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Previous issues of the BEEF Cattle letter

Issue # 569

January 9, 2008

Living without 7% iodine - William Shulaw DVM, Extension Veterinarian, The Ohio State University

Treating the navel cord stump of newborn calves, foals, lambs, kids, and piglets has been done for many years. This practice has been recommended for the prevention of infections of the navel stump and generalized infections of the body that gain access through the navel such as joint infections. Perhaps the most often recommended antiseptic for use on the navel stump has been 7% tincture of iodine or "strong iodine tincture." If you have attempted to buy this product for the upcoming calving season, you may have found that it is either unavailable or more difficult to obtain. The reason is that, in July, the Department of Justice published the final rules that make iodine tinctures and solutions greater than 2.2% subject to regulatory control by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). This came about because iodine crystals are being used in the illegal production of methamphetamine, and they can be fairly easily extracted from iodine tinctures and solutions. In fact, some unscrupulous feed storeowners have been guilty of supplying iodine, iodine crystals, and other supplies to methamphetamine producers. (An interesting overview of this problem can be found at http://149.101.1.32/ndic/pubs1/1467/1467p.pdf published by the Department of Justice in 2002). The final regulatory announcement concerning 7% iodine tincture can be found at: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/fed_regs/rules/2007/fr0702.htm and Dianne Shoemaker, Extension Dairy Specialist, has written a nice overview of the problem and current situation at: http://dairy.osu.edu/bdnews/v009iss03.htm#ChangesinIodine .

Some veterinarians are still supplying their clients with 7% iodine tincture. It can be obtained by veterinarians who are registered with the DEA and subject to the record keeping requirements for purchase and sale of these products. However, some veterinarians and other suppliers have chosen not to sell it because of the additional recordkeeping and storage requirements. Veterinarians and Extension professionals are being asked for alternatives to 7% iodine.

There are no antiseptics actually labeled for treating the navel stump to this author's knowledge. Although the practice has been recommended for decades, and our experience seems to suggest it is useful, published research data concerning the value of treating the navel cord in newborn farm animals, with any compound, is very, very scarce. Several years ago, researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, evaluated 7% iodine and chlorhexidine for treating the navel in newborn foals. Their conclusion was that chlorhexidine was more effective than the iodine and that iodine could injure the sensitive skin around the foal's navel. As a result of this work, many equine veterinarians recommend chlorhexidine solutions to their clients, but other veterinarians have continued to recommend iodine tincture. In the past few years, chlorhexidine solutions have been used in some settings to treat the navel stump in newborn human infants to prevent bacterial colonization and invasion. Recent work suggests that this technique may be especially useful in developing and impoverished countries where babies may be born at home and in rather unsanitary surroundings. However, a review of the available literature on treatment of infant navels with chlorhexidine suggests that most protocols call for treating the navel daily for up to seven of the first ten days of the baby's life, and that although such treatment appears to reduce infections and death in infants, more research is needed to determine the ideal concentration of chlorhexidine and frequency of treatment. (see refs 1 and 2 below)

So where does this leave us? If you want to use 7% iodine, you will need to contact your veterinarian or animal health product supplier to see if they can provide it for you. For now at least, the 2% iodine tincture is still available, and its sale is not regulated. There are no published studies comparing the effectiveness of the two on navel cord stumps, but it may be effective, especially if more than one application is used. Be aware that the "tamed" iodine products used for teat dips, application to wounds, and for skin cleansing prior to surgery are not the same as tinctures (iodine crystals in alcoholic solution), and they do not "dry" the tissue like the tinctures. There is a similar lack of information about their effectiveness on navel stumps, but they certainly are effective as skin disinfectants and are not irritating. Chlorhexidine can be acquired from your veterinarian and some animal health suppliers. The research in foals was done with a 0.5% chlorhexidine (one-half percent) solution, and various concentrations up to 4% have been used on infant navels. It is safe and not irritating to skin, but dilutions should be prepared with distilled water, not tap water, and common soaps will inactivate it. No matter what disinfectant you and your veterinarian decide to use, it should be applied soon after birth.

We should not lose sight of the fact that disinfection of the navel stump is not likely to completely compensate for animals being born in unsanitary conditions. Most disinfectants fail in the presence of heavy organic matter contamination (read dirt and manure); and the bacteria that produce diseases, such as abscessed navels, joint infections, and possibly brain and respiratory infections, when they gain access to the body through the navel stump tend to build up to very high levels in crowded and unsanitary conditions. These high levels can overwhelm natural body defenses and the benefits of an antiseptic on the navel. Animals born outside in clean, dry, sunny pastures have a low risk of developing navel and other infections in the first few weeks of life. Clean, dry, well-bedded maternity pens are also less risky for newborns.

