Live Cattle Research Articles

Herd-level prevalence of Mycoplasma bovis in Swedish dairy herds determined by antibody ELISA and PCR on bulk tank milk and herd characteristics associated with seropositivity.

Mycoplasma bovis is an important pathogen causing pneumonia, mastitis, and arthritis in cattle, leading to reduced animal welfare and economic losses worldwide. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated the prevalence of M. bovis in bulk tank milk (BTM) and herd characteristics associated with a positive antibody test result in Swedish dairy herds. Bulk tank milk samples from all Swedish dairy herds (n = 3,144) were collected and analyzed with ID Screen antibody ELISA and PCR. Information on herd characteristics was collected from the national Dairy Herd Improvement database. To identify herd characteristics associated with the presence of antibodies in BTM, logistic regression was used in 4 different models. The apparent herd-level prevalence of M. bovis infection based on antibodies in BTM was 4.8%, with large regional differences ranging from 0 to 20%. None of the BTM samples was positive by PCR. All the antibody-positive herds were situated in the south of Sweden. The logistic regression model showed that larger herds had higher odds of detectable antibodies in BTM (herd size >120 cows, odds ratio = 8.8). An association was also found between antibodies in BTM and both a higher late calf mortality (2-6 mo) and a higher young stock mortality (6-15 mo). This study showed a clear regional difference in the apparent prevalence of M. bovis infection based on antibodies. The relatively low prevalence of M. bovis in Sweden is a strong motivator for the cattle industry to take steps to prevent further spread of the infection. It is essential that the M. bovis status of free herds be known, and the regional differences shown in this study suggest that testing is highly recommended when live cattle from high-prevalence areas are being introduced into herds. We do not recommend using PCR on BTM to detect infected herds, owing to the low detection frequency in this study.

Indigenous and Introduced: How Beef-eating Acceptance Affected the Cattle Industry in Modern Japan

The intention of this paper is to describe how the cattle industry in Japan had changed with the introduction of beef eating habits. Before the Japanese Meiji Restoration, meat-eating had been formally prohibited. In practice, some people had opportunities to eat game, although livestock had been severely tabooed. In the Civilization and Enlightenment period of Japan, beef eating spread rapidly. It was mainly eaten in an indigenous cooking method called a beef “hot pot.” This cooking method influenced the development of beef fattening. In the pre-war period, farmers kept only a single cow for plowing, transporting, and collecting fertilizer, but the process of fattening was added later introduced to satisfy people''s appetites for better-tasting beef. The goal of fattening had consistently been fatty meat. With the development of fattening technology, the ideal meat in the 1920s was fatty meat with intramuscular marbling. This beef-eating culture is inextricably linked with the fact that beef was first accepted as a hot pot dish in the modern era. Cattle fattening in developed areas took place within the conventional system of cattle rearing, which involved single cattle rearing system combined with arable agriculture. The fact that multiple cattle rearing based on the Western model did not take root is not seen as a delay in the modernization of Japanese livestock breeding, but rather as a technical and managerial rationale for combining single-head rearing practices with the utilization of that cattle for arable agriculture. Even though the indigenous cattle rearing system remained, the introduction of live cattle from colonial Korea brought complexities to the Japanese cattle industry. The importation of Korean cattle brought about a qualitative diversity as well as a quantitative expansion in terms of the supply of cheaper and leaner beef, and contributed to the change in consumption that has been termed the “popularization of meat eating.”

The market chain analysis of live cattle in South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

This study focus on market chain actors and their functions they play in the market, to analyze the S-C-P of live cattle in the study area. Few traders dominated the market structure of live cattle in the study area. Degree of competition between traders varies and the live cattle market structure varies from loose oligopoly to tight oligopoly. This shows that in the study area few traders dominated market shares and earns abnormal profit. Entry barriers of the market are high market distant, characterize the market of live cattle and high transportation cost. In addition, market the structure varies for each cattle type. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. Tech. 12(1): 56-66, June 2022

Assessing the export trade risk of bluetongue virus serotypes 4 and 8 in France.

