Cattle farmers who would like to stay up to date on changes in regulations around and the health of their animals are encouraged to attend the fall producer meeting tomorrow night (Sept. 19) at the Emo Legion.
From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Stacey Angus of Kingsford Veterinary Services will be joined by guest speaker Scott Atkins from Boehringer Ingelheim, who will cover information relating to vaccinations and calf implants.
Angus will focus on strategies to deal with coccidiosis, how to recognize and prevent anthrax, treatment alternatives for foot rot, and upcoming Canadian Food Inspection Agency changes to transportation rules.
“I’m hoping to shed some light on strategies for prevention and treatment that can be used for the diseases that producers faced the most in the past year,” said Angus.
“Prevention is always extremely important in terms of animal health and welfare . . . and for saving the producers time and money in the long run.
“The upcoming changes to the Transportation rules will also have a great effect on producers, so they need to start thinking about this in advance of the February 1, 2020 roll out,” she added.
The presentations will be 45 minutes to an hour each and there will be lots of time for attendees to ask questions throughout the meeting.
The turnout for the event is fairly dependent on the weather, according to Angus.
If it’s nice outside, she said a lot of producers may be trying to tackle field work. But if it’s rainy, upwards of 100 people could attend.
While the information is predominately geared towards cattle farmers, everyone is welcome.
“Information can be applied to small ruminants but there won’t be a specific section on it,” Angus noted.
“I am hoping next year to have a specific small ruminant (sheep, goats) session in the spring,” she added.
Angus has hosted similar sessions to the one happening this Thursday in the spring for the past two years and said tomorrow’s event is her first fall session.
“Feedback has been amazing,” Angus lauded.
“Producers are always keen to learn new things and about new products.”
Angus encouraged all of the producers in the district who have some free time tomorrow evening to stop by the fall producer meeting.
“New challenges are always popping up on farms when you have livestock,” she reasoned.
“It’s a great opportunity to learn something, visit with your fellow producers and have some tasty snacks!”
Sept. 19, the day of the event, marks Angus’ 19th anniversary of her Kingsford Veterinarian Services practice, and she said she’s very appreciative of her clients.
“I look at these sessions as a chance to give something more back to them and have a chance to catch up outside of a call,” she smiled.
