There are many things we are being told that can limit the spread of COVID-19. A few examples would be washing or disinfecting your hands, wearing a mask in public, keeping a 6ft distance from everyone else, etc.
What about the cattle industry, though? What are some things we can do to help limit the spread of pathogens and sickness within our operations?
Most pathogens spread through direct contact, some spread through the air. Processing tools/equipment are used on every single animal. While it is not practical to disinfect everything between each animal, we do have a client that disinfects the processing chutes, snake and tools. Fox Creek Cattle Co., out of Hopkinsville, KY, will spray down the processing chutes, snake and tools between each load and spray down the pens when all loads have been processed. Mr. Roberts, manager of Fox Creek Cattle Company, stated this is a basic biosecurity measure that any cattle producer can do. Mr. Roberts said it takes 5 minutes to complete this simple benefit.
Another place of direct contact is through a shared water source. Mr. Roberts stated that it’s important to routinely clean water troughs throughout your operation. He also mentioned that in their hospital pens they have waterers that will fill up and then drain after an animal has drank from them. Mr. Roberts said he noticed a difference in how quickly animals recover in the hospital pens since they installed these waterers.
There are many small steps that can be taken for big results. Mr. Roberts stated these small proactive steps, along with BVD-PI testing, have resulted in a lower morbidity rate and a lower cost in medicine. Follow us as to dive into what COVID-19 and BVD-PI animals have in common.