Bluetongue (BT) causes an economic loss of $3 billion every year in the world. After two serious occurrences of BT (bluetongue virus [BTV] occurrence in 2006 and 2015), France has been controlling for decades, but it has not been eradicated. As the largest live cattle export market in the world, France is also one of the major exporters of breeding animals and genetic materials in the world. The biosafety of its exported cattle and products has always been a concern. The scenario tree quantitative model was used to analyze the risk of BTV release from French exported live cattle and bovine semen. The results showed that with the increase in vaccination coverage rates, the risk decreased. If the vaccine coverage is 0%, the areas with the highest average risk probability of BTV-4 and BTV-8 release from exported live cattle were Haute-Savoie and Puy-de-Dôme, and the risk was 2.96 × 10-4 and 4.25 × 10-4 , respectively. When the vaccine coverage was 90%, the risk probability of BTV-4 and BTV-8 release from exported live cattle was 2.96 × 10-5 and 4.24 × 10-5 , respectively. The average probability of BTV-8 release from bovine semen was 1.09 × 10-10 . Sensitivity analysis showed that the probability of false negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and the probability of BT infection in the bull breeding station had an impact on the model. The identification of high-risk areas and the discovery of key control measures provide a reference for decision makers to assess the risk of French exports of live cattle and bovine semen.

PRICE INTERDEPENDENCE IN THE INTERNATIONAL AND BRAZILIAN BEEF CATTLE MARKET

The objective of this study is to verify the interdependence and asymmetry in price transmission between the main Brazilian and international slaughter beef cattle markets. We used for causality and cointegration tests, and the application of the multiple regression model to analyse the asymmetry in price transmission between the main Brazilian and international markets. The results showed that there is an interdependent relationship between the prices of live cattle in the Brazilian market and the prices of beef cattle in international markets. However, the direction of transmission between them is significant only from the prices of live cattle in the main Brazilian markets to the prices of beef cattle in international markets.

The Thinning Cash Cattle Market: Evaluating Sample Size, Policy Prescriptions, and Pricing Proxies

AbstractMany cattle producers and producer organizations are concerned that the live cattle negotiated market has become too thin. The percentage of live cattle procured through direct negotiations has declined below 20%, while the percentage procured through formulas has increased to more than 60%. Most formulas are based on directly negotiated cattle prices. Proposed legislation mandating that a larger percentage of live cattle be procured through negotiations represents a market intervention. We show that live cattle futures prices are good proxies for negotiated cash prices, while being less restrictive for meeting proposed cash cattle procurement percentage requirements.

A study on the hedging of the calf and the hegde of live cattle in futures market negotiations at BM&F

A study on the hedging of the calf and the hegde of live cattle in futures market negotiations at BM&F

Phylogenomics and Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Bovine Leukemia Virus Focusing on Asian Native Cattle: Insights Into the Early Origin and Global Dissemination.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), the causative agent of enzootic bovine leukosis, is currently one of the most important pathogens affecting the cattle industry worldwide. Determining where and in which host it originated, and how it dispersed across continents will provide valuable insights into its historical emergence as the cattle pathogen. Various species in the Bos genus were domesticated in Asia, where they also diversified. As native cattle (taurine cattle, zebu cattle, yak, and water buffalo) are indigenous and adapted to local environments, we hypothesized that Asian native cattle could have harbored BLV and, therefore, that they were important for virus emergence, maintenance, and spread. In this study, phylogeographic and ancestral trait analyses—including sequences obtained from Asian native cattle—were used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of BLV. It was shown that, since its probable emergence in Asia, the virus spread to South America and Europe via international trade of live cattle. It was inferred that zebu cattle were the hosts for the early origin of BLV, while taurine cattle played the significant role in the transmission worldwide. In addition, the results of positive selection analysis indicate that yak had a substantially minor role in the transmission of this virus. In this study, endogenous deltaretrovirus sequences in bats, collected in Asian countries, were also analyzed on whether these sequences were present in the bat genome. Endogenous deltaretrovirus sequences were detected from bat species endemic to specific regions and geographically isolated for a long time. Endogenous deltaretrovirus sequences from these geographically isolated species represent ancient exogenous deltaretroviruses distributions. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that these newly obtained endogenous deltaretrovirus sequences were closely related to those of BLV from Asian native cattle, indicating that BLV-related ancient deltaretroviruses circulated in Asia long before the emergence of BLV. Together, our analyses provide evidence for origin and spatiotemporal dynamics of BLV.

Red Meat Republic: A Hoof-to-Table History of How Beef Changed America

Red Meat Republic: A Hoof-to-Table History of How Beef Changed America

Union Industrial Responses to Escalation in Live Cattle Export in Brisbane, 1978

Live animal export is now a subject of major concern and controversy over the issue of the treatment of animals and the question of animal rights; however, this was not always the case. On 17 October 1978, to thwart expansion of the live cattle export trade by Elders Smith Goldsborough Mort (Elders), the Australasian Meat Industry Employees’ Union (AMIEU) picketed Hamilton Wharf in Brisbane in an attempt to limit live cattle export to protect meatworkers’ jobs. The picket was broken and deteriorated into violence between meatworkers and police resulting in 45 arrests. Police had been deployed to the wharf as an instrument of the Queensland state government, a finding made clear in the Fitzgerald Inquiry Report. Far from today’s concerns about animal welfare and rights, this paper argues that the picket formed part of a traditional industrial strategy by the Union that was motivated by its obligation to protect members’ jobs. The article shows that it was also an economic issue for Queensland graziers and pastoralists and subsequently a political issue in Queensland state and Australian federal parliaments.

