Category: Ranch Care

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Beef BQA Consumers Food Ranch Care ranch life VFD

New Year, New Rules – What VFD Means for Producers and Consumers

What VFD Means for Producers & Consumers



Hello October! 
It is hard to believe that it is sweater, soup, and fall work time. It also means that in just three short months, we will ring in a new year and some new rules.
As a beef producer, and a consumer myself, I understand the questions and concerns of others about the role of antibiotics in livestock operations and the confusing debate about antibiotic resistance in human health. Today, I am going to take a look at the new protocols for producers and what they mean for producers and consumers. 
Since the 1940’s antibiotics have been prescribed for people and are among the most commonly prescribed drugs. Research has never established a direct link between the use of antibiotics used in raising food animals and antibiotic resistance, but producers and veterinarians are listening to the consumers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the support of the livestock industry, are tightening restrictions on antibiotic use in meat production. 
By January 1, 2017, antibiotics that are important to human health will only be available under a Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD), a prescription from a veterinarian. Under this new rule, a veterinarian must fill out paperwork, or an electronic form, indicating which antibiotic is to be used, the amount of time it will be used, and when the prescription will expire. Veterinarians, producers, feed mills, and feed stores will be required to keep the paperwork for two years and maybe asked for a copy upon a VFD inspection.
A VFD is a written (nonverbal) statement issued by a licensed veterinarian in the course of the veterinarian’s professional practice that authorizes the use of a VFD drug or combination VFD drug in or on an animal feed. This written statement authorizes the client (the owner of the animal or animals or other caretaker) to obtain and use animal feed bearing or containing a VFD drug or combination VFD drug to treat the client’s animals only in accordance with the conditions for use approved, conditionally approved, or indexed by the FDA. A VFD is also referred to as a VFD order..(VFD)
So what does that have to do with me as a beef producer? For my family and our ranch, the new rule won’t change how we operate. We have always had an excellent relationship with our local veterinarians. That relationship provides an essential element to our business, raising healthy livestock and safe food.
My first job as a mom is to have a safe food for our table, including BEEF. That means I take my job as a beef producer seriously. Although we’d rather not have an animal fall ill, if we do have a calf succumb to sickness, we work to bring it back to health before it goes to the market. Sometimes, that requires treatment with an antibiotic. On the occasion when we do have to give an antibiotic, we consult with our vet, read and follow ALL label instructions (including withdrawal periods), and adhere to the best practices laid out in the Beef Quality Assurance Guidelines.
As for consumers, not much will change when the new VFD goes into effect. Producers have always followed the withdrawal period before they can send any animals treated with antibiotics to the market. And, USDA inspectors test meat to ensure it is free from any antibiotic residue in accordance with set guidelines before it reaches our tables. As a consumer myself, I rest assured knowing that we all have a beef supply that is nutritious and safe.
The role antibiotics play in providing quality animal care is often overlooked in the ongoing discussion of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are an important tool for all producers. Good relationships with our vets, providing adequate nutrition, and following best animal husbandry practices in addition to the judicious use of antibiotics help us ensure the health and comfort of all of our animals. 

Do you have any questions?  Feel free to leave it in the comments or email me at loomis489@yahoo.com

Happy Friday!!

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Circle L Earth Day Garden Ranch Care ranch life Recycle Reuse

Happy Earth Day from the Circle L!

Happy Earth Day from the Circle L!

Earth Day 2016, Earth Day, Circle L Ranch
“Trees for the Earth” is this year’s Earth Day Theme.
 Trees are very important to us at the Circle L Ranch. They
provide shade/protection for our cattle, help control erosion and
help provide us with clean air. 
When your  main office is the great outdoors and your commute is on horseback, preserving and protecting the Earth is part of the job description. This Earth Day 2016, America’s cattle farmers and ranchers are recognized as having one of the greenest jobs.

Earth Day, Trees, Earth Day 2016
“Every day is Earth Day on the Circle L Ranch –
it’s the right thing to do and our ability to keep
feeding Americans depends on it.”

“My Cowboy and I work every day to teach our four children what it means to be truly passionate about the land and the animals.  Preserving natural resources is how we make our living and how we secure our family business for our children and grandchildren.”

Everyday is Earth Day at the Circle L! Each and every day, our goal is to leave our land better than it was yesterday.  Here is a list of ways that we help in preserving our planet.

We utilize innovative practices to raise more beef with fewer natural resources.

We partner with state, local and national environmental agencies to monitor land, water and wildlife and make improvements to the environment.

Allow livestock to graze and consume natural and organic forages that convert to healthy, nutritious beef.

Utilize rotational grazing in which livestock are moved to different pastures to prevent overgrazing.

We protect open spaces from development through programs like conservation easements.

We recycle materials such as feed bags, pop cans, feed sacks and plastic containers (mineral tubs), batteries, used motor oil, tires, and scrap metal.

We save Energy.  We use Windmills to pump water for wildlife and our animals. We turn things off like lights and unused electronics.

We maintain open space as cattle grazing pastures, allowing land to remain natural, free of trash, debris and invasive weeds and trees.

We maintain and introduce habitats as homes for numerous endangered species.

Hold up water on ranch lands for extended periods of time in order to replenish underground aquifers and filter out nutrients and particulate matter.

We plant trees for windbreaks, which provide protection for livestock, wildlife and soil.

We optimize delivery of feed allowing for fewer trips to the farms.

We reduce fuel consumption by using ATVs that use less fuel than other farm/ranch vehicles.

We utilize solar-powered electric fence chargers.

We use recycled products to build fences and to fix machinery.

We provide habitat for ground nesting birds.

Control weeds and prevent residue build-up on pasture land so it doesn’t turn into hot and dangerous fires. 

We grow a garden.
We open our windows in the morning and close them in the afternoon.
We have chickens and pigs that eat our food waste!
We wash our clothes in cold water and hang them to dry on the clothesline.

We use reusable bags like Thirty-One bags.

These are just a few ways that we care for our earth.  Like our neighbors and our friends, ranchers and farmers are a valuable asset to our earth. So on the Earth Day, I would like to say “Thank You” for all do.
I am  thankful each day that God is letting us take care of his land.
I wanted to share with you some photos from the ranch. 
Earth Day 2016, Circle L Ranch, Wildlife, Wild Turkeys
 Circle L Ranch provides habit for wild animals to live and thrive. 
Ranch Kids, Ranch Life, Nebraska, Earth Day
“As short-term stewards of this land,
it’s our job to ensure it’s left in better shape for the next generation.”

Earth Day 2016, Earth Day, Trees, Circle L Ranch
Circle L Ranch~Murphy Place