VBP+ welcomes $602,250 CAP funding to support program advancement

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Beef Research

VBP+ NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
July 12, 2019

The Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) program, under the umbrella of the Beef Cattle Research Council, a division of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), welcomes the investment of $602,250 from the Canadian Agriculture Partnership (CAP) Agri-Assurance program, announced Wednesday by Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Marie-Claude Bibeau.

These funds will be directed to multiple VBP+ activities, including

training platform modifications to meet educational demands by producers for continuous improvement in sustainability,
increased database capacity and functionality by automating processes where practical and ensuring growing demand is met while adding value and minimizing the cost of the verification process for producers,
advancing assessments of equivalency with existing industry programs to provide more value to producers who move through the verification process, and
developing a system to determine the impact of training on changes in sustainable production practices.

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Lost profits: Injection site lesions cost the industry $1.63 million: New Videos

Posted on October 23, 2018 by Beef Research3

Injection site lesions visible on the carcass surface have increased to nearly 14% of non-fed cattle and 8% of fed cattle. Even in areas that are inches away from injection sites can result in tissue damage causing tougher meat and lower eating quality. As a result, injection site lesions cost the industry $0.56/head or $1.63 million in 2016. That’s up considerably from 0.21/head or $662,951 in 2011.

What do you need to know?

Animals should be properly restrained to ensure the safety of both yourself and the animal. This will also give greater access to the neck area to improve delivery accuracy and reduce the risk of broken needles.

Use subcutaneous (below the skin) when possible versus intermuscular (into the muscle) when administering injections. Intermuscular injections generate a greater risk of developing a reaction to the treatment and can create injection abscesses and bruising. Continue reading →