Addressing indirect sourcing in zero deforestation commodity supply chains.

The trade in agricultural commodities is a backbone of the global economy but is a major cause of negative social and environmental impacts, not least deforestation. Commodity traders are key actors in efforts to eliminate deforestation—they are active in the regions where commodities are produced and represent a “pinch point” in global trade that provides a powerful lever for change. However, the procurement strategies of traders remain opaque. Here, we catalog traders’ sourcing across four sectors with high rates of commodity-driven deforestation: South American soy, cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesian palm oil, and Brazilian live cattle exports. We show that traders often source more than 40% of commodities “indirectly” via local intermediaries and that indirect sourcing is a major blind spot for sustainable sourcing initiatives. To eliminate deforestation, indirect sourcing must be included in sectoral initiatives, and landscape or jurisdictional approaches, which internalize indirect sourcing, must be scaled up.

Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Pathogenicity, and Virulence Potentials of Non-Typhoidal Salmonella Isolates at the Yaounde Abattoir Using Whole-Genome Sequencing Technique.

One of the crucial public health problems today is the emerging and re-emerging of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria coupled with a decline in the development of new antimicrobials. Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is classified among the MDR pathogens of international concern. To predict their MDR potentials, 23 assembled genomes of NTS from live cattle (n = 1), beef carcass (n = 19), butchers’ hands (n = 1) and beef processing environments (n = 2) isolated from 830 wet swabs at the Yaounde abattoir between December 2014 and November 2015 were explored using whole-genome sequencing. Phenotypically, while 22% (n = 5) of Salmonella isolates were streptomycin-resistant, 13% (n = 3) were MDR. Genotypically, all the Salmonella isolates possessed high MDR potentials against several classes of antibiotics including critically important drugs (carbapenems, third-generation cephalosporin and fluoroquinolone). Moreover, >31% of NTS exhibited resistance potentials to polymyxin, considered as the last resort drug. Additionally, ≤80% of isolates harbored “silent resistant genes” as a potential reservoir of drug resistance. Our isolates showed a high degree of pathogenicity and possessed key virulence factors to establish infection even in humans. Whole-genome sequencing unveiled both broader antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles and inference of pathogen characteristics. This study calls for the prudent use of antibiotics and constant monitoring of AMR of NTS.

Biomarkers and biosensors for the diagnosis of noncompliant pH, dark cutting beef predisposition, and welfare in cattle.

Meat quality can be affected by stress, exhaustion, feed composition, and other physical and environmental conditions. These stressors can alter the pH in postmortem muscle, leading to high pH and low-quality dark cutting (DC) beef, resulting in considerable economic loss. Moreover, the dark cutting prediction may equally provide a measure for animal welfare since it is directly related to animal stress. There are two needs to advance on-site detection of dark cutters: (1) a clear indication that biomarker (signature compounds) levels in cattle correlate with stress and DC outcome; and (2) measuring these biomarkers rapidly and accurately on-farm or the abattoir, depending on the objectives. This critical review assesses which small molecules and proteins have been identified as potential biomarkers of stress and dark cutting in cattle. We discuss the potential of promising small molecule biomarkers, including catecholamine/cortisol metabolites, lactate, succinate, inosine, glucose, and β-hydroxybutyrate, and we identify a clear research gap for proteomic biomarker discovery in live cattle. We also explore the potential of chemical-sensing and biosensing technologies, including direct electrochemical detection improved through nanotechnology (e.g., carbon and gold nanostructures), surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy in combination with chemometrics, and commercial hand-held devices for small molecule detection. No current strategy exists to rapidly detect predictive meat quality biomarkers due to the need to further validate biomarkers and the fact that different biosensor types are needed to optimally detect different molecules. Nonetheless, several biomarker/biosensor combinations reported herein show excellent potential to enable the measurement of DC potential in live cattle.

