Fairs Provide Showcase to Demonstrate "We Care"(from FRAC FACTS, Summer 1998)
It's Fair time again!! Often billed as the "picture window" of the livestock industry, shows are the perfect place to display and showcase our concern for animal welfare. This month MnFRAC interviewed Steve Pooch, Minnesota State Fair Entry Department and Sec. Treas. Of the Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association to get his insight on some of these opportunities, issues and concerns.

Dick: Does the public have expectations when they come to see animals displayed?

Steve: "By and large when the public comes to the fair they expect to see animals at their best. Among other things, animals need to be clean, well groomed, well fed and healthy. For the most part, fairs fill this bill extremely well.

Dick: What kinds of things are turnoffs or present a negative image of animal agriculture?

Steve: The biggest turnoff today at fairs is animal abuse. Most anyone can recognize the out-and-out abuse but many times there's a perceived abuse in the public's eye which we need to be careful to avoid. One example would be the use of needles on an animal while the public is watching. Even though animals may need treatment of one kind or another, this should be done out of the public eye.

Dick: What ethical issues are involved in being a good exhibitor?

Steve: There are many ethical issues facing exhibitors in today's fair community. Using drugs or stimulants to enhance an animal's performance or to change its appearance, striking an animal or falsifying entry or registration papers are all good examples of ethical issues currently facing fairs. As an industry, fairs have adopted a code of ethics which is required to be signed off on before the exhibitor enters and shows at the fair. This doesn't necessarily mean they'll comply but it certainly makes them aware that we won't tolerate wrong-doing. This code is available to anyone interested. It is written in common sense language and is the best evidence to the world that we set a high standard for ourselves and our youth.

Dick: All exhibitors young and old have an opportunity to positively affect the public's image of animal producers What are some tips on meeting the public that come to the fair and may ask you a question?

Steve: As an exhibitors, it's important that they respond in a positive, rather than negative or defensive position. It's also important that you have the facts and not just some thoughts "pulled out of the air". Exhibitors need to remember that the public is the consumer and ultimately the people buying their product.
(Ed. Livestock shows will continue to be popular events at county and state fairs. Show persons as well as those who manage these events must continue to demonstrate quality assurance in production methods, humane handling of livestock and the highest standards of honor and dignity in the competitive environment.
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Improving Cattle Safety In Transit (from the Minnesota-Wisconsin Beef Producer Magazine)
Fewer than 100 years ago, herds of cattle walked to market under the care of a drover and his cowboy helpers. The trip was arduous, and an animal's safety on the trail was based first on perseverance and second on its ability to outrun danger.

Some were injured or killed. The bleached bones of a long dead critter half buried in the dusty earth was a constant, ghostly reminder that the grim reaper dispensed death on the trail just as easily as at destination. Whatever weight gains they had made previously were challenged by the amount of vegetation along the trail and the time span it took to reach a railhead or other depot.

The legends about the Chisholm Trail and other famous cattle drives have been captured by authors, poets, and song writers. Hollywood's cinemaphotographers have immortalized the cowboy yodelling at the campfire. They've romanced the cattle drive with action scenes of stampedes, raids, blazing six-guns, characters around chuckwagons, ballads by the Sons of the Pioneers, and actors such as John Wayne.

However, Hollywood hasn't begun to note the changes in cattle transportation. The bygone trails and treacherous river crossings have been replaced by ribbons of Interstate highways and expansive bridges. America's farmers and ranchers now move their animals from the ranch to the range on the most sophisticated infrastructure of roads and viaducts in the world.

The vehicles used in cattle transportation have come a long way, too. For long-distance hauls, today's semi-trailers can carry 100 or more calves at turnpike speeds. Smaller trucks equipped with stock racks simplify movement of fewer cattle.

Improve animal comfort and safety
In Minnesota and Wisconsin, the most popular vehicle for transport of cattle is the stock trailer. Check the parking lot at any auction facility, fair, cattle sale, or show, and stock trailers - both hitched and gooseneck - are lined up like hotdogs on a grill.

