Opinions

Blue green algae blooms are an issue that usually gets discussed this time of year. Calm, sunny, dry, and hot days of summer create ideal conditions for blue green algae to thrive in our livestock ponds. Blue green algae occurrence is sporadic making its threat unpredictable. Despite its name, these blooms are not algae, but a cyanobacteria. Some of these cyanobacteria produce and release dangerous toxins that are of major concern for our livestock. These “cyanotoxins” typically show up as either neurotoxins or hepatotoxins. Meaning they can damage the nervous system or affect the liver function of animals. Typically, the first clinical sign noticed in pasture cattle that have consumed neurotoxins are dead cattle. If found early enough, cattle may have muscle tremors, difficulty breathing, seizures, slobbering, and diarrhea. Hepatotoxins can cause an acute death like neurotoxins or lead to delayed issues with liver failure. An example of this would be weight loss and photosensitization and can be recognized by severe sun burns on areas of the body not covered with hair. Since there are several causes of acute death in pasture cattle, contact your local veterinarian for diagnosis. Unfortunately, there are no known antidotes to these cyanotoxins. So, understanding what to look for, and avoiding livestock exposure is important. Blue green algae blooms are green and float at or just below the surface of the water. The appearance almost looks like paint in the water. Once the cyanobacteria die, it turns a blue color. The color can also vary to a grey to almost a red or brown color as well. Toxin concentrations in affected water can vary drastically. The wind can move these blooms and concentrate them in certain areas along the shorelines of ponds. These concentrations increase the lethality of the toxic blooms.

Virtually every state in America saw drug abuse spike during the Covid-19 pandemic, culminating in the largest single-year death toll for drug overdoses we’ve ever seen. More than 100,000 people died across the US in 2021 from drug overdoses, only a year after our ongoing drug epidemic collided with the new viral pandemic we’re still facing. These numbers were driven by certain areas where drug abuse skyrocketed, including states like Kansas.

On one of our lovely hikes, nearly every time I looked down, I found another tick crawling on my shoe or leg. Ticks love tall grass, wooded areas, and other moist and humid environments often close to the ground. Although you may find them on your head, they don’t normally drop down from above, rather, they start low and crawl up.

Combines are rolling in the wheat fields around north central KS. The 2022 wheat crop has certainly been through a variety of conditions during the growing season. Stay tuned and I will provide an update on developing a plan for controlling weeds in your wheat stubble. Post-harvest weed control in wheat stubble is very important to conserve critical soil moisture and prevent weeds from going to seed and adding to the weed seedbank. This year, it will be especially important to be ready to spray after wheat harvest because of less cover from shorter and thinner wheat than we have seen in the last few years in many areas.

There is an in-depth article that appeared back in 2017 in Texas Monthly by John Nova Lomax about the origins of chili con carne in the United States.

Many of my patients will say “Doctor, I am so inflamed”. The use of the word inflammation is commonplace as we search the market for anti-inflammatory diets or self-help books on inflammation. The inflammatory response created by the immune system contributes to healing, but when left unchecked can contribute to chronic disease, allergy, and non-specific symptoms such as achy joints, fatigue, and malaise.

It’s been a long time since I’ve worked in the ER, but some stories stay with me. One such story belongs to a woman in her early 30s. After a year of trying to conceive, she was finally pregnant. Then she started spotting. When she developed severe pain, and almost fainted while putting their toddler to bed, her husband brought her to the emergency room.

A Kansas State University veterinarian is urging cattle producers to beef up their plans for managing heat stress in their herds, a challenge that costs the U.S. cattle industry up to $370 million in losses each year. A.J. Tarpoff, a beef veterinarian with K-State Research and Extension, said cattle are resilient animals; they will often acclimate to hot temperatures. But an accumulation of factors – including humidity, solar radiation, the color of their hide, diet and more – can drastically change a cow’s ability to withstand summer’s heat. “It really is a multi-layer challenge,” Tarpoff said. “Each animal within a group or pen is not affected the same way. Animals with higher body condition scores, or with darker hides, or finisher steers and heifers that are getting ready to go to harvest are at higher risk of heat stress.” Tarpoff said heat stress decreases the reproductive efficiency and performance of cattle grazing on pasture. In confined facilities, heat stress often causes cattle to eat less, which also negatively affects their performance. The human body cools itself on a hot day by sweating, called evaporative cooling. But Tarpoff notes that cattle sweat only 10 percent as much as humans, and panting is their primary way of dissipating heat. “As temperatures rise and their heat load in creases, they will start breathing faster,” he said. “They are dissipating heat through tiny droplets in the respiratory tract.” Doing so, however, causes cows to eat less, setting them on a path to poor growth and future performance. “This all has to do with heat load,” Tarpoff said. “The internal temperature of cattle will peak two hours after the hottest point of the day. So, our strategy for keeping cows cool needs to be built around knowing that.”