Arkansas will now require that non-virgin bulls sold for breeding purposes be tested within 30 days of the date of sale for trichomoniasis.
The emergency action adopted by the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission formally takes effect when it has cleared the state’s regulatory review process. However, State Veterinarian George “Pat” Badley said AL&PC is mounting an information campaign in hopes all buyers, including those by private treaty, make sure the animals have been tested. “We expect more testing and more prevention; that’s what we’re hoping for,” Badley told Ozarks Farm & Neighbor. There are two different tests for the disease; the producer can opt for three separate culture tests, or a single polymerase chain reaction test. Badley said it takes at least one day for the test sample to incubate and confirm infection.
Until recently, “trich” had largely been confined to Western states. However, the protozoan parasite has been showing up increasingly in the Southern Plains and Mid-South. Most states have adopted regulations requiring that bulls imported from out of state be tested for trich, but Arkansas now joins Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana in applying the requirement to in-state transactions as well. There are exemptions for bulls of less than 24 months of age carrying an Arkansas virgin affidavit, and for those used for rodeo, castrated within seven days of sale, or sold directly to slaughter. All bulls testing positive must go to slaughter within two weeks of the test.
“In the last six months we’ve had about 40 positives, and that represents about 30 herds, at least,” Badley said. “We’re getting a 4-5 percent positive (rate) on the bulls that we’re testing, and that’s significant.” The rate has increased as well, from three last October to 30 over the last five months.
“I don’t believe ranchers are very aware of the disease, to be real honest,” Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association President Marcus Creasy of Heber Springs told OFN. “Veterinarians themselves – that’s one of the last things they really look for, when they start looking for problems in herds when reproductive issues came up.”
Creasy said trich has become a statewide issue, with infection migrating into Arkansas from both the north and south. “It can definitely devastate a calf crop,” he said. “Producers who have had to deal with it have really had severe economic losses in not only the calf crop loss, but having to cull their herds and sell bulls. So it’s very important.”