Mud Crab (Scylla spp.) Aquaculture in the South-West Sundarbans Region of Bangladesh

Mud crab (Scylla spp.) aquaculture has become an important livelihood option for the coastal fisher-folks in Bangladesh. Mud crabs harvested from wild sources are traditionally fattened in pens installed in tidal rivers, ghers, and earthen ponds in Bangladesh. The study was aimed at understanding the practice and production economics of mud crab farming in the South-West Sundarbans region of Bangladesh, and was conducted in the areas namely Bagerhat, Satkhira and Khulna districts where mud crab fattening are predominately ventured. Most of the farmers fatten both male (lean) and female (gonadally immature) crabs of 100 - 180 g. The crabs are stocked at varying rate (12 - 641 g/m2), and fed at the rate of 8-10% of body weight with trash live fishes, dried fishes, snails, mollusks, and cattle viscera. The fattening for a mean cycle of 22 ± 14.34 days has the survival rate of 55 - 90%, and has the production of 0.065 ± 0.26, 0.084 ± 1.33, and 0.17 ± 3.76 kg/m2 in Bagerhat, Satkhira, and Khulna, respectively. After harvesting (mostly partial), crabs are sold at average price rate of 4.35 ± 0.45 US$/kg. The lowest production cost (3.14 US$/kg) and the better economic return (US$ 147.77) per cycle was recorded in the district of Satkhira. The mud crab fattening has hitherto been evaluated economically feasible in and around the Sundarbans region, but the production and economic efficiency can be scaled up adopting scientifically demonstrated regime of stocking, feeding, and health management. The development of crab seed hatchery, artificial feed for crab, and strongest marketing network are addressed as crux issues for the sustainability of mud crab aquaculture in Bangladesh.

Characterization and Comparison of the Rumen Luminal and Epithelial Microbiome Profiles Using Metagenomic Sequencing Technique.

Bacterial dysbiosis as a result of nutritional, bacterial, viral, and parasitic gastrointestinal infections can adversely affect the metabolism, productivity, and overall health of cattle. The purpose of this project was to characterize the commensal microbiota present in two locations of the rumen concomitantly in vivo with the animals undergoing habitual husbandry, as it was hypothesized that there are major differences in the commensal microbiota present in the two locations of the adult bovine major forestomach. A surgically fitted rumen cannula was used to allow ruminal lumen contents and mucosal biopsies to be collected from six crossbred yearling steers. In order to assess as much environmental and individual steer microbiota variation as possible, each animal was randomly sampled three times over a 3 week period. 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to provide a detailed descriptive analysis from phylum to genus taxonomic level. Significant differences were observed between luminal and epimural bacterial populations in the bovine rumen. As expected, a core microbiome composed by Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes represented over 90% of the microbiome, however, further analysis showed distinct diversity and distribution of the microbiome between the two locations. Characterizing the gastrointestinal microbiome in vivo is imperative. The novelty and the contribution of this study to the literature is the use of live cattle which allowed real-time sample collections and analysis of the rumen microbiome providing an understanding of what is normal in the live animal.

Evaluation of a Preharvest Bacteriophage Therapy for Control of Salmonella within Bovine Peripheral Lymph Nodes

A series of proof-of-concept studies were developed to determine whether a commercial bacteriophage cocktail could be utilized for the mitigation of Salmonella in bovine peripheral lymph nodes (LNs). The first objective sought to determine whether exogenous phage could be isolated from the LNs following administration. If isolation were successful, the second objective was to determine whether the phage in the LNs could effectively reduce Salmonella. Salmonella Montevideo was inoculated intradermally at multiple sites and multiple times, followed by delivery of the phage cocktail subcutaneously in two injections around each of the right and left prescapular and subiliac LNs. At the conclusion of each study, animals were euthanized, and the popliteal, prescapular, and subiliac LNs were examined. The inoculated phage was successfully isolated from the LNs; transmission electron microscopy revealed phages in the LNs of the treated cattle, and these phages were identical to those in the cocktail. Levels of phage were higher (P < 0.01) in the prescapular and subiliac LNs in the phage-treated than in the control cattle. In subsequent studies, the protocols were modified to increase Salmonella and phage levels within the LNs. Compared with the first study, overall Salmonella levels were increased in the LNs, and phage treatment decreased (P < 0.01) Salmonella in the some of the LNs. Phage levels were numerically but not significantly increased (P = 0.12) in the treated cattle. The final study was modified, hypothesizing that a 48-h postmortem period before LN removal would facilitate phage-Salmonella interaction; however, no differences (P > 0.10) in Salmonella levels were found among treatments. Salmonella-specific phages administered to live cattle can translocate to the LNs; however, these phages had limited to no effect on Salmonella in these LNs under these experimental conditions.

