Livestock Management RANCHING


him in the past, test him now to be sure he was not exposed after last year’s breeding season. Discuss trich with your neighbors. It may be possible


to team up to screen your herds and develop a defense plan. It only takes one animal of unknown status to introduce a herd-wide infection, so this could benefi t everyone involved. In Texas, the Texas Animal Health Commission


(TAHC) veterinarians will notify producers by let- ter when an infected bull is identifi ed on an adjacent premise. Neighbors will be informed of the situation, but they will not be required to test. Consider your own need to know if your neighbor


had a trich-positive bull. While you may have good re- lationships with the neighbors on adjacent properties, you may not know the status of a bull on properties non-adjacent but within wandering distance. Keep in mind all the scenarios where trich exposure


could happen, such as a stray cow mingling with your herd and being bred by your bull. If she is a carrier of trich, your bull could then be infected. He will have full access to your cows, infecting all of them. By the time you have found the estray and cut her out of your herd, the damage could be done.


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www.coopersupply.com 106 The Cattleman October 2015 thecattlemanmagazine.com During this long


season of drought, water has never been a more serious issue.


Any exposure to outside animals that are not veri-


fi ed as trich-free should be handled as if the animal were a carrier until you can verify that it is clean. Do not gamble on the possibility of losing the calves you expected before trich showed up.


Prevention When it comes to avoiding a trich infection in your


herd, your best defense can be using best management practices and following sound biosecurity measures. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s Livestock and Food


Animal Systems Coordinator Dr. Tom Hairgrove and Dr. Ron Gill, professor and extension specialist, sug- gest the following steps to minimize and avoid trich in your herd: • Good fences might make good neighbors, but they are also your fi rst line of defense against trich. Maintain good perimeter fences to keep cattle of unknown status out — and your cattle in.


• Keep your bull battery as young as possible. • Buy only virgin bulls and heifers, preferably from the original breeder. Unless the virginity of bulls can be positively confi rmed, test ALL bulls before adding them to the herd.


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