| Bob Larson, DVM, PhD Reproductive physiologist and Epidemiologist Beef Cattle Institute Kansas State University RLarson@vet.k-state.edu |
Every businessperson must keep his/her customers in mind in all management decisions. The cow/calf producer has two customers to please: 1) the owner of the calves once they leave the ranch and 2) the beef-eating consumer.
Once calves leave the ranch, ideally they should adapt quickly to the new environment and ration so that health problems are kept to a minimum and growth and efficiency are enhanced. Supplying calves that have been properly immunized and adapted to concentrate rations will fulfill the needs of the feeder. Lingering health problems, over-conditioning, drug or physical adulteration that will carry through to the beef-eating consumer, or injection blemishes that carry through the feeding period are concerns of your feedlot customers.
The beef-eating consumer wants a product that is safe, free from drug residues, free of injection blemishes or abscesses, and flavorful. It is every producer’s job to ensure that every steak, hamburger and roast that comes out of his farm or lot can meet the customers’ demands. Avoiding violative drug residues starts with a plan and record keeping system that emphasizes the proper treatment of disease and identification of treated animals. Proper treatment for any disease begins with using the correct drug at the correct dosage for the proper length of time. In order to ensure that you are meeting these requirements, a close working relationship with a veterinarian is essential. A commitment to keeping animals with drug residues off the consumer’s plate means identifying and delaying marketing of animals treated with a drug until such a time as they have been untreated for the minimum number of days stated on the label if the drug was used exactly as specified on the label; or for an extended period of time, as determined by your veterinarian, if the product was used in any extra-label fashion.
In addition to being assured that the beef they purchase is free of residues, consumers have every right to expect their meat to be free of injection blemishes. By following simple standards of sanitation and animal handling, the incidence of injection site blemishes should be extremely small. Animals should be properly restrained and the syringes and other dosing equipment should be clean and functioning properly. Needles should be changed every 10 head or more frequently, and no more than 10 cc should be administered in any one sight. Any product that is labeled for subcutaneous administration should be given by that route, and any products labeled for intramuscular administration only should be given into non-prime cuts, such as the neck muscles.
Cattlemen, their employees, veterinarian, nutritionist, and any others involved with the ranch must each examine what could go wrong from their prospective in the delivery of a safe, wholesome and desirable product to the consumer. Once potential problems are identified, strategies or production practices are put into place to avoid those problems from ever occurring. Methods of record-keeping, employee training, and daily practices are instituted to check and verify (and document) that you are accomplishing what you intended to do. A well-planned BQA program is designed so that everyday management activities act to eliminate potential problems.
A good place to start when planning your herds program is with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s BQA guidelines. http://www.bqa.org/