Furthermore, newborn mammals must get a sufficient supply of high quality colostrum early in life if they are going to be fully capable of defending themselves against infections. Some previous articles in the BEEF Cattle Letter that describe the importance of colostrum and managing the environment to control disease can be found at: http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/beef/beefAprl5.html#linkb and http://fairfield.osu.edu/ag/beef/beefApril4.html#linka. It is regrettable that 7% iodine has become hard to find, but the reason behind its limited availability is even more regrettable. Potential alternative antiseptics are available, and improving the environment and managing colostrum intake will not only help prevent navel infections, but also many other infections in young animals.

1: Mullany LC, Darmstadt GL, Tielsch JM. Safety and impact of chlorhexidine antisepsis interventions for improving neonatal health in developing countries. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2006 Aug;25(8):665-75. Review.

2: Mullany LC et al. Topical applications of chlorhexidine to the umbilical cord for prevention of omphalitis and neonatal mortality in southern Nepal: a community-based, cluster-randomised trial. Lancet. 2006 Mar 18;367(9514):910-8.

Time to Double Check Your Heifer Development Program - Dr. Les Anderson, Beef Extension Specialist, University of Kentucky

The first week of January is an extremely important "check-point" in spring heifer development programs. The key to proper heifer development lies in understanding the factors that influence conception in yearling heifers. One key factor regulating heifer fertility is age at puberty. Most producers don=t consider age at puberty of their heifers to be a major problem, yet few know how many heifers are actually cyclic at the beginning of the breeding season. A Nebraska study demonstrated that the proportion of heifers that were pubertal on the first day of the breeding season varied greatly over 5 consecutive years in a single a herd. The percentage of heifers that were pubertal on the first day of the breeding season ranged from only 21% to as high as 64% over the 5-year period. For maximum fertility and reproductive performance, heifers must have had at least one estrus before the beginning of the breeding season. Our goal then is to incorporate reproductive management techniques to reduce the age of puberty, increase fertility, and shorten the interval to conception.

One of the largest factors that regulate puberty in the heifer is weight. For puberty to occur, heifers must weigh at least 65% of their mature weight. This weight is referred to as their target weight. Most heifer development programs require that heifers reach their target weight, approximately 65% of their expected mature weight, by the onset of their first breeding season. Because fertility increases until the third estrus after puberty, heifers should reach their target weight at least 30 days before the start of the breeding season. I refer to this date as the target date.

January is the time to determine if your heifers are "on track". Most yearling heifers will need to reach 700-800 pounds (their projected target weight) by mid-April to ensure high fertility assuming that the heifer breeding season starts about mid-May. Weigh your heifers to determine how much they have left to gain to reach their target weight. If the heifers weighed on average 600 pounds and their target weight is 750 pounds then they will need to gain 150 pounds or 1.5 - 1.6 pounds each day to reach their target weight by mid-April. Heifers should reach a BCS of 5.0-5.5 by their target date.

The next important phase in heifer development occurs one month prior to the start of the breeding season. At this time, heifers should be vaccinated (Vibrio fetus, Leptospirosis, and the respiratory disease complex which includes PI3, BRSV, BVD and IBR; modified-live vaccine is preferred), dewormed, and pelvic area measurements should be obtained. Heifers with small pelvic areas and especially large heifers will small pelvic areas tend to have greater difficulty calving. Now is the time to contact you local veterinarian to schedule this pre-breeding work.

Producers should consider estrus synchronization and/or AI. Estrus synchronization and AI has many advantages which include: higher pregnancy rates, heavier, more uniform calves at weaning, and increase production and labor efficiency. The greatest advantage of AI is the ability to use superior, more predictable sires. Since a majority of calving problems in a herd occur when calving first-calf heifers, it seems only logical to synchronize and AI your heifers to proven calving ease bulls. Contact your local AI technician to schedule a time to breed your heifers. Next month, I will discuss various methods for estrus synchronization.

Proper heifer development is one of the key components to profitability in a beef cattle operation. Understanding the principles of heifer development can enable producers to incorporate management techniques to improve the efficiency of the operation.

EDITOR's NOTE: The Ohio Heifer Development (OHD) Program presently has 212 heifers enrolled at the three locations, and space remains for a few more. If you have interest in participating this year, contact Bill Doig (614.873.6736) as soon as possible. The potential for a bred heifer sale at the conclusion this year's OHD program remains, and is under development at this time.

Cost for the conference is $30.00 for Ohio Forage and Grassland Council members or $40.00 for nonmembers. Registration is due February 5, 2008 and checks should be made payable to Ohio Forage and Grassland Council. Send registrations to Ohio Forage and Grassland Council, P.O. Box 488, Coshocton, OH 43812. For more information, call Leah Miller at 740.545.6349.

