|
> MSU News
Risk assessment tool added to Montana BVD project
February 19, 2009 -- From MSU News Service
BOZEMAN -- A new risk assessment tool has been added to the Montana project that deals with bovine viral diarrhea, or BVD.
The tool allows ranchers, in about 20 minutes, to evaluate the risk for BVD virus transmission in their cattle herds. They can then take measures to identify the disease carriers -- cattle that are persistently infected with the BVD virus. Persistent infection is referred to as BVD-PI.
"The project assists ranchers in preventing BVD virus transmission from persistently-infected animals to breeding herds," said Clint Peck of Billings, director of the Beef Quality Assurance program at Montana State University."In less than half an hour on the phone or in person, we can measure a rancher's risk for BVD-PI and recommend management strategies proven to help rid Montana cattle herds of this troublesome disease."
More than 600 ranches representing nearly 200,000 head of Montana cattle have participated so far in the project. The BVD virus exists in cattle worldwide and can cause severe hardship for ranchers and cattle feeders who experience outbreaks. Research shows that one persistently-infected animal in a cattle herd can cost a rancher $14 to $24 per cow annually.
"The main negative health effects of BVD virus is that it inhibits conception and causes abortion in susceptible female cattle," Peck said. "The virus also suppresses the animal's immune system, making infected cattle susceptible to attack from other diseases."
Manhattan veterinarian Bruce Hoffman, president of Animal Profiling International, Inc., said infected cattle have a high amount of virus circulating in their blood, and they shed the virus efficiently to susceptible animals. The critical time to test for persistently-infected status is before the cattle breeding season.
Ranchers can take advantage of an accurate and rapid diagnostic approach costing $2.40 per head through Hoffman's Portland-based laboratory, Peck said. Infected animals can be identified virtually overnight and separated from the herd before they have a chance to infect other animals.
"Through programs like the Montana BVD-PI Herd Biosecurity Project, we can dramatically reduce this disease in cow herds,"Hoffman said. "And in doing so, we can help Montana ranchers produce better quality beef more efficiently."
Montana ranchers who want to conduct a risk assessment and participate in the BVD-PI project can contact Peck at (406) 896-9068 or cpeck@montana.edu; Mo Harbac at (406) 994-4323 or mharbac@montana.edu, or visit www.mtbqa.org
The project will continue to supply screening kits for ranchers and cattle feeders who want to screen their herds for the BVD virus.
Evelyn Boswell, (406) 994-5135 or evelynb@montana.edu
|
|
Email this article
