MANHATTAN, Kan. – Cattle producers now have a new tool for identifying and managing beef cattle lameness with the Step-Up Management Program.
Working with the Beef Cattle Institute (BCI) at Kansas State University, Zinpro Corporation recently launched the Step-Up™ app, a new educational training resource for the beef cattle industry.
Now available for tablet devices through iTunes and Google Play, the Step-Up app provides convenient access to a wealth of educational information available from the Step-Up Lameness Management Program, including:
- Locomotion scoring videos – learn to locomotion score growing and finishing feedlot cattle
- Diagnostic guide (new!) – introducing an industry-first tool that provides a systematic, easy-to-use approach for proper identification and management of the most common causes of lameness in beef cattle
- Nutrition overview – learn more about the essential role that trace mineral nutrition plays in decreasing cattle lameness
- Resources – convenient access to additional training materials
“Since its inception more than a year ago, the Step-Up Management Program has helped to elevate the importance of beef cattle lameness management within the industry,” said Connie Larson, ruminant research and nutritional services manager – North America, Zinpro Corporation. “With the launch of our new Step-Up app, we’re making it more convenient to access locomotion scoring training videos, while also introducing a new diagnostic guide to help identify the underlying causes of lameness in beef cattle.”The focus of Step-Up is on education, especially in areas where lameness is not commonly considered to be prevalent. It provides resource materials focused on lameness scoring and lesion identification, as well as industry-leading lameness prevention, management and treatment protocols.
“I think that over the next five years we will see a decrease in lameness because of the Step-Up program,” said Dan Thomson, D.V.M., and director of the BCI at K-State. “That’s better for the animals and comes back as money in the pocketbook of ranchers and farmers.”
Research from the BCI was the foundation for the program, Thomson said. K-State graduate student Shane Terrell, D.V.M., worked with Thomson and Chris Reinhardt, K-State Research and Extension feedlot specialist by conducting surveys of feedlot managers, veterinarians and nutritionists across the United States and Canada.
“Our group developed the lameness scoring system and validated the consistency of the scoring through research in a field setting,” he said. “We then went to the field to help develop the video training tools to support feedlot producers and packers to consistently score lameness issues in our industry.”
To learn more about locomotion scoring beef cattle, contact your Zinpro representative and visit the Step-Up video library on zinpro.com. Educational posters for beef cattle locomotion scoring and lesion identification are available for request from Zinpro Corporation.
“The Beef Cattle Institute is dedicated to getting to the bottom of health issues in the beef industry,” Thomson said. “We are thankful for our partnership with Zinpro to provide this tool for the farmers and ranchers to use.”
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