After the heavy flooding this spring many officials fear that Anthrax may appear this summer within cattle herds. Anthrax outbreaks can easily occur in flood condition because the heavy rain conditions help the contaminated soil spread.
Officials suggest all cattle be vaccinated for Anthrax now.
Charlie Stoltenow of the North Dakota State University Extension Service said, “Producers should seriously consider vaccinating their animals before spring turnout this year.”
The worst time for Anthrax scares is during June. Often times animals within herds are found dead when not vaccinated.
Stoltenow assured the vaccine is not dangerous to humans or the animals. He suggested getting animals together for the vaccine before going to pasture. “Gathering up cattle in the summer for vaccinations is time-consuming, difficult and could have been prevented.”
If anthrax appears it can be quite costly because it lives in the soil for decades. The latest outbreak occurred in 2005 killing more than 500 cattle, bison, horses, sheep and llamas.
If you are interested in more information you can e-mail Stoltenow at charles.stoltenow@ndsu.edu
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