There are as many as two dozen or more commercial trailer manufacturers. Some use steel and stainless steel to construct trailers; others use only aluminum; a few use combinations of metals. Most offer a series of sleek trailer designs and configurations depending on the type of animal being transported. Nearly all say that their trailers are best. Almost none of their literature describes what the manufacturer has done to improve animal comfort and safety.

"More important than the type of trailer is how it is constructed and incorporated with safety features so animals will not be injured in transit," says Conrad Kvamme, a livestock consultant and owner of Orbit Farms, Arlington, MN. He is also president of the Minnesota Foundation for Responsible Animal Care (MnFRAC), a coalition of livestock industry groups who are dedicated to animal care.

"Our stock trailers become traveling billboards for the cattle industry," he says.

"People who know nothing about cattle form opinions based on what they see. An overcrowded trailer at a service station or bruised or lame animals at a sale or show creates an unfavorable impression about our industry. Animal rights activists - some well informed and others well misinformed - look for anything that could be called irresponsible."

To demonstrate his concern for animal safety, Kvamme worked with A1-Ray Manufacturing, a nationally known custom trailer construction company at Raymond, MN. The firm built two trailers to his specifications and now uses many of the easy-to-incorporate features to improve animal safety in livestock trailers for other customers.

George Paul, a design engineer, purchased A1-Ray Manufacturing two years ago from founder Al Roelofs. "We took his concepts of good components, good workmanship, and finish and set about to improve the appearance and structure of the trailers," says Paul. "The emphasis has always been on quality and safety features. We play down the nice looks and focused on serviceability.

Paul says that as a custom trailer manufacturer, he builds what the customer needs.

"If the trailer is to transport cattle, we're careful to make sure that what we put into the trailer doesn't harm the animal." He and Conrad Kvamme offer these suggestions to make your trailer safe for livestock.

Safety Tips
Confinement: How an animal is confined and treated in transit makes a big difference at destination, notes Kvamme. "Show animals that have been packed too tightly will look pretty tough when they come out of the trailer," he says. "As you are moving down the road, first goes the hair, and then you get skin abrasions. Squeezing cattle together results in bruised pin and hip bones or other blemishes to the hind quarters."

Projections/Protrusions: Paul points out that sharp edges or pointed objects which an animal could come in contact with inside or outside the trailer must be eliminated. "We design the trailer so it doesn't have projections or protrusions on the inside or the outside," he says. "We used to put diagonal braces on the sides of the trailer for extra stiffness. Then we moved the stiffness to the structure of the trailer. It was just too easy for an animal to get a hoof or a leg caught or broken in a diagonal brace. Eliminating the side braces also reduced wind resistance and made the trailer more aerodynamic."

Tie Rings: Kvamme says that show cattle should be tied during transit. Paul agrees. He welds good, strong tie rings at about 18 inches and 48 inches above the floor across the front of the box so animals can be tied facing forward, "We also weld tie rings along the side in the rear half of the trailer," says Paul. "This permits cattle to be tied sideways. We make sure that the rings are strong enough so a bull can't pull them out. They're welded to a frame member."

Enclosed Wiring: One of the objectives in building safety features into a trailer is to anticipate the actions of the animal being transported. Being inquisitive -- and sometimes bored -- cattle will try to lick or chew anything they see. A1-Ray's livestock trailers have taillight fixtures totally enclosed. All wiring throughout the trailer is placed in conduit. In addition, air vents and windows up front are covered with wire mesh to eliminate the possibility of cuts from broken plastic.

Planned Spaces: "If we have to put penning in somewhere, we either make it so small that cattle can't get into it or we make it so large that there's no chance for a hoof or head to get caught," says George Paul.

