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by Jeffrey Hester, UT Extension Agent

A Year In Review

This year has certainly been one for the books! From crazy spring weather to a soaking wet fall. There have been some producers that have faced sever-al management challenges, but also many who have had great success this year! Several Sumner County live-stock producers and horse owners completed different UT Extension courses this year:

68 producers were certified/recertified in Beef Quality Assurance

60 producers completed the Advanced Master Beef Program

3 producers completed the Master Small Ruminant Program

1 producer completed the Master Dairy Program

3 owners completed the Tennessee Mas-ter Horse Program

If you have questions or may be interested in any of the above programs or other pro-grams that you have heard of, please feel free to give me call!

Looking Forward

As we look into 2019, I would like to let you all know of some changes in

some of the Livestock & Forage pro-grams that take place here in Sumner County. In 2019, I will be setting up group meetings during the year for those that need to have their BQA re-newed. For those that expire in 2019, you should be receiving a postcard in the mail from Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association.

Also this spring, as the weather begins to warm up, we will be having another Beef Producers Meeting. This meeting isn’t just for Sumner County Cattle-men’s Association members. This pro-gram is open to all beef producers (TCA member or not). It is a program put on by UT Extension. There will be more information coming out at a later date, when details have been set.

There will be a spring and fall Advanced Master Beef Program. The spring course will be held at the Robertson County Fairgrounds (beginning March 4 and wrapping up April 9 on Tuesdays) and the fall pro-gram will be held in Sumner County, location and dates pending.

We are looking in the spring at having both a Goat/Sheep Workshop and a Horse Workshop. Both of these workshops are still in the planning process, but when they do finalize, I will let you know! These will not be Masters Programs, so if you are look-ing at wanting to complete that pro-gram, let me know and I will send you information about programs going on in our area.

Volume 3 Issue 1 ‐ December 18‐Februray 2019

Agriculture and Natural Resources & Community Development

Foot Rot: Prevention & Treatment by Dr. Lew Strickland, Extension Veterinarian, Department of Animal Science Earlier today, I received a call concerning a problem that all beef cattle producers bat-tle. Foot Rot. This condition is not limited to Tennessee producers. Anywhere there is moist wet abrasive environmental condi-tions; there is a problem with foot rot. The incidence of foot rot varies according to the weather, season of the year, grazing peri-ods. The disease incidence may increase up to 25 percent in high-intensity beef or dairy production units depending on housing sys-tems. Approximately 20 percent of all diag-nosed lameness in cattle is actually foot rot.

Causes Cause of foot rot can vary. Normally, the skin between the hoofs protects

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HESTER’S EXTENSION

HAPPENINGS

Inside this edition… Hester’s Happenings

Foot Rot: Prevention & Treatment

Cold Weather Management

Upcoming Events

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the interdigital space from the outside world, but an injury of some type, me-chanical (abrasions caused by rough surfaces rough terrain, hard stalks, and sharp gravel) occurs and continuous exposure to wet conditions results in infection. This perfect storm, if you will, is the typical cause of entrance points for infectious agents. A quite common bacterium known as Fusobacterium necrophorum is the organism most often isolated from in-fected hooves. The majority of F. nec-rophorum isolated belong to one of two types (types A or B) which produce toxins that cause necrosis (death) or decay of the infected tissues. F. nec-rophorum appears to act cooperatively with other bacteria, such as Bacillus, Staphylococcus aure-us, Escherichia coli, and Truperella pyogenes, thereby decreasing the infec-tive amount of F. necropho-rum necessary to cause disease.

Regardless of the source, once loss of skin integrity occurs, bacteria gain en-trance into subcutaneous tissues and begin rapid multiplication and produc-tion of toxins that stimulate further con-tinued bacterial multiplication and pen-etration of infection into the deeper structures of the foot.

Clinical Signs Foot rot occurs in all ages of cattle, with increased case incidence during wet, humid conditions. Focus attention to areas where cattle congregate. These areas are often crowded and extremely wet from urine and feces deposited as cattle gather around hay bales or in small shaded areas during hot weather. The first signs of foot rot, following a growth and development period of the organism for a period of five to seven days, are lameness, acute swelling of interdigital tissues, and swelling evenly distributed around the hairline of both hooves. Eventually the interdigital skin cracks open, revealing a foul-smelling,

necrotic, core-like material. Untreated, the swelling may progress up the foot to the fetlock or higher. More im-portantly, the swelling may invade the deeper structures of the foot such as the navicular bone, coffin joint, coffin bone, and tendons and result in serious infection.