Characterizing implied volatility functions from agricultural options markets

AbstractWe provide the first comprehensive characterization and comparison of implied volatility functions for five major agricultural options markets—corn, soybeans, soft red winter wheat, live cattle, and feeder cattle—using intraday tick data. Our results show that cattle markets exhibit a distinct leftward skew, which is puzzling and indicates that out‐of‐the‐money traded put options are theoretically overpriced. In contrast, we find that grain market implied volatility functions display a flatter, less pronounced smile pattern. We examine market sentiment induced short‐term hedging pressures using Commodity Futures Trading Commission reports, and market uncertainty around Cattle on Feed reports, as potential causes of the cattle markets skew. However, our results show that the explanatory power of our short‐term hedging pressure proxies are only helpful in isolated cases but overall cannot explain the large skews we observe in cattle markets.

Livestock Market Chain Analysis: The Case of Live Cattle in Hadiya Zone of Southern Ethiopia

Ethiopia is known for its high potential of livestock population ranking first in Africa. However, the benefit the country is getting from the sector is far below the existing potential. Similarly in Hadiya zone, beside its high potential, the contribution of the sector is very low. Improvement of market chain is the most important way out to enhance the contribution of the sector to the country in general and to the study area in particular. The study was conducted with the aim of identifying major market channels, key actors and their major roles, opportunities and challenges, assessing marketing costs and margins, and determining factors affecting cattle market supply in the study area. The study used both primary and secondary data sources. To select representative respondents, the study employed multi-stage sampling technique. Out of ten districts of the Zone, two districts: Soro and Misha were randomly selected. Representative kebeles were randomly selected based on probability proportional to size of each district. Respondent household heads were randomly selected and interviewed to generate the data. The study also undertaken focus group discussion and key informant interview. Both descriptive statistics and econometric model were used to analyze the data. The results of the study revealed that the market chain of live cattle had long chain without adding a significant value. The determinant factors influencing live cattle market supply were households’ age, educational level, market information, market price, credit utilization and number of livestock ownership. Thus, the concerned bodies should focus on the aforementioned variables for the increment of producers’ margin share and live cattle market supply. Keywords: Livestock, Live Cattle, Market Chain, Hadiya Zone DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/11-21-03 Publication date: November 30 th 2021

Impact of imported Indian buffalo meat on red meat supply and demand in South Kalimantan, Indonesia

Since 2016, the government introduced the domestic beef market to Indian buffalo meat (IBM). However, the impact of IBM on regional beef supply and demand has not been fully investigated. This study aimed to study the impact of IBM on the supply and demand of local beef in South Kalimantan (KalSel), Indonesia. Surveys were conducted with slaughterhouses, beef distributors, butchers, meatball makers, and resellers both at the supermarkets and wet markets. Secondary data were collected from Banjarmasin Quarantine Office and Livestock and Animal Health Service of Kalsel. Data indicated an increase of IBM imported into Kalsel, from 38-675 tonnes in 2017 and 2019. There was a decline of live cattle imported from inter-island, from 27,240 head in 2016 to only 12,788 head in 2019. Slaughtered cattle and beef production declined from 39,747 heads in 2016 to 31,058 heads in 2019 and 8,691 tons in 2016 to 6,791 tons in 2019. Butchers reported beef selling volume has been reduced by 50-70% compared to 2016. This study showed IBM has had significant impacts on inter-island cattle supply, local beef production and beef demand in the wet market but has no impact on local beef price.

A market analysis of beef cattle: Study in North Sulawesi Province - Indonesia

The aim of the study was to analyze marketing channel, marketing margin, and marketing efficiency of in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The research was conducted in two cities, such as City of Manado and Tomohon, and one regency, such as Regency of Minahasa, as the trade center of cattle in North Sulawesi province. There were 120 respondents, consisting of 100 farmers, 10 livestock brokers or intermediaries, 5 collecting traders (business scale of 20-30 cattle), and 5 end user or end consumer of live beef cattle, business consumer, and owner or user of abattoirs as well as beef distributors in North Sulawesi. The determining of respondents was snowball sampling starting with information of farmers as owner or user of abattoirs or slaughterhouse as well as both business and end users or end consumers of beef cattle. Analysis of marketing channel was performed by descriptively qualitative analysis via interview to marketing agencies and farmers of beef cattle, likewise with the analysis of marketing margin and marketing efficiency. The result of study showed marketing channel of beef cattle from farmers in North Sulawesi consists of two channels, such as via livestock brokers or intermediaries and through collecting wholesalers. the marketing margin of live beef cattle in North Sulawesi was large enough as of IDR 8,400,000, where the biggest marketing margin was on end users or business consumers. The market of beef cattle in North Sulawesi tends efficient due to the equal profit share and share of marketing cost in each marketing agency.