Entry Doors: Kvamme believes that side doors on a stock trailer are quite useful, particularly on fifth wheel trailers. "A wide door near the front allows you to load or offload cattle in the front of the trailer without subjecting cattle in the back of the trailer to more stress," he says. "They also make it easier to load feed or hay that may be stored in the nose of the trailer."
No Handles Sticking Out

Gate Latches: Paul says that a latch that sticks out could injure an animal or even an operator. "Our door latches and gate latches are constructed so there are no handles sticking out," he says.

Tie Bars: Conrad Kvamme recommends a tie bar along the exterior sides of their trailers. This allows you to tie cattle outside, if needed. Moreover, a tie bar welded to a sturdy inside partition gate permits cattle in the back of the trailer to be tied facing forward.

Interior Gate Height: Interior gates are designed so there is about 2-1/2 inches of room at the bottom. "Some producers want more space so they don't have to clean out the bedding as often," says Paul, "But more space permits animal injury in the form of broken legs. Loose animals may try to lift the gate with their head."

Interior Lighting: Kvamme notes that most animals resist entering a structure that has poor lighting. "Paint the inside roof and sides down to the windows with a light color to reflect light," he suggests. "Window openings should be frequent, and the plastic clean to let in light. Sides below the window line can be painted a darker color so light will be reflected on the floor area." He also says that installation of multiple, enclosed ceiling lights will help for night loading of cattle.

Floor Ends: Paul recently incorporated another design change to improve safety in the floor at the rear of the trailer. "We used to wrap a metal angle over the ends of the boards," he said. "But we noticed that animals -- particularly horses -- would catch a hoof on the metal piece as they exited. So we eliminated it. The board floor, the piece of steel, and the trailer bumper are now all at the same height. There is nothing to get caught on."

10 Percent More
Can these simple safety features become a part of your trailer? Both Paul and Kvamme believe that they can. It doesn't take a custom trailer manufacturer to do it either.

"As a custom builder, the most basic thing we offer is a steel frame trailer that will possibly last forever," says Paul. "Beyond that, it probably doesn't cost over 10 percent more to have a custom trailer, and frequently custom features don't cost anything more."

Conrad Kvamme adds another perspective. "The things needed for improved animal safety are inexpensive, common sense additions," he says. "Animals also respond to the mode of care by the people handling them. They listen to the tones of the voice, and they see hand motions. They respond to what they have learned. Providing safe housing during transportation reduces the chance for an accident and helps the animal handle stress.

"I think it is imperative that we have nice housing for our animals as we go down the road," he concludes. "We don't want people to see that we've packed animals too tight. It's hard on the animals, and it reflects poorly on our ability to manage livestock properly. Caring about our animals is integral to our industry. It's the little things we do that get big results."
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"Systems Approach" to Livestock Evaluation is Ethical and Practical
The overriding goal of 4-H is youth development and accomplishment, but due to showring pressures, this noble goal can get twisted to "winning at all costs." Also diminished in the traditional showring is the connection to real-world agriculture. The sheep that wins on show day can be a loser in terms of industry standards.

Blue-ribbon animals that don't represent industry ideals and ethics violations (use of drugs or professional fitters, the alteration of animals, and false ownership) hurt 4-H and FFA as well as commercial agriculture.
A tried and true solution is the "systems approach" to livestock evaluation developed by Chad Gibson and Gene Gibson, extension educators in Owyhee and Benewah counties, and used in Idaho since 1982.

"If someone from Texas came up here and looked at a county livestock show, they'd think we were 30 years behind, but we're 30 years ahead," said Jeff Goodwin, UI extension 4-H/ youth specialist and a nationally recognized speaker.

"Youth livestock programs in the future will look more like this than the traditional methods of livestock evaluation," said Goodwin. He is a board member of the National Youth Livestock Ethics Council and has produced a series of training videos about ethics.

This fall a national conference at the University of Idaho trained 4-H judges and fair managers from 13 states how to use the systems approach.
Jodi Black, livestock youth specialist at the Ohio State University, said "the systems approach puts as much objectivity into the subjectivity of judging as you can get."

