Johne's Control in Cow-Calf Operations

Abstract

The economic impact of Johne's in beef cattle has not been reported. It is largely dependent on the perception of the industry about Johne's disease and this, in turn, is quickly changing. For commercial beef producers, direct economic impacts such as decreased weight gains or decreased fertility are probably minimal. Purebred producers, however, face huge economic problems from Johne's disease. If, in the future, buyers of cattle consider it important to keep Mycobacterium paratuberculosis infections out of their herds, owners of infected herds may find their cattle bringing a lower sale price or are even unsaleable, while those from herds that are test-negative for paratuberculosis or are certified-free of the infection will bring a premium. This economic impact will be driven by buyer perception of the importance of Johne's disease.

Five techniques or critical points for para tuberculosis control will be discussed beginning with the most effective and feasible and ending with the more difficult to implement.