51 The Business of Ontario Agriculture Better Farming | April 2024 is fairly high levels of mortality in calves and high rates of respiratory disease that don’t respond to regular treatment. “If you go out west, it might present more as abortions in cows, and you might also see the issues with calves as well.” There are a few characteristics of Salmonella Dublin that make it a unique point of concern for cattle producers. Dr. Gillian Davidson, a bovine veterinarian at Kirkton Veterinary Clinic who served on the Salmonella Dublin Working Group in Ontario, says that its ability to be carried by healthy-appearing cows is one aspect that makes Salmonella Dublin hard to manage. “It’s a host-adapted serotype, which means it can be carried asymptomatically in cows, and that makes us wary because it could be hiding in plain sight in a perfectly healthy-looking cow,” explains Davidson. “What else is scary is that it doesn’t behave similar to other Salmonella infections. We typically think of gastrointestinal disease when we think of Salmonella, and usually diarrhea is the main sign, but when you get acute infections of Salmonella Dublin in calves, it’s usually a septic infection and respiratory disease. This particular strain is also known to be multi-drug resistant.” Davidson says that transmission of Salmonella Dublin from cattle to humans is also a concern. This could pose a risk to farm workers or people who consume unpasteurized milk. Monitoring As an emerging disease, it’s important that the spread of Salmonella Dublin is monitored. “When you look at the number of dairy farms in Ontario that are affected, it’s still a relatively low percentage,” says Davidson. “It’s not endemic yet; it’s still an epidemic.” Gillies says that each province has their own strategy for monitoring Salmonella Dublin. “Different provinces have their strategies for S. Dublin surveillance, as it has different regulatory classifications across Canada,” explains Gillies. He notes that Salmonella Dublin can be diagnosed through bulk tank milk testing, blood testing, post-mortem assessments, and bacterial cultures. The suitability of the tests will be dependent on whether a producer is looking at an individual animal or the whole herd, as well as the stage of the disease. “If you have an acutely sick animal, really the only way to know if they have it is to take a blood culture. That needs to be taken sterilely by a vet,” says Davidson. “Once an animal has been euthanized or died, a vet can take post-mortem samples. That’s where we find a lot of positives.” Livestock De Dell Seeds • 7095 Century Drive • Melbourne, ON • N0L 1T0 P: 519-264-CORN (2676) • F: 519-264-2672 • 1-833-436-CORN (2676) info@dedellseeds.com • www.dedellseeds.com De Dell Seeds The Leaders in Non-GMO Corn HOMEWORK! WE’VE DONE OUR 4 LOCATION SUMMARY Average DL3905 DL3007 P9946AML A6757G8 RIB A6015 A6016RR DL 3146 Moisture (%) 27.3 26.5 29.4 28.4 26.0 26.7 25.8 Yield (bu/ac) 243 228 221 206 186 208 207 Test Weight (lbs/bu) 52.2 53.9 52.3 51.5 51.6 51.8 53.3 SCHOOL OF DE DELL Hybrid: DL 3905 – 2850 CHU, 95 RM SUBJECT MARK Topping plot at Courtland and Avon. Top 3 hybrids across all tested locations. Outperformed ALL competition at Ilderton, Avon and Brunner. Excellent agronomics. Excellent performance in OCC & RGCQ provincial trials! COMMENTS DL 3905 proved itself this year plot after plot. High yielding new genetics with solid agronomics. NEXT STEPS You should try DL 3905 in 2024! REPORT CARD A+ A+ A+ A+ A+ SCHOOL OF DE DELL Hybrid: DL 3007 – 2700 CHU, 90 RM SUBJECT GRADE Topping Plot at Brunner, Elmira and Conn. In the top 4 De Dell hybrids across all tested locations. Outperformed ALL competition at Avon and Brunner. COMMENTS DL 3007 is a high yielding new hybrid exhibiting strong late-season health and intactness. NEXT STEPS Plant DL 3007 on your farm in 2024 REPORT CARD A+ A+ A+
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