News Update
April 23, 2009

A Partnership to Promote a Cattle Herding Device

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has agreed to grant an exclusive license to Canadian firm Krimar of Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, for their interest in marketing a type of nonwire, virtual fencing technology for cows linked to global positioning.

The Directional Virtual Fencing (DVF) system sends electronic cues to a cow’s ears so that it will move in a preferred direction, according to Dean Anderson, an ARS animal scientist at the Jornada Experimental Range in Las Cruces, N.M.

Cows must be moved periodically to quality forage for optimum performance. Animals left too long in the same area can also damage a landscape by overgrazing the standing crop. The vast open spaces on many ranches make controlling a herd’s movements challenging.

The patented system is not intended to replace a rancher’s expertise, but will be used as an animal management tool able to steer a moving animal without inflicting physical harm.

The system locates cows with global positioning and sends auditory signals, such as a human voice, that can be raised or lowered in volume, according to Anderson. The commands can vary from familiar “gathering songs” sung by cowboys during manual roundups to sirens designed to get cows to move or avoid entering forbidden areas.

The system is automated so ranchers can give cues at any time and track movements from a computer. ARS has patented the technology based on experimental designs. ARS scientists are currently working on a commercially viable prototype that features a stereo headset around each ear.

To view the report online with photos and video, visit www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090325.htm.

— Adapted from a release written by Dennis O’Brien and provided by ARS.

International Consortium Publishes Analysis of Domestic Cattle Genome Sequence

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that an international consortium of researchers has published the genome of domestic cattle, the first livestock mammal to have its genetic blueprint sequenced and analyzed. The landmark research will bolster efforts to produce better beef and dairy products and lead to a better understanding of the human genome.

Click here for USDA news release.

Caruso Appointed Administrator of FSA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the appointment of Doug Caruso as Administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA).

The FSA administers and manages farm commodity, credit, conservation, disaster and loan programs through a network of federal, state and county offices. These programs are designed help producers manage their business risks and improve the stability and strength of the domestic agricultural economy.

“As FSA state executive director in Wisconsin for eight years, Doug Caruso compiled an impressive record of improving client services and enhancing outreach to historically underserved farmers,” Vilsack said. “He is the right choice to serve America’s farmers, ranchers, rural landowners and communities that benefit from FSA’s services and to implement USDA’s goals of providing a safety net for small and mid-sized farmers while promoting a sustainable, safe, sufficient and nutritious food supply.”

Caruso returns to USDA after working as CEO of Wisconsin Farmers Union Specialty Cheese, a cheese manufacturing startup and producer of award-winning Blue and Gorgonzola products that he helped develop into a profitable operation with expanded market share. From 1993 to 2001, Caruso was at USDA as state executive director of FSA in Wisconsin, which served approximately 100,000 farmers and rural landowners through a network of 60 county offices. From 1989 to 1993, he worked as state director for U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and before that as general manager and communications director for the nation’s sixth-largest farmer-owned milk marketing cooperative.

While at FSA in Wisconsin, Caruso participated in multi-agency USDA initiatives and worked on the initial implementation of the Milk Income Loss Contract Payment Program in 2000. He led his state to develop labor and client service practices that were adopted by other states and the national office, and limited loan delinquencies to among the lowest in the nation. During his tenure at FSA, Caruso engaged producers of color in the design and delivery of an employee training program to enhance outreach to historically underserved farmers. In 2000, he was honored by FSA as “Outstanding State Executive Director” for “exemplary leadership, superior management skills, and significant contributions to the betterment of the Farm Service Agency at all levels.”

Caruso is a member of the USDA/USTR Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee on Dairy and of the International Dairy Committee.  

— Release provided by USDA News.

New Research Improves Detection and Control of FMD

Improving the detection and control of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in cattle could result from technology being developed and tested by ARS scientists.

The U.S. hasn’t had an outbreak of FMD since 1929, but being prepared for an outbreak is a priority for the U.S. government.

One study used infrared cameras to detect elevated hoof temperatures, a symptom of FMD in cattle. That work was conducted by research leader Luis Rodriguez, microbiologist Juan Pacheco and research fellow Kaitlin Rainwater-Lovett with ARS at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center at Orient Point, N.Y., in collaboration with University of Minnesota biologist Craig Packer.

Infrared technology could detect elevated temperatures up to two days before cattle develop clinical signs. Cheaper and faster than existing screening methods, this technology could allow scientists and veterinarians to identify potentially infected cattle in large groups, without examining animals individually.

The ARS scientists have also collaborated with the biotechnology company Tetracore to develop a test that can detect RNA from the FMD virus in less than two hours. In the event of an FMD emergency, laboratories throughout the United States could use this technology to diagnose samples rapidly.

In related work, ARS chemist Marvin Grubman and his colleagues are making improvements to the FMD vaccine they developed. The vaccine can be produced without using infectious FMD materials, which means it can be produced on the U.S. mainland without the need for expensive, high-containment production facilities.

Tests have shown that the vaccine becomes effective just seven days after it’s been administered. Although this is one of the fastest vaccines available, Grubman and his colleagues wanted faster protection. After all, a lot can happen in seven days, particularly during an outbreak. In a recent study, Grubman found that proteins called interferons can offer protection while animals are developing an antibody response to the vaccine, increasing their resistance.

ARS, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and biopharmaceutical company GenVec Inc., in Gaithersburg, Md., are now collaborating to develop the new FMD vaccine for inclusion in the U.S. Veterinary Vaccine Stockpile. They are also working to combine the interferons and the FMD vaccine so they can be administered concurrently.

Read more about this research in the April 2009 issue of Agricultural Research magazine, available online at http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/apr09/disease0409.htm.

— From a release written by Laura McGinnis and provided by ARS.

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