"The systems approach assures consistency," said Gene Gibson. It is a guide for conducting the 4-H program from the selection and weigh-in of animals, through feeding, care, preparing for the fair, and judging. It uses a scorecard on show day based on industry standards.

"The emphasis is on producing a valued consumer product, not on animal appearance on the final day of the project," said Gibson.
In addition, the use of ultrasound equipment to evaluate carcass merit in live animals ties judging to industry standards and helps assure consistency. Ultrasound scans allow judges to have a better estimate of carcass quality before deciding on show winners.

Black said, "In the traditional way, a kid can work hard for a whole year and lose and receive no feedback from the judge. But with the cards, the kids set goals at the beginning, and if they don't achieve their goals, they can see in black and white why. By calculating average daily gain, the kids realize it's a feeding project, not a holding project. The systems approach develops champion kids."
According to Goodwin, the systems approach reclaims the educational purpose of 4-H livestock programs, prevents ethics violations, and ties what happens at fairs to real-world agriculture.

"Youth livestock shows and showring practices have to parallel real-world agriculture instead of running in an opposite direction," said Goodwin.
For more information, call (208) 885-6681.

Reprinted from University of Idaho College of Agriculture "AgKnowledge" #56
To enrich education through diversity the University of Idaho is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educational institution. #56
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Hoof and Mouth Facts and Precautions
1. Humans cannot contract hoof and mouth disease (HMD). Hoof and mouth is a viral infection of cloven-footed animals, meaning those animals with a split hoof. It most seriously affects cattle, but swine, sheep and goats along with wild animals can also be affected.

2. Hoof and mouth is rarely fatal to most animals that contract it, but seriously affects their economic value. Animals are affected for up to six months, resulting in severe production losses along with many animals becoming permanently lame.

3. Hoof and mouth causes a high fever and vesicles in the mouth and on the feet. Excessive salivation, decreased production, poor appetite and depression are symptoms of HMD.

4. Hoof and mouth has been present in over 60% of the countries in the world for centuries. The United States has been free of hoof and mouth since 1929.

5. HMD is a tough virus and spreads easily via inhalation or ingestion. Initial outbreaks usually result from ingestion, then shed from affected animals in the air they breathe out, saliva, manure, urine, milk and semen. Viruses have been known to travel up to 50 miles on the wind. They can survive at least a month on clothing, truck tires, feed, and forage.

6. MnFRAC encourages farmers and ranches to follow these State and Federal Agriculture Departments guidelines to avoid the disease:

a. Do not let anyone who has been in Europe (or other endemic continents) visit your farm until they have been in the U.S. for at least one week. Insist if they visit that their clothes have been laundered and shoes have been cleaned first. Disinfect any farm items from Europe before bringing them onto your farm.
b. If traveling to a HMD outbreak country, do not visit farms, zoo or other animal facility in any infected country.
c. Heed all warnings and precautions issued by airline staff on overseas flights, and heed the policies of customs and Department of Agriculture officials at ports of entry.
d. Do not allow meat products from Europe onto your farm.
e. Do not import animals or semen from Europe.
f. Review your biosecurity program with your veterinarian and be sure to insist that outsiders wear clean clothing and boots if they are going to come in contact with animals or feed.
g. Discourage tours of your dairy, visitors, and unnecessary traffic in and out of dairy facilities.
h. Where possible, reduce cross traffic between delivery trucks and farm vehicles.
i. If you have any suspicion that the disease is on your farm, stop all movements on and off the farm and contact your veterinarian immediately and also call the Minnesota Board of Animal Health at 651-296-2942.

