Powder River Examiner -

(PR Extension Office)

The sixth and final session of Annie’s Project focused on Organic Production and Keeping Livestock Healthy, according to Powder River County Extension Agent Mary Rumph.

“The six-week program is designed to empower women in agriculture through providing education to help make informed decisions,” said Rumph. “The final program featured production and livestock health,” she added.

Organic production was the topic presented by Margaret Scoles, Executive Director of the IOIA, International Organic Inspectors Association. Scoles has maintained the IOIA office in Broadus since January 1999. She has 30 years of organic inspection experience and has been teaching organic inspector training courses since 1989. Scoles shared the history of organic production in the U.S. and her role as a certifier of farms, livestock and processing facilities throughout the U.S. She explained that 1% of the farm ground in the U.S. is in organic production; 5% of the food market is organic, resulting in major imports. Nationwide, organic producers have reported a 32% decrease in expenses and a 300% increase in gross receipts. She also said that Montana leads the nation in the acreage in organic production. She explained that it takes three years from the time of application of any synthetic or prohibited substance (fertilizer, pesticide, etc.) to harvest to be eligible for certification of an organic crop. Pest control is an issue and Scoles explained how crop rotations are often utilized to control weeds.

Scoles also asked if anyone had heard of or tasted “cricket flour”. She said it is being produced and marketed in Canada.

The second speaker, Dr. Abbie Schoonover, DVM, Broadus Vet Clinic, shared insight she has acquired through her nearly 8 years of practicing vet medicine in southeastern Montana, humorously climbing up on “Abbie’s Soapbox”.

She first explained the differences between medications including antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and vaccines; what the purpose was of each medication and their common names. She discussed the different types of vaccines, explaining that the intranasal vaccines are the newest form and that even though it “may feel like much of the product ends up on the ground, these vaccines have a lot of benefits.” She said they work with the immune system in an entirely different way than injectables, resulting in less stress on the animal and quicker onset of protection.

She discussed the emerging problem of lice.

“Cattle can live with lice, however, they reduce the animal’s ability to gain, thrive and I often hear from ranchers that they are rubbing down the corral fences!” said Schoonover.

“Lice are pretty much kicking our butts.” stated Schoonover, “They have developed resistance to the products used, primarily because of the way they are routinely used allows the eggs to mature and develop resistance to the product over time.” She said it is helpful to change the class of insecticide, sometimes as often as a different product in the spring and fall, to help prevent resistance. She also discussed a new product, Clean-Up II which claims to kill the eggs.

“It hasn’t been used long enough in our area for us to know how effective it is,” said Schoonover, “but if successful in killing the mature lice and the eggs in one application, it will be a very useful tool in controlling lice.”

Schoonover shared guidelines for “when to call the vet” during calving - once active labor has started, cows should progress visibly within an hour; heifers within 2 hours. She explained that sooner is better with scouring calves – and if possible, before they are laid flat out. Schoonover explained that dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are usually what end up resulting in life-threatening situations and to “please have an anti-diarrheal in your treatment protocol.”