Diagnosing the Problem Diagnosis of foot rot is typically made by examination of the hoof, looking at the characteristic signs of sudden onset of lameness (usually one limb), swell-

ing between the digits (claws), and sep-aration of the interdigital skin. A poten-tial problem is there are other condi-tions that can cause lameness in cattle. This can be easily mistaken for foot rot, and would require different treatment. These include interdigital dermatitis, sole ulcers, sole abscesses, sole abra-sions, infected corns, fractures, septic arthritis, and inflammation or infection of tendons and tendon sheaths. All of which generally only involve one claw of the foot and not the areas of skin or soft tissues between the toes or claws.

Treatment Treatment of foot rot is usually suc-cessful, especially when instituted early in the disease course. Treatment should always begin with cleaning and exam-ining the foot to establish that lameness is actually due to foot rot. Some very mild cases will respond to topical thera-py and supportive care only. Most cas-es require the use of systemic antimi-

crobial therapy. I typically recommend a long acting antibiotic to properly pen-etrate tissues and lessen trips through the chute. However, consult with your local veterinarian on recommended antibiotics and dosages for each partic-ular situation.

Affected animals should be kept in dry areas until healed, if possible. If im-provement is not evident within three days to four days, it may mean the in-fection has invaded the deeper tissues. Infections not responding to initial treatments need re-evaluation by your veterinarian in a timely manner. In the more severe cases, management of the animal will be between salvaging for slaughter (following drug withdrawal times), claw amputation, or in valuable animals, claw-salvaging surgical proce-dures.

Prevention If you have been in any of my Master Beef meetings, you have heard me say “the best offense is a good defense”, this is the case here as well. Center pre-ventive measures on the prevention of mechanical damage to the foot as caused by sharp gravel, brush, stubble, and minimizing the time cattle must spend standing in wet areas. Other pre-ventive measures presently used in-clude the use of footbaths (most often used in confinement beef or dairy oper-ations, 10 percent Zinc Sulfate – 16 lbs per 20 gallons of water or 10 percent Copper Sulfate – 16 lbs. per 20 gallons of water). Footbaths are not commonly very practical in open pasture as the labor and difficulty of moving cattle through them prohibit their use.

BEEF & FORAGE PRODUCERS Please Complete & Return Beef &

Forage Surveys to me A.S.A.P. by

mail, email, or call your numbers

in!

Thank You!

3

Management As the days shorten and the fall air be-comes cooler each day, it is a good time to start planning for winter weather. Cold weather can have a drastic impact on the performance of cows and calves. In fact, it can have as much of an effect on pro-duction as hot weather. So, understanding how cattle deal with cold will help under-stand how to bring cattle through without losing performance or wasting resources. First, understanding some terminology is important. The thermoneutral zone is the range of temperature where weight gain and efficiency are at their peak. Another way to look at that is, when cattle are in their thermoneutral zone, they do not have to expend extra energy to maintain a constant core body temperature. The low-er critical temperature is the point where cattle begin to experience cold stress. In an ideal environment, that temperature is 32°F. But, other factors such as wind and rain make a higher air temperature seem colder to cattle. This is called the effec-tive temperature. So, a 10 mile per hour wind can create cold stress even when the air temperature is 40°F and the cattle have a dry winter hair coat. The most log-ical way to combat cold stress is to pro-vide shelter from wind and precipitation. This will allow cattle to realize a higher effective temperature. Building new wind breaks and shelters is likely cost-prohibitive. Planning pasture rotation so that cattle are in areas with shelter during winter months is often a better idea. If cattle are not able to avoid cold stress by seeking shelter, their metabolic rate will increase because the heat from normal

