cattle Archives

Multiple benefits of molasses nutrient blocks for cattle: Helping the fight against climate change

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Peter Windsor and colleagues are researching the challenges of increasing productivity and disease control for smallholder farmers in Southeast Asia and beyond, and suggest using molasses nutrition blocks as one potential solution.

In Southeast Asia, with its burgeoning economies, smallholder livestock production is in a promising transition stage, yet overall remains inefficient. Dr Peter Windsor, Professor Emeritus at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, Australia, and a team of researchers in Laos, have adapted the humble feed block into an effective multi-intervention livestock development strategy that could […]

Foot-and-mouth disease: A new antiviral stops the super-spreader in its tracks

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Tatsuya Nishi and Kazuki Morioka tested the effectiveness of antiviral drug T-1105 against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in pigs.

Dr Tatsuya Nishi and Dr Kazuki Morioka from the National Institute of Animal Health at the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Japan, have been testing a promising treatment against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Feeding pigs an antiviral drug (T-1105) may prevent any outbreak from spreading since it inhibits pigs from producing virus particles. Pigs are currently thought to be […]

An in-depth look at the East Coast fever vaccine

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Professor Andrew Peters and Dr Fiona Allan undertook a systematic literature review to better understand the vaccination options for East Coast fever, with an aim to inform policy and practice for liverstock keepers in sub-Saharan Africa.

East Coast fever causes significant losses among cattle in eastern, central and southern Africa, affecting the livelihoods of livestock keepers in these regions. There is no conventional vaccine for this disease and, instead, an infection and treatment method is implemented using Muguga cocktail and oxytetracycline. Professor Andrew Peters and Dr Fiona Allan of the University of Edinburgh conducted a systematic […]

Open range cattle herding in Texas: A very European affair

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Cowboys on horseback are an icon of Texas. The commonly accepted scenario is that cattle herding, first introduced into Mexico, expanded northward via the arid central highlands. However, Professor William E. Doolittle (University of Texas at Austin), has revealed a much more important route via the tropical lowlands of Mexico’s east coast. Cattle were first introduced to this region by […]

Relieving heat stress in dairy cattle

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Dr Stone found that cows with access to sprinklers were less affected by heat stress.

Dairy cattle in warm climates are at risk of heat stress, which can adversely affect both their welfare and milk production. To investigate the effects of heat stress on cattle, Dr Amanda Stone of Mississippi State University, USA, uses Precision Dairy Monitoring Technologies. Some of these technologies allow for continuous monitoring of the body temperature of cattle. Recently, Dr Stone’s […]