Beef Demand Limited by Competing Meats and Macroeconomic Concerns - Derrell S. Peel, Oklahome State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist

Through most of 2007 strong beef supply fundamentals kept bumping into a demand ceiling that resulted in a crushing squeeze on feedlot and packer margins. Current indications are that demand concerns will increase in 2008 and industry margins may worsen or, at best, fail to improve. Poor macroeconomic news continues to weigh on beef demand with accumulating indications of general weakness in the U.S. economy. It is not so much that any one indicator represents a definite problem but rather the expanding set of indications in various sectors of the economy that suggest looming dark clouds. Many economists agree that the threat of a recession is higher and growing.

Consumer morale and discretionary consumer spending has been impacted by the home mortgage crisis, slumping housing values, high fuel costs, and a weaker dollar (which makes imported products more expensive). Disappointing holiday sales and poor housing sales data indicate that consumers are less inclined or able to compensate for a generally weak business sector in recent months. This week's news only contributes to the problem. Early in the week crude oil touched $100 a barrel for the first time; sending chills through markets. On Friday, the latest jobs report indicated that unemployment rose to 5 percent in December, not bad by historical standards, but a concern now and the highest rate in two years.

Beef demand is also a function of the availability and price of competing meats. The December Hog and Pig report confirmed that the pork industry in the U.S. continues to expand, following rapid increases in pork production in the last half of 2007. Broiler production is expected to increase in 2008 as well. Increased pork and poultry production will keep competing meat prices down and temper beef prices as well. There are indications that consumers have responded, not so much by eating less beef, but by "trading down" , that is, buying less expensive beef cuts and by reducing away from home consumption. Several restaurants reported weak sales in late 2007 and a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association indicates that only 16 percent of restaurant operators expect business conditions to improve in the first half of 2008 while 41 percent expect conditions to worsen.

Economists define demand for a product as the willingness and ability of consumers to purchase different quantities of the product at various prices. At the current high prices, there is already a limit on the quantity of beef that people will purchase. Beyond that, there are significant and probably growing factors that will further limit both the ability and willingness of consumers to buy beef. High fuel prices and rising unemployment reduce discretionary incomes and the ability of consumers to purchase beef. Willingness to purchase is influenced by several factors. Overall, beef is still popular and there is no indication that people do not want to eat beef. However, increasing supplies of cheaper alternative meats means that consumers will be more willing to substitute other meats for beef. In 2007, beef demand was probably best characterized as a ceiling that limited beef and cattle price increases. As we begin 2008, increasingly ominous beef demand factors could cause the ceiling to begin dropping, thereby making industry margins even worse and impacting cattle prices to a greater extent.

Weekly Roberts Agricultural Commodity Market Report - Mike Roberts, Commodity Marketing Agent, Virginia Tech

LIVE CATTLE futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) closed up on Monday. FEB'07LC futures finished up $0.050/cwt at $94.600/cwt but was limited by April/February spreading. The APR'08LC contract closed at $97.350cwt, up $0.400/cwt. Short covering was the name of the game as the Goldman Sachs rolled. Funds start rolling long positions from the current contract month forward to the next on the fifth to the ninth of the month. Speculators are betting on tighter fed supplies in the coming months. Cash cattle were up amid another mid-western snow storm. Packers need supplies and were willing to pay to get them there. No cash cattle sold on Monday due to the weather but are expected to trade $1-$1.50/cwt higher later in the week. Another winter storm is expected overnight in central and western Kansas amid already dropping steer weights. Bad weather in December '07 caused slaughter weights to drop. USDA early Monday put choice boxed beef cutout at $148.55/cwt, up $0.98/cwt. Cash sellers should sell cattle only when ready. Try and price corn inputs on technical breaks.

FEEDER CATTLE contracts at the CME were up on Monday. JAN'08FC futures closed at $100.425/cwt, up $0.100/cwt. The MAR'08FC contract finished at $103.700/cwt, up $0.350/cwt. Live cattle prices were supportive as fewer feeder cattle are expected to come of wheat pastures meaning lighter feeders that will take longer to market. Feeders had been lower amid ample supplies due to the reluctance to feed valuable wheat to cattle. Weaker cash feeders and a declining CME Feeder Cattle Index spurred some early selling. Trading turned higher on thinking supplies will shrink in the near term. The latest CME Feeder Cattle Index for January 3 was $99.59/cwt, off $2.20/cwt. Feeder sellers should sell cattle only when they are ready. Try to catch the technical breaks on grain inputs to price them.

Visit the OSU Beef Team calendar of meetings and upcoming events

BEEF Cattle is a weekly publication of Ohio State University Extension in Fairfield County and the OSU Beef Team. Contributors include members of the Beef Team and other beef cattle specialists and economists from across the U.S.

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