health as quickly as possible; including
treatment with the appropriate dose and type of antibiotic. If you are concerned
about antibiotic usage in food animals take comfort in knowing that there are
strict guidelines set forth by the FDA to ensure safe withdrawal periods for
any drug administered to an animal prior to harvest. Years of research and
resources have gone into establishing the efficacy of these withdrawal times
and food safety.
In an ironic twist of events a calf from last year’s crop successfully
made it through the first year of life completely healthy until one fateful day
she showed up in the pasture with a huge gash above her knee and a painful
limp. We followed the veterinarians orders by keeping the wound clean and
giving her Penicillin to combat infection. Although she did show some
improvement over time, the wound was so deep that her mobility was never fully
restored. Instead of subjecting her to a life of pain attempting to keep up
with the herd we decided to harvest her for our own freezer beef.
I firmly believe that livestock producers in this country consciously
do what is best for their livestock and consumers; continuing to set the
standard for food safety and quality throughout the world. We must continue to
support the responsible use of antibiotics in food animals and recognize that while
“antibiotic-free” is an admirable goal, in reality it may not always be in the
best interest of the animal.
"Hi - my name is Karly Frederick and I am from Alden, KS. I am a K-State student majoring in Agricultural Business with a Leadership minor.
