The 2021 Australian Beef Eating Quality Insights report is generated from the analysis of Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading results of 7.1 million cattle, processed and graded through 38 MSA licenced processors nationally during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years. This report aims to help beef producers optimise the eating quality of their cattle by demonstrating the impact of various production factors on the MSA Index.

For the first time, disease defect information and its impact on MSA grading has been included.

Disease status impacted MSA Index, whereby non-diseased animals had a higher MSA Index than diseased animals.

• The average MSA Index for diseased animals was 56.80
• The average MSA Index for non-diseased animals was 60.10
• Over 62% of non-diseased animals had an MSA Index equal to or higher than 60, while just 35% of diseased animals had a score equal to or higher than 60
• The non-diseased animal population had a narrower distribution and therefore greater consistency

If you are accessing animal disease and defect feedback sheets, indicating you have issues among your consignments, please reach out so we can work out a preventative plan and keep you producing high quality meat!

It is important to understand the normal calving process to know when to intervene. The normal calving process is divided into three stages of labour:

• Stage 1 - This is where the soft tissues of the birth canal dilate in preparation for calving
• Stage 2 - In this stage, the cow will lie down with active contractions until the calf is delivered. Average 70 minutes in a normal calving, with progress seen every 15 to 20 minutes
• Stage 3 - This is the expulsion of the placenta and should be complete within 24 hours of calving

Signs of trouble calving/when to intervene

• Slow progress of expelling the calf in stage two, i.e. no further progress after 20 minutes
• If two hours of labour have passed without complete delivery
• Presence of the water bag or feet without any further progress of calving
• Where it can be seen that the calf is not in the correct position.
• Examples of this include if only one leg can be seen outside the vulva
• If you can see yellow fluid coming out (meconium)

Tips for assisting a cow that is having trouble calving

• Always clean the vulva and perineum before having a feeling inside
• Use plenty of lube
• Do not try to pull it out unless you are sure it is in the correct position!
• When using mechanical calf pullers, force should never be excessive – the calf will come with steady traction providing it is not too big and in the correct position

When is it time to call the vet?

• If you have tried for 30 minutes and the calf is not out. Know that you can call after hours.
• If you can feel that the calf is not in the correct position and you are unable to correct it
• If the calf is not progressing out despite using steady pulling/traction with the calf in the correct position – likely indicates that it’s too big to come out without veterinary intervention

Summer sores are caused by a worm called Habronema. The larvae or young of these worms are spread by house or stable flies, which are attracted to moist areas like the mouth, genitals and eyes. If the larvae are left in the horse’s mouth, they are swallowed, the adult worms grow in the stomach and these can be treated by normal deworming programs, but these adults themselves rarely cause any serious illness.

If, however, they are deposited by flies on other moist surfaces (eyes, genitals or wounds) the migrating larvae can then cause summer sores if they migrate and lodge in the skin, or even worse problems in a horse’s third eyelid.
Areas susceptible to repeated trauma such as the front of the fore-fetlocks, or any recent laceration may also be infected.

The problem

Summer sores are basically an inflammatory reaction to the larvae in the skin. They can cause intense irritation and sometimes secondary bacterial infection.

When habronemae affect a horse’s eye, the inflammation can affect the pink area at the inside corner of the eye (third eyelid). These can develop into large nodules and can lead to ulceration of the eye, which is much more serious and will need prompt treatment.

Prevention

There are two areas you need to consider when trying to prevent this problem:

• Fly control - Decreasing the number of flies will naturally lessen the risk of this potentially serious issue. Manure management is the most obvious way to remove this fly larvae breeding ground and it also serves to remove worm eggs which are the beginning of the problem.
• Worm control - Regular worming will also help to control the adult worms that produce the eggs, which hatch into larvae and can be transported by the flies to a site, where neither the worm, the horse or the horse owner wants them to be.

Treatment

Once the eye is affected, our vet team is the best source of advice on treatment, which may involve removal of affected tissue, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic drugs. However, if the eye is ulcerated or other serious damage has occurred, more involved treatment may be required.

Persistent wounds on the front of the fetlocks often respond to topical application of any brand of worm paste containing ivermectin, abermectin or moxidectin.

We can also advise you on the most appropriate prevention strategies for your horse or horses.

Reflective ear tag program to expand after initial success

A road safety campaign using reflective ear tags to reduce the number of cars colliding with cattle on regional roads could be expanding after the success of the initial trial.

Police in the Central Queensland town of Nebo have been spearheading the trial, delivering tags to producers across the shire. With initial success and plenty of media attention, the program could be expanding with interest from other jurisdictions across the state wanting to join in.

Read more from Beef Central

Victoria's first seaweed farm aims to reduce livestock emissions

In a Victorian-first, seaweed is being farmed to reduce methane emissions from cows. The numbers are impressive. Feeding a small ration can reduce a cow's methane emissions by 98%.

It is a natural product that is readily available, and it could even help the cattle gain weight faster. Scientists are working on other uses for the seaweed, but it is the livestock application that is being targeted in Victoria for the time being.

Read more from the ABC

Inflammation of the eyes can take many forms. One of the most common problems with horses’ eyes is inflammation of the pink lining around the cornea and surrounding the eye, called conjunctivitis. Dust, flies and allergies, a foreign body, smoke from bushfires or burning off, an injury, herpes virus and some bacteria can all cause conjunctivitis.

