Confused about feeding chlortetracycline to your beef cows or feedlot cattle? The transition of chlortetracycline (CTC) to a veterinary feed directive (VFD) drug has highlighted several issues that are raising questions or problems for Iowa beef producers. Iowa State University Extension beef veterinarian Grant Dewell and others at the Iowa Beef Center have developed two informational pieces cattle producers can use to address those concerns.

“The Iowa Beef Center has two new information sheets that provide information on combination feeding of CTC with other feed medications, and pulse feeding of CTC to treat respiratory disease in feedlot cattle. The information sheets also address the use of CTC in a medicated mineral mix,” says Dewell. “Both of these publications are two pages long, and available as electronic documents on the VDPAM [Iowa State University Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine] website.”

Guidelines for feeding CTC to cattle
Dewell and Iowa Beef Center director Dan Loy wrote "Feeding CTC to Feedlot Cattle."  Dewell and ISU Extension beef program specialist Chris Clark wrote "Feeding CTC to Beef Cows." Cattle producers and other people with questions can contact Dewell by email at [email protected] or by phone at 515-294-2822.

The Iowa Beef Center at ISU was established in 1996 with the goal of supporting the growth and vitality of the state’s beef cattle industry. It comprises faculty and staff from ISU Extension, ISU College of Ag & Life Sciences and the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine. The IBC works to develop and deliver the latest research-based information regarding the beef cattle industry. For more information about IBC, visit iowabeefcenter.org. 

Hay producers to hold annual conference
In other news from the Iowa Beef Center this week, the IBC notes that the Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association (EIHPA) has set the date for its annual meeting and conference. All hay and forage producers are invited to attend this 34th annual event on March 10 at Buzzy’s restaurant in Welton, Iowa. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and the program will start at 10:30 a.m.

With a nod to today’s tight margins in agriculture, this year’s conference will focus on two unique methods to incorporate forage crops into grain crops.

Leading off the program, John Grabber from the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center will present information on the first method of interseeding alfalfa into corn to overcome the low first-year yields of alfalfa. The second method, incorporating a perennial cover crop which then has corn planted into it for a grain crop, will be presented by Iowa State University agronomy professor Ken Moore, who has been doing research on this method at the Northern Research and Demonstration farm at Kanawha.

Following lunch and a brief annual meeting to elect officers and directors, ISU Extension field agronomist Virgil Schmidt and ISU Extension beef program specialist Denise Schwab will provide regional updates.

The $30 conference fee includes a membership to EIHPA and a meal at the event. Tickets can be purchased at the door, and no preregistration is required. Organizers have applied for certified crop adviser credits. This conference is sponsored by EIHPA, ISU Extension and the Iowa Beef Center. EIHPA provides educational workshops and field days for forage producers in Jackson, Jones, Clinton, Cedar, Scott and Muscatine counties. However, forage producers from other counties are also welcome to participate. For more information contact Schwab at [email protected] or Kevin Brown by email at [email protected] or phone at 563-872-4475.