News Update
April 23, 2008

Board of Animal Health confirms Becker County cows died of anthrax

 The Minnesota Board of Animal Health confirmed today that two cows on a Becker County farm died last week of anthrax, the first anthrax cases in 2008. The herd will remain under quarantine for 30 days from the day the last death occurs from anthrax.

 After the dead cows were discovered on pasture, a blood sample was collected and sent to the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fargo. Tests confirmed the samples were positive for anthrax. The herd was not vaccinated for anthrax this year.

 Anthrax is a naturally occurring disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. All warm-blooded animals are susceptible to the disease but cattle, sheep and goats are the most commonly affected species. In rare cases, humans can contract anthrax after handling or eating infected products. 

 Animals are most likely to be affected by anthrax in the summer while out on pasture. Although it is unusual to see a case of anthrax so early in the year, these animals were on pasture in an area where cases had been detected in the past. Cases typically occur in areas where animals have previously died of anthrax.

Anthrax is not spread by animal-to-animal contact. “Anthrax spores can survive for many years in the soil,” said Board of Animal Health Senior Veterinarian Linda Glaser. “In recent years, anthrax has been found in northwestern Minnesota but it is important to understand that western Minnesota does have a history of anthrax and producers should seriously consider anthrax vaccinations for grazing animals.” Cattle producers should contact a veterinarian for information on vaccinating animals. 

 Any animal that dies suddenly of an unknown cause in western Minnesota should be treated as an anthrax suspect. Producers should contact their veterinarian immediately so blood samples can be submitted for testing. If anthrax is confirmed, any remaining animals should be vaccinated and treated. Necropsies should not be performed on suspect carcasses as the procedure can result in contamination of surrounding soil. All suspect cases of anthrax must be reported to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health at 651-201-6831.

For more information on anthrax and steps farmers can take to protect their cattle, visit the Board of Animal Health web site at www.bah.state.mn.us.

— Release provided by the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.

Extension helps train emergency workers in large animal rescue

Since the inception of the 911 emergency telephone number, more and more people look to local emergency response community members, such as firefighters, rescue squads, police, animal control officers and large animal veterinarians, when large animals get trapped in a variety of situations.

Recently, the University of Kentucky (UK) Cooperative Extension Service offices in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties combined efforts with the Northern Kentucky Horse Network to sponsor large animal rescue training for emergency responders. With additional funding from the Kentucky Equine Education Project, the Kenton, Boone and Campbell County Farm Bureaus, Campbell County Conservation District, Northern Kentucky Cattle Association and the Campbell County Cattle Association they were able to bring in nationally recognized experts in large animal rescue.

“It’s very important for us to be involved as local individuals to work with the leaders and organize a training like this,” said Don Sorrell, agricultural and natural resources Extension agent for Campbell County. “As ag agents we are very near and dear to the people we work with, and these animals are extensions of that.”

The three-day, hands-on event drew approximately 60 participants to the Lazy K Ranch near Grants Lick. Husband-and-wife team Tomas and Rebecca Giminez of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue in South Carolina brought two horses and a llama to demonstrate several rescue techniques. The three are trained demonstration animals that provide real, hands-on experiences for workshop participants.

Not all of the rescue demonstrations use live animals. For instance, when participants are learning to rescue a large animal from mud, the Giminezes use a mock horse made of PVC, a tank filled with water and wooden posts for legs. This allows the participants to take as much time as necessary to learn the techniques without making a live animal uncomfortable.

The Giminezes believe the training is important, and they want the participants to leave the workshop feeling confident and prepared to handle large animal rescue situations.

“(The training is) geared toward large animals which would include anything from a pig to an elephant,” Tomas Giminez said. “The idea is to help the large animal, but the real goal behind it is to save human lives by preventing the loss of human life by doing safe rescues for both the victim and the rescuer.

Linda Bray-Shafer, president of the Northern Kentucky Horse Network, said Northern Kentucky has needed this kind of training for a long time.

“We just want the owners of livestock to know that they don’t have to wait. They can call their fire departments — they want you to call,” she said. “There is a number of emergency management and fire departments that are here today that are learning these new techniques. So call them, don’t hesitate.”

Workshop organizers raised nearly $10,000 to go toward the cost of the training as well as to purchase specialized equipment to aid in large animal rescue in northern Kentucky.

— Adapted from UK College of Agriculture press releases.

South Korea braces for dip in beef prices

Ahead of the re-entry of U.S. beef into its market, South Korea expects a significant decline in beef prices.

The Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI), a state-run agricultural think tank, projects cattle prices to plummet by nearly 14% compared with 2007 prices. If U.S. beef imports total 240,000 metric tons, a 20% increase over last year, the price of premium beef could fall by as much as 5.7%, Yonhap reported.

“If there is a 30% increase in beef imports, local beef prices will drop 8.3% to 10.4%, while [beef prices would] fall by 11.4% to 14.2% if 280,000 tons of foreign beef are imported,” a KREI researcher told Yonhap.

Numbers of this sort are fodder for opponents of South Korea’s new beef protocol, which will eventually allow imports of U.S. beef from cattle of all ages. Opponents also claim U.S. beef poses food-safety threat.

“The government disregarded the threat that the deal will pose to public health and the livelihood of cattle ranchers,” the minority Democratic Party and its splinter New Progressive Party said in a joint press conference on Monday.

Calling the beef agreement an “unconditional concession” to the United States, opponents are working to delay early ratification of the KORUS free-trade agreement, which has been pending since September 2007. They feel the pact needs more scrutiny.

— Release provided by Meatingplace.com. 

— compiled by Mathew Elliott, assistant editor, Angus Productions Inc.