Ranch Owners Asking for Regulations on Fees for Cowboys-for-Hire

From the KRGV News Channel Five Web site

Some ranch owners in Hidalgo County Texas say they're being over-billed for livestock that gets loose. The county has cowboys for hire, but ranch owners say there needs to be some sort of regulation for the fees they charge.

When livestock gets loose in Hidalgo County, authorities call in cowboys-for-hire, cowboys who round up the animals and returning them to their owners for a fee. Read more and watch the report on the KRGV News Web site.

11th TB Infected Herd Found in Minnesota

From Texas Animal Health Commission News Release

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health officials have detected another beef herd infected with cattle tuberculosis, making this the 11th TB-infected herd found since July 2005. (Prior to July 2005, no cattle TB-infected herds had been detected in Minnesota since 1971.) All the infected herds have been located in Minnesota’s Roseau and Beltrami counties, in the northwestern portion of the state. Seventeen TB-infected white-tailed deer also have been found in the area.

Minnesota currently holds Modified Accredited Advanced cattle TB status, the second-highest status on a five-tier TB ranking. It is now likely Minnesota’s status could be dropped to the third-highest tier ­Modified Accredited – as required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s federal regulations. State animal health officials will work to obtain a split-state status for the state, in order to allow the majority of the cattle in the state to move more freely.

If Minnesota ­or a portion of Minnesota – is downgraded to Modified Accredited status, breeding animals being moved from the designated area will have to be tested for bovine TB within 60 days prior to shipment, and the animal’s entire herd of origin must have been tested negative within the previous 12 months. All feeder animals also will need to have a negative TB test prior to movement.

Cattle and bison will be exempt from the testing requirement only if they are moving interstate to a federally inspected slaughter facility.

“All Minnesota producers planning to ship animals interstate should still contact their veterinarian to determine state import requirements prior to movement,” said Minnesota Board of Animal Health Executive Director and State Veterinarian Dr. Bill Hartmann. “Individual state import requirements may differ from federal requirements, so it’s important to verify them prior to shipment.”

“We consider it of utmost importance to do everything we can to limit the impact of bovine TB on the state’s cattle industry as a whole,” said Hartmann. “While the downgrade in our status is a setback, we are committed to eliminating this disease from the state.”

Exposure to bovine tuberculosis through the milk or meat supply is extremely unlikely. Slaughter inspection and milk pasteurization are key safeguards to preventing the introduction of tainted meat or milk into the marketplace. For more information on TB in Minnesota, visit the Board of Animal Health web site www.bah.state.mn.us.

Note for cattle producers: All other states have “TB-free” status for cattle tuberculosis, except: Michigan, where the Upper Peninsula is TB-free, and the remainder of the state is split between Modified Accredited Advanced (the second highest level) and Modified Accredited (the third highest status); and New Mexico with all parts of the state free of TB, except portions of Roosevelt and Curry counties, which are Modified Accredited Advanced.