(Material for this article obtained from information distributed by National Cattlemen's Beef Association, Dr. John Fetrow, College of Veterinary Medicine, USDA, Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Cherry County, NE Veterinary Clinic.)
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Tips for Livestock Handling in Hot Weather
The following are some common sense precautions recommended by Temple Grandin to help producers avoid deadly consequences of heat and humidity.
· Haul livestock at night or early morning.
· Use wet sand or wet shavings for bedding rather than straw.
· Remove grain slats from farm trucks to provide more ventilation.
· Load and unload promptly. Heat builds up rapidly inside stationary vehicles.
· Sprinkle hogs with water before loading. Sprinkle or mist animals with water or apply moderately cool water first to the legs.
· Provide adequate shade.
· Ensure that waterers are clean and working well, provide at least two waterers per pen of animals.
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Low stress animal handling can be simple, profitable
by Ann Hansen, Section Editor, Country Regional, The Country Today, Cannon Falls, MN

Public relations and economics are two good reasons to improve your animal handling methods, said Temple Grandin, an assistant professor of animal science at Colorado State University, at a presentation April 25 in Cannon Falls, MN.

Ms. Grandin has worked with producers and processors worldwide to design animal handling facilities and procedures. She has been featured in People magazine, the New York Times, and in many other publications and TV shows.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 100 in the parking lot of Lorentz Meats, Ms. Grandin said that public concern about animal welfare "is something that's not going to go away." Producers are going to be more frequently required to justify their practices to the public, she said.

Low stress animal handling pays off in economic terms as well. Studies by Ms. Grandin and others show that animals stressed by poor handling have reduced weight gains, are more likely to have tough meat, and show a higher incidence of "dark cutters," or animals with dark colored meat.

Sources of stress include physical stressors such as a new environment, exhaust fumes, not enough water, or bad feed. Psychological stressors include poor handling during loading, unloading, breeding, vaccinating, and even the process of being transported. Sudden starts and stops by a truck driver will increase shrinkage, Ms. Grandin said.

Stress is common when cattle are electrically prodded off a truck and then slammed in the face by headgates with poorly adjusted neck extenders before being released into a feedlot.

"How'd you like it if you checked into they Hyatt or the Marriott and the doorman shocks you, the desk clerk punches you in the mouth, and then they ask if you want to eat at the restaurant?" she said.
Many of Ms. Grandin's recommendations were low-cost and simple to implement. "I try to be really practical on what you can reasonable do," she said.

Some of the changes have to come from the people who handle the animals.

"The secret to good handling is don't get them excited in the first place," she said. "Once you get them excited, it takes half an hour to calm them back down. So when you bring beef cattle into the corrals to work them, let them settle down for half an hour."

No screaming or yelling should be allowed, Ms. Grandin said. It hurts their ears, and elevates heart rates as much as an electric cattle prod.
"Let's get the hotshots out of people's hands," Ms. Grandin said. "If you're going to crank the tail, the instant she starts to move, let up on that tail."
By rewarding the animal for doing what you want by releasing pressure on the tail, an animal can be quickly trained. This pressure and release technique can be used effectively in many training and handling situations.
Crowd pens should be filled only half full, Ms. Grandin said, and the cattle will move more easily and remain calmer.

"If I could get people to stop screaming and yelling, fill the crowd pen half full, and get rid of loose chain ends, you're going to be halfway there on low stress cattle handling," she said.

Loose chain ends, a jacket or pop can on a fence, or a flag in the wind are all commonly unnoticed by people but tend to spook cattle, Ms. Grandin said.

"Let's look at little things that can scare cattle in a facility, that can really mess up your cattle handling," she said. "Get down in your chute and look."

The backstop gates in many chutes can be more trouble than they're worth, Ms. Grandin said, by causing cattle to balk. Either tie them up out of the way, or put a remote control rope on them so they can be raised and lowered as necessary from a distance.

Tying a plastic flag on the end of a whipstick is an excellent tool for guiding and turning cattle, Ms. Grandin said. "Now the animal can see it. A naked sorting stick is really stupid," she said.

Many minor changes can be made in handling facilities to improve cattle movement. One of the most important is solid sides, especially on single file chutes, crowd pens, and squeeze chutes. Even a piece of cardboard on the back half of the squeeze chute, so cattle don't see you standing there, can make a big difference.

Non-slip floors are also important. "If an animal slips, just a little bit, it makes them panic," Ms. Grandin said.

