ND cattle feeder OK'd to pursue feedlot for Canadian cattle

By SUE ROESLER, Farm & Ranch Guide
Friday, March 12, 2010 12:42 PM CST

The State Board of Animal Health discusses items at its recent meeting held at the Dakota Zoo in Bismarck, N.D.

BISMARCK, N.D. - A North Dakota cattle feeder in the eastern part of the state was given the go-ahead to proceed with pursuing a restricted feedlot.

Korby Kost of Carrington, N.D., would like to feed imported Canadian cull cows and bulls to feed at his feedlot near Carrington. He intends to have the cattle slaughtered in Minnesota.

The State Board of Animal Health agreed to the restricted feedlot proposal contingent upon both parties agreeing to a set of guidelines for the feedlot.

The guidelines were drafted at the board's recent meeting. Other requirements could be added if the board sees a need for more specific guidance.

Kost and his fiance, Theresa Hennings, also of Carrington, plan to meet with the board to finalize a restricted feedlot agreement.

Kost said he plans to start by feeding 300 cows from livestock producers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, Canada.

The imported animals may be exempt from TB and brucellosis testing, and intact females may not need to be Officially Calfhood Vaccinated (OCV) for brucellosis. In addition, the bulls may be exempt from trichomonas foetus testing.

“I'm not trying to do anything that hasn't already been done before. There are tons of cattle that go through the state daily to other states that are making allowances to restricted feedlots,” Kost told the board.

The feedlot and the well are ready to go, with the exception of some pens that are still under construction, he said. The water pump is ready and operating.

Eventually, Kost hopes to feed up to 700 cows and/or bulls, but wanted to start off small to see if there were any glitches in the system.

Kost plans to import 2-to-5-year old culled open cows, but the board did not put a restriction on age or sex of the imported cattle.

He has renovated an old feedlot two miles north of Carrington, which is across the road on the east side from Pipestone Feeders. There is a neighbor to the north, but Kost does not share a fenceline with that neighbor, and there is a shelterbelt of trees between the two operations.

Kost said he has been feeding cattle for many years but has not owned his own feedlot until now. He said in the past, cattle he purchased were custom fed at feedlots in the area.

There are currently no restricted feedlots in North Dakota.

State veterinarian Dr. Susan Keller said the restricted feedlot could possibly be used in the future for North Dakota herds when an animal tests positive for disease.

Utilizing a restricted feedlot would help by giving a producer with a potentially exposed animal or animals a place to feed their cattle, instead of having to immediately slaughter animals or a herd, and receiving inadequate or no indemnity.

Keller said under the new USDA-APHIS national proposal, money for disposition of herds, due to TB or brucellosis, looks like it will be limited or non-existent to states.

Cindy Ragin, public affairs specialist with USDA APHIS, said the limited funds from APHIS are a concern for states. She said the new national rules would be out within a few weeks and she did not know how limited the funding would be.

Kost said he has finished fencing the entire facility. To guarantee that animals could not break through, the fencing was built with 2-and-three-eighths inch pipe and strong cable.

There are currently two buildings on the lot, a workshop and a working barn with a hydraulic lift chute in the middle. Pens in the middle of the yard will be used for holding pens and to care for sick animals, Kost said.

There are currently 12 pens around the perimeter of the feed yard.

Kost regraded the dirt on the former feedlot to eliminate puddles of water and evened out the level of the yard.

Jason Wirtz, coordinator of the North Dakota Livestock Pollution Prevention Program said he has worked with Kost on putting in the livestock waste system under the cost-share program, and said it meets federal and state standards. The state Department of Health has approved the system.

Kost said he plans to purchase an electronic reader so the bovine's ear tags can be scanned and read as they come in and leave.

The board decided that all calves born would be kept on site and fed for slaughter only.

Keller said she realized there were some political issues nationwide with culled Canadian cows.

“As a board, however, we have to address the health issue, not the political issues,” Keller said.

Some of the guidelines the state board drafted for the restricted feedlot include:

- All cattle entering and leaving the facility need to be inventoried, including the date of shipment.

- All cattle will be source and age verified and have electronic ear tags, accompanying veterinarian health records, and documents and be branded with CAN to designate the hide as Canadian.

- The animals will be exempt from TB and trichomonas testing and not have to be OCV.

- The feedlot and the animals will be open to inspection at any time.

- All animals will go to slaughter after being fed at the feedlot. Dead animals will be properly disposed of on site or at one of the 12 landfills in the state that accept dead animals.

Wirtz said one of the ways feedlots are beginning to dispose of dead animals is with composting, and that is another method Kost could use. 

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