Total control of bovine diseases just doesn't happen overnight. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back in one minute to talk about two of those diseases. Complete control or better yet, eradication of certain cattle diseases can take a long time if it is ever really achieved. Bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis are two of these tough problems to gain total control over. The United States has made great strides in gaining the upper hand over brucellosis. According to an article by Sara Brown in Farm Journal magazine, Montana is the only state without class free status. Steve Merritt, information officer with the Montana Department of Livestock says that department is waiting to hear if the state legislature will provide economic assistance to start widespread testing as part of its final brucellosis action plan. I know some Montana cattle ranchers have real concerns in relation to the buffalo and elk herds around Yellowstone Park. These wildlife species can have fairly high incidences of the disease which creates problems as they co-mingle with cow herds. Bovine tuberculosis is still a problem in California, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Michigan. These states have many restriction status classifications from Accredited Free to Modified Accredited Minnesota's state veterinarian, Bill Hartmann, says the state legislature authorized a cattle buyout program to depopulate certain herds. Again, wildlife in the form of deer can be a disease carrier problem for cattle producers in some of these states. I'm Jeff Keane.

Farm Journal - Early Spring 2009