You may first notice that there is excess moisture or tears running from your horse’s eye or, if you look more closely, you may see that the pink areas of the eye are more red and inflamed. In Australia, this is more likely to occur in summer, due to irritation caused by dust or flies.

Causes

As there are many potential causes of eye inflammation, in most cases, consulting our vet team is the best idea. If allergy is the problem, we may need to do some complex testing and elimination to determine what is causing the allergy. The likely culprits are fungal spores in hay, grass pollen or occasionally something in the horse’s feed.

If the inflammation is due to an injury, it is likely to be obvious, but don’t take these lightly. The cornea nearby is very sensitive tissue and if also involved in the injury, prompt veterinary examination and treatment is required. Please let the reception team know that you are concerned about an eye as this will be prioritised. A seemingly minor injury can progress to become ulcerated and require urgent treatment. One particularly serious bacterial infection that may affect an ulcerated cornea may result in such a deep ulcer that the eye may rupture and, making your horse blind in that eye. Secondary fungal infections of the cornea may also result in deep damage and blindness.

Herpes virus ulcerations are less common, but may result in recurrent bouts of pain and inflammation of the cornea. Again, these need to be investigated and treated by our vet team.

Treatments

If the cause of your horse’s eye inflammation is physical irritation from dust or flies, then a mesh mask may help to keep these irritants at bay. We have a whole raft of treatment options available, depending on the cause of the inflammation in your horse’s eye.

These range from drops and ointment to oral or injectable drugs to treat the inflammation. One thing some horse owners find hard to understand is the regularity that you need to apply some drops or ointments to your horse’s eye. It is really important that you apply the treatments as recommended. If you can’t for some reason, it’s best to tell us up front so we can arrange alternative treatments.

Another common eye treatment strategy is to use the third eyelid as a flap to cover the eye to allow it time to heal away from air contact. We can do this with minor surgery. A small tube may be inserted into the upper eyelid, slowly and constantly administering the eye drops to the eye via a pressure pump - a spring-loaded syringe or pressurised rubber device. Our team can certainly help you, but if you would like referral to an equine specialist or veterinary eye specialist, please let us know.

Getting your rams to the paddock

When joining comes around, you should be well-prepared and know how many rams, and which ones, will be used in each paddock. Taking rams to paddocks can either be via trailer or truck to prevent walking long distances, overheating and to save time. Walking to joining paddocks is acceptable, provided the weather is suitable and distances are not too great. Take rams to the ewes when you reach the paddock. Adult ewes will often move towards the new introductions.

Ram joining percentages

As a rule, healthy and sound Merino and British breed rams can be used at a rate of 1% plus one (1% is one ram to 100 ewes). This ratio can be modified to suit different conditions. Adjust the number of rams upwards in the joining paddock if joining out of season, extreme weather conditions, sheep type, local experience or paddock characteristics (i.e. multiple watering points,
large paddocks, other landscape features) warrant extra rams. Use 1.5% plus one for joining maiden ewes, and use 2% rams when joining ewe lambs.

Age of rams at joining

In order to be effective sires, rams should not be used until they are approximately 70% of their adult body weight. Hogget rams are not suitable for use with maiden ewes, as maiden ewes exhibit shorter standing oestrus. The more subtle expression of oestrus in young ewes means that experienced rams will better recognise oestrus in young ewes than young rams, so conception will be higher when using older rams with younger ewes, and vice versa. Older rams are perfectly suitable, provided they meet all other considerations (such as soundness), physical traits (such as conformation) and fit in with your breeding objective.

Source: RAMping Up Repro - Australian Wool Innovation

There are three common diseases that need to be vaccinated against before breeding – vibriosis, pestivirus and leptospirosis. There is a long lead time on getting them done, so this is a timely reminder.

Control pestivirus using Pestigard

There is only one vaccine to prevent pestivirus infections in your herd, that's Pestigard. However, there are a few ways to utilise the vaccine.

• Full vaccination program - Vaccinate all breeding stock annually with Pestigard. Two doses for heifers and an annual booster for cows 2-4 weeks prior to joining. Don’t forget to have your bulls on the same schedule
• Vaccination of heifers (+ / - first calvers) + bulls - Target vaccination with Pestigard to the highest risk groups. This is an excellent and effective starting point and can be used prior to implementing a full vaccination program, especially for those conscious of their animal health spend

Control vibriosis using Vibrovax

Vibriosis infection reduces the quality of bulls’ semen and also causes inflammation in the uterine environment. This leads to poor conception rates and increased abortion rates.

• Vaccination of bulls - In yearling bulls, the vaccine should first be administered 8-12 weeks prior to joining, with a booster dose 4-6 weeks prior to joining. Annual boosters should be given 4-6 weeks prior to joining
• Vaccination of females - Vaccination of heifers and cows with Vibrovax may be necessary to control vibriosis in infected herds

Control leptospirosis using 7-in-1

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic pathogen of cattle. Infected cattle can transmit the infection to humans.

• Vaccination of all stock - Vaccination for leptospirosis is often combined with clostridial vaccination (7-in-1), although there is a standalone leptospirosis vaccine. This is started as a calf at marking and weaning, and boosted pre-mating as a heifer, then annual re-vaccination is recommended thereafter