Cattlemen Reminded to Monitor Water Supply

This week's hot weather means the potential for the development of Blue-Green Algae in dugouts. 

 

Natasha Wilkie is a Regional Livestock & Feed Extension Specialist with Saskatchewan's Ministry of Agriculture. 

 

Blue-Green Algae is toxic to livestock so it's important that producers check their water sources.

 

"You want to wear gloves and scoop that algae up.  If it runs through your fingers and looks kind of like pea soup and you just have a few green bits on your fingers, then it could be blue-green algae. When you're just looking out at the water body in general, it's going to have a shimmering blue/green color to it.  It could also have a foamy, or sheen appearance that kind of looks like spilled paint sitting on top of the water."

 

If you find a problem you should remove the livestock or fence the dugout off and treat it with a registered copper sulfate product as the algae can be a major problem and even lead to animal death. 

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.