Badger Vac 45 Unveiled at Cattlemen’s Conference Agri-View: Livestock News

DATCP announced an added-value calf preconditioning program, Badger Vac 45, at the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association Winter Conference Feb. 15-16 at the North Star Conference Center in Deforest.

Ag Sec. Rod Nilsestuen announced the program during his speech at the conference Friday.

"Wisconsin's meat industry generates $12 billion and 88,000 jobs for the state," said Nilsestuen. "Cattlemen must make a profit to stay in business. There's an opportunity here to add value to Wisconsin-raised calves and improve the bottom line. Badger Vac 45 can help producers diversify, distinguish their product and compete at the high end."

This program will add value to the growing Wisconsin beef industry. Wisconsin’s cowherd grew by 5,000 head between January 2007 and January 2008 to 270,000 head. This followed a 15,000 head increase the previous year.

Wisconsin was one of only 16 states to report a beef cowherd growth. The states ranking has moved from 31st to 28th.

“The 5,000 head growth does match Wisconsin’s dairy cow herd growth,” said Jeff Swenson, livestock economic development specialist for DATCP.

The state’s farms with beef herds increased by a hundred in 2007 up to 12,800, with the average farm herd size 20.88 to 21.09 head.

“We’re still talking about very small beef cow herds,” Swenson said.

Wisconsin Cattle on Feed increased by 10,000 head to 24,000, which has doubled in the last 20 years. It was the seventh largest growth overall in the United States this past year.

The market is demanding healthier, better performing calves that have been weaned, vaccinated and know how to eat from a feed bunk and drink from a tank. Calves pre-conditioned to meet the demands of the marketplace often get top dollar.

The new statewide program will verify calves as pre-conditioned according to specific protocols. Wisconsin is among the first to introduce a pre-conditioned calf program after Kentucky, Tennessee and Iowa.

Badger stands for Building Added Demand Generating Enhanced Revenue; Vac for Value Added Calf; and 45 signifies calves are weaned for a minimum of 45 days.

Swenson anticipates Badger Vac 45 sales will begin this fall. The cost of the Badger Vac 45 will be determined by the sale committee of each sale and could vary some throughout the state.

“It’s not necessarily a replacement for Superior Auction or direct sales,” Swenson explained, “but really to give the small producer the advantage of size.”

Program requirements

Cattle must be owned by the seller for at least 60 days, weaned a minimum of 45 days. Cattle must weigh a minimum weight of 400 pounds and the consignor must have a valid Wisconsin Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification number to participate.

Vaccinations must be administered per BQA guidelines - utilizing subcutaneous products when possible, and administered according to product labels. All calves must be vaccinated and boostered against Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR), Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), Parainfluenza III (PI 3, Bovine Respiratory Syncytial Virus (BRSV) and a 7-way clostridial. Products labeled as single dose immunization may require only one injection of product to provide adequate immunization. It is recommended that a modified live product be utilized when appropriate for respiratory viruses.

Additional vaccinations are allowable and optional (i.e. Haemophilus somnus, Mycoplasma bovis, Mannhaemia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Moraxella bovis).

Cattle must be dehorned and healed. Male calves must be castrated and healed. Any method of castration for animal under four months of age is acceptable, but knife castration is strongly recommended. Animals over four months must be surgically castrated.

All the above procedures must be completed at least 45 days before sale.

Calves must be dewormed with a product that kills inhibited Ostertagia within 90 days of sale date, and treated for lice and grubs.

All processing (vaccinations, deworming, other injections) must be recorded on a body map and charted on a processing sheet.

Growth promoting implant products must be recorded with product name and date of administration.

Calves must be trained to eat from a bunk and drink water from a trough, and be identified with a Wisconsin Premier Precondition Calf ear tag.

Heifers are guaranteed open, and steers guaranteed not to be intact bulls or stags. Sellers must agree to pay $100 per head to the sale committee if any heifers are found to be pregnant and verified by a veterinarian within five months of sale date and proper documentation submitted to sale committee. The seller must also agree to pay $100 per head to sale committee if any bulls or stags are verified by a veterinarian within five months of sale date along with submission of proper documentation to sale committee

Eligible cattle

All eligible cattle must meet all of the program requirements. Calves must be clean and free of excessive mud and manure, sickness, blindness in any eye, unhealed wounds, or other traits that would detract from the value of the pen/group of feeder calves.

Any cattle not meeting eligibility requirements will be considered “outs” and will have ear tags removed and sell after the program cattle or taken home. Any decisions with respect to out cattle are non-disputable and consignors must have read, understand and, by delivering cattle, agreed to the requirements and accept the judgment of out cattle.

For more information about Badger Vac 45 protocols, visit the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection website, http://www.datcp.state.wi.us, search word "beef" or call Jeff Swensen at 608-224-5082.