Ag-Visors

A new case, Mullins vs. United States, decided in the United States District Court in Knoxville, Tenn., considered an individual who owned and operated a cattle-raising operation who claimed he was entitled to deduct losses over a period of years. The court issued an opinion which focused on the fact that the taxpayer had consulted industry and legal experts in the industry, and that the land used for the cattle operation had appreciated in value. The court held that these factors indicated the individual’s profit motive.

The New Year is off and running and the FDA has also put out a new restriction on the use of antibiotics in food animals. This announcement came out the very first week of 2012. With all of the other restrictions we have to follow today, we are now getting more.

The holiday season is here and I want to take time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring you good fortune. With holidays come foods and sweets. All of this food is great, except for our waste line, and what about those pets?

Mr. and Mrs. Harold Kahla of Tomball, Texas were denied farm deductions of $2,658,774 for their cattle and deer ranches, even though Mr. Kahla was knowledgeable about livestock farming and was highly successful in other businesses. They owned 300 head of cattle.

This fall I have had a few calls about anaplasmosis. This is a disease of cattle that is caused by a ricketsia bacterium. This bacteria is transmitted to cattle by ticks, blood sucking insects and iatrogenic. Iatrogenic transmission is where we use needles and undisinfected instruments on animals. The bacterium is picked up from use on one animal and then the instrument is used on another animal giving the disease to the next animal.

Some people do not like the small ruminant class but, they are fun to work on. You do not have to have an elaborate set of handling facilities. Most can be handled by hand or with large flocks, a 12” ally way will work just fine.

Being prepared for a disaster is not an exact science. “You can’t be prepared for all disasters,” explained Dr. Rick Blubaugh, D.O., Emergency Department. “You can however have a few things stored on hand to serve you for the first few hours.” Inside Dr. Blubaugh’s Emergency Preparedness Pack you’ll find: basic bandages – to stop bleeding, a notebook with important phone numbers and contact information, flashlight, extra batteries, radio – to learn where triage and help centers are located, soap and water – infection greatly decreases when you treat wounds quickly, emergency blanket or parka to stay dry, early planning also ensures you have necessary medical information when you need it. “An emergency situation, whether an accident you have suffered or a natural disaster that has you leaving your home on a moment’s notice, is not the time to try and organize this information,” explained Cindy Gaddie, director, Skaggs Quality Improvement. “You should have it organized and ready should you or your family members need it immediately.” Your medical record creates the foundation for planning your care and treatment; serves as a means for doctors, nurses and others caring for you to communicate about your needs; is a legal document describing the care you received; and is a tool for you or your insurance company to verify that services billed were actually provided. Start with the most current medical information and work back. “Tell emergency contacts (family or friend) where they can quickly find this information,” explained Gaddie. “Update your information anytime you have a change, such as a surgery, change in medication or allergies, etc.”

Fall is here and we are all dealing with typical sickness in our animals. We are also dealing with some sickness amongst ourselves. Those that are around school age kids know all too well about this. All summer long the kids were at home and in different areas of the county.

We all know what “worrying” mean as we do it every once-and-a-while. However, “worrying” also has another meaning sometimes referred to as “dog worrying.” As one dictionary starkly defines it, “to seize, especially by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another,” “to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.,” “tearing to pieces [a] carcass.” Not only dictionaries but the law speaks about “dog worrying” and whether you own farm animals, tamed wild animals or dogs you should be aware of what these laws permit and do not allow.

With fall here, most are looking at weaning calves and getting them ready for market. At this time we have nothing that is 100 percent against respiratory infection in animals. With stockers and feedlots it is the number one problem. We loose more calves to this one disease complex than any other.