A common source of balkiness in cattle is dark handling facilities.
"Lighting can make or break a handling facility," Ms. Grandin said. "Cattle are scared of the dark. They don't like to go into dark places." Installing translucent roofing or opening doors at the other end will often solve the problem.

Cattle should be able to see where to go. Facilities that have dead ends cause cattle to stop, while those built with curved chutes tend to draw the cattle ahead.

Dairy cattle present a different set of handling problems.
When introducing new heifers to a milling parlor, it's important to give them enough time to look around. "You want to make sure she has a good first experience in that parlor. Otherwise you can get a fear memory and you know what? You can't erase fear memories," she said. "The animal can learn to override, but it's never completely erased."

If the heifer balks at the drain in the floor, "give her a chance to look at that drain, sniff it, and then walk over it. You're going to be keeping that heifer a good long time, and it's worth five minutes to let her look at a drain," Ms. Grandin said.

Animal behavior differs between species and between individuals. Cattle will stand in line, but buffalo will not. Sheep prefer to be crowded when being worked, unlike cattle. Understanding how an animal's mind works allows handlers to use behavior to control animals instead of force.
"Animals get excited because they're scared," Ms. Grandin said. "Punishing fear based behavior makes it worse."

Many of Ms. Grandin's published papers and facility designs are available at her web site at www.grandin.com.
Ms. Grandin's publication, "Beef Cattle Behavior, Handling, and Facilities Design," is available for $55 from Temple Grandin Livestock Handling Systems, Inc., 2918 Silver Plume Dr., Unit C3, Fort Collins, CO 80526 or by calling (970) 229-0703. Additional books and videos are also available.
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Use behavior, not force, says animal control expert
by Janet Kubat Willette, jkubat@agrinews.com

Little things can make handling livestock a lot easier.

"These animals are controlled by their vision," said Temple Grandin, an international consultant in animal behavior and handling and an assistant professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Grandin spoke at a livestock handling expo at Lorentz Meats and Processing in Cannon Falls, MN last week.

Grandin told farmers to use flags or other objects that animals can see when moving or sorting. Handlers should also remain calm.
"The more excited cattle get, the more they stick together," she said. "Use behavior to control your animal rather than force."

Grandin suggests farmers put cardboard in chutes so animals can't see people standing there. The cardboard can be easily removed to work on the animal and then put back.

In chutes, cattle must see a place to go. Grandin said some cattle prefer moving left, and others right, but most aren't selective. However, if there is more than one handling facility on a farm, both should turn the same way.
For sheep, Grandin said it's important to keep the flock together.
Animals are visual thinkers and remember sounds, smells, or visuals. If livestock are making noise, they are likely fearful, she said.

"Po means they're scared . . . because you scared the po out of them."
She doesn't support treating cows in the milking stall and prefers that the same person doesn't do the "nasty" chores like blood testing and the "nice" chores, like breeding. If the same person must do the tasks, Grandin suggests having certain clothes or a certain place for doing treatments or medical work.

Genetics play a large role in how animals accept new things, she said.
"What is a new, scary thing to one animal is old home to another," Grandin said, displaying a slide of beef animals that grazed among noisy wind chimes.

And if an animal is allowed to walk up to something new on their own, it is less frightening.

"It's when you shove it in its face that it's scary," she said.
Livestock producers need to realize that the legal status of animals is changing. There have been dogs in custody disputes, a dog that was pardoned from execution by a governor and, in at least one city, dog owners are called guardians.

"Welfare's not something that's going away," Grandin said. "There's getting to be a fundamental change in the way animals are viewed."
Minnesota Foundation for Responsible Animal Care sponsored Grandin's southeastern Minnesota visit. It was their first road show, said Juanita Reed-Boniface, who with her husband, Dick Boniface, serve as MnFRAC administrative assistants and program coordinators.

The board will discuss doing similar programs in other parts of the state at their next meeting on May 8, she said.
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