body function is not adequate to maintain their core body temperature. The increase in metabolism will make the cattle require more energy for maintenance. Simply stated, when cattle are cold stressed, they need to eat more just to stay warm. Ener-gy intake requirements can increase up to 20%. That can translate into 3.5 to 4 extra pounds of hay intake or 2 to 2.5 extra pounds of supplement. A good rule of thumb taken from several studies is that, for every one degree below the critical temperature, a cow’s energy requirement increases 1 percent. It is also very im-portant to keep water available because decreased water intake can reduce feed intake. Be sure to break ice in waterers and on ponds so cattle have access at all times. Anticipating the increased nutri-tional need from prolonged cold stress can provide some flexibility. It is a good idea to maintain cows in a body condition score 5 and heifers in a body condition score 6 so that they have energy reserves to draw from if nutrition is lacking. Mud also has an effect on nutrient require-ments of cattle. The relationship to how much more feed is required is less clear but some have estimated an increase in maintenance requirements of up to 30%. So, rotating feeding areas or improving rations for cattle that constantly have to deal with mud can improve performance. For herds that calve late into the winter months, it will be important to keep an eye on calve born in extremely cold weather. Especially when it is wet and muddy (the ground has not frozen yet). If calves are dropped in mud or water, they

can experience fatal cold stress very quickly. Even if calves are not lost to cold stress, it can negatively affect their im-mune system. Make sure that they have colostrums in the first 12 hours after calv-ing. Again, make sure that younger cattle have some type of shelter from driving wind. The best ally for handling cold stress is to be prepared. Anticipating in-creased hay, winter forage and/or supple-ment needs will ensure the cattle do not go without. But, remember that cattle are made to live in what people feel as in-clement weather. So, providing adequate nutrition and some simple shelter should ensure that they remain healthy and pro-ductive through the winter.

UTBeef.com

by Dr. Justin Rhinehart, Assistant Professor, UT Beef Cattle Extension Specialist

BEEF & FORAGE PRODUCERS Please Complete & Return Beef &

Forage Surveys to me A.S.A.P. by

mail, email, or call your numbers

in!

Thank You!

4

Upcoming Events January 25-36 Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association Annual Convention

& Trade Show

January 25 UT Bull Test Station Sale Spring Hill, TN

February 4 Beef Quality Assurance Training 10:00 AM

March 4 Spring Adv. Master Beef Springfield, TN

April 9 Farm Equipment Showcase Springfield, TN

Looking to the Future

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When cattle are moderately to severely defi-cient in dietary zinc and iodine, there may be an increased incidence of foot rot on that operation. Adequate dietary zinc/iodine should be provided in the form of a well bal-ance trace mineral nutritional program to help minimize foot rot and other types of lameness. As a word of caution, the required levels of zinc/iodine and the toxic levels are very similar. Adding additional zinc and or iodine above the recommended levels may result acute or chronic toxicity of cattle.

A commercial vaccine approved for use in cattle as a control for foot rot is available. Reported results by producers and veterinar-ians have been mixed from their use of this product, and controlled studies have not been conclusive in the efficacy of the vac-cine.

Take Home Message

Foot rot is a costly frustrating condition, which results in extra labor and expense on your operation. Keep in mind that it is nec-essary to have a break in skin integrity for foot rot to occur, and early intervention re-sults in quicker response to treatment. The most important preventive measures are cen-tered on the protection of interdigital skin health. Close detail to environmental condi-tions and feeding a well-balanced dietary program nutrition are key in prevention. Consult with your veterinarian or Extension agent on a prevention program for your farm. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at, lstrick5@utk.edu, or 865-974-3538.

UT Extension Sumner County | 658 Hartsville Pike | Gallatin, TN 37066 | (615) 452-1423

Hester Happenings (continued)

In The Life of Hester

A couple of weeks ago dad had scheduled for a load of Bio-Char to be de-livered to the farm. On the side note, I have planned to have my girlfriend up for a few days. It so happened to be a rain free weekend, so the girl-friend was quickly trained in driving a tractor. Now for those ladies read-ing, I didn't completely ruin the weekend with farm work. We had plenty of time to hang out and go out to eat. Well fast forward to present day and if you know Bio-Char at all, everything is good until things rehydrate! Well the past couple of days we have had some rainy weather and this Bio-Char has turned into a “bio-hazard” for smells.

Needless to say, we know where this is headed...the family Thanksgiving was moved to another location! My parents have always taught me to see the good in everything, but it sure is hard when the only good thing you can smell is the smell of a sewer system. So even though the bad is the entire farm smells like we operate a waste field and the neighbors don’t like us, on the upside, you don’t have to worry about visitors. This gives a new meaning to…”It’s smelling like the holidays”! MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

UT Extension Sumner County sumner.tennessee.edu