The second annual Manitoba Beef and Forage Conference was held on Oct. 31, 2024, in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Producers heard from industry experts about applying current research to their own operations. Of the various topics shared, here are three top takeaways.
Climate-smart livestock
Dr. Frank Mitloehner, University of California – Davis, opened the conference with a presentation titled “Climate-smart livestock: Separating science from scare tactics.” He shared how to tell facts from fiction when it comes to livestock’s relationship to climate change.
“Making farmers the enemies is one of the most misguided things society can do,” Mitloehner said. “Farmers are allies in the fight of global warming."
It’s not a secret that livestock produce methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas (GHG) that can be released into the atmosphere and traps heat from the sun and environment. Other GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
The most recent report concludes that 11% of all GHG emissions come from the livestock sector. Of that, 80% comes from developing countries such as India and Brazil.
“If we can reduce methane, we can reduce global warming,” Mitloehner said. “And farmers can be a part of the solution.”
Methane is a flow gas, meaning that the environment uses it. This is unlike CO2, which is a stock gas and accumulates over time, staying in the environment. The issue with methane comes when more is produced than is being used, which is where our issue is nowadays.
The solution is not to abandon animal-based agriculture; rather, for farmers to be part of the solution. Doing what we can to lower our emissions while also sharing the importance of livestock production to consumers and policy-makers is the only way to protect what you do best – raising livestock.
“It’s all our responsibility,” Mitloehner said. “We have a great story to tell. It’s time to tell it.”
Strategies for controlling Johne’s disease
Herd health is of the utmost importance in today’s environment. One disease threatening cow-calf herds across Canada and North America is Johne’s disease.
Johne’s disease presents in cattle with persistent diarrhea and weight loss while the animal is still eating and drinking and doesn’t have a fever, shared Dr. Cheryl Waldner, University of Saskatchewan, in her presentation titled “Investigating effective strategies for the control of Johne’s disease in western Canadian cow-calf herds: A potential economic loss for your herd.”
There is no vaccine for Johne’s disease, making biosecurity the most important way to reduce infection. Additionally, symptoms take years to appear. Cattle without symptoms can still shed the bacteria and infect other animals. Once an animal starts showing symptoms, there is no treatment.
Calves are the most susceptible to this disease. Herd management practices that reduce the risk of calf infection include providing shelter for calves separate from the cows and moving cow-calf pairs to nursery pasture within 48 hours of birth, Waldner said.
The second annual Manitoba Beef and Forage Conference connects producers with industry experts and research. Photo by Abigail George.
Costs of dealing with Johne’s disease are significant. Because there is not a cure, the only option is premature culling, which increases replacement costs, the loss of valuable genetics, reduced slaughter value, loss in gain in calves, increased vet/testing costs and loss of reputation for seedstock producers.
There are two testing options available: polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test with fecal samples and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test blood samples. The best option, but also the most expensive, is PCR testing each individual animal. To help with costs, it’s possible to also pool samples to test in larger groups.
The Western Canadian Cow-Calf Surveillance project in 2014 found that 1.6% of cows and 5.4% of herds are positive with Johne’s disease. This compares to data from 1999 and 2001, where 0.8% and 0.5%, respectively, of cows and 3% of herds were found positive.
While options are limited, all producers can try to minimize transmission within their herd, Waldner said. Preventing the disease from entering your herd is the best possible solution. Work to reduce crowding and contamination on calving grounds. Buy animals from herds that you know their Johne’s disease status. Don’t borrow colostrum from dairy herds. And lastly, consider testing your herd.
Genomic strategies for improving cattle efficiencies
Dr. John Basarab, University of Alberta, shared the keynote presentation titled “Genomic strategies for improving beef cattle efficiencies in a changing environment.”
Basarab’s research focuses on using genomics and genetic recombination for commercial producers. With more genetic diversity comes better health and economics.
“In the end, the only thing that matters is carcass weight,” Basarab said. “The rest gets you discounts.”
Since the early 2000s, there has been a steady decline in heterosis due to single-breed use. Around 40% of cows and calves would benefit from a 30% increase in heterosis. Heterosis increases fertility, longevity and lifetime productivity by 20% to 30%. Additionally, calves with lower hybrid vigor had 43% more health events. Those with higher hybrid vigor were able to handle stressors better.
With herd expansion coming, here are the key things to think about:
- Matching the cow with your grazing resource and environment
- Keeping records
- Adopting genetic selection and genomic tools
- Improving your efficiency and profitability
- How your cow herd can adapt to a changing environment
With crossbreeding, genomic retained heterozygosity is linearly related to female fertility, Basarab said. Use of genomic tools has a significant impact on profit, health resilience and reduced the carbon footprint of beef production.
