Buying a cow in another state.

PrettyPaisley · #1 01/29/12, 07:21 PM

How do you go about doing that? I found a 4.5 yr old Guernsey who is in milk and I not too far from my grandpa and I want to explore this further-though it's about 11 hours from here. How do I go about doing that? It's registered...so I've been told and from a farm that is selling off their milk cows.

Boy-I didn't think anything would be more crazy than learning about goats!

genebo · #2 01/29/12, 07:36 PM

North Carolina is a pretty clean State, as far as cattle diseases are concerned. Some states are not.

To move a cow from one state to another will probably require a health certificate issued by a certified veterinarian. Your Cattle vet routinely does this. He comes to your cow, inspects it, and performs the necessary tests. This may include TB and brucellosis. The TB test requires that he come back for a second visit, three days later.

Needless to say, this cost a bit of money.

When you are buying, you want to make sure that the seller follows these rules. That protects you, your cattle, and your state from contamination by bad diseases.

Your seller may want you to pay for this. It's OK to do that, as long as he is the one who has the work performed and you pay him the amount it cost. You want him to be responsible for the results of the test, not you.

The last time I checked, there was no certificate required to move cattle between North Carolina and Virginia. If that is still true, that could save you some trouble and expense by buying closer to home.

An 11 hour trip is a major event to a cow. It can be traumatic. It is also very expensive. Try to avoid it if at all possible.

Have you checked the North Carolina Agricultural Review web site yet? It has several Jerseys, some Dexters and a couple of holsteins this month.

http://www.ncagr.gov/paffairs/AgRevi...2livestock.htm

G. Seddon · #3 01/29/12, 08:11 PM

You can find out what's required to bring a cow from out of state (health certificate, testing, permit number, etc.) by calling your state vet's office and asking. Then you'd know what is needed. Here's a link (state vet's contact info is at the top):

http://www.ncagr.gov/vet/NCGenIE.htm

Yes, an 11-hour transport is long and stressful and, as genebo says, probably quite expensive, but for a trip of that length, I'd use a professional hauler. And having a place to quarantine the new cow upon arrival would be a wise thing to do.

It would require some coordination with the seller, negotiating who pays for what, finding a reliable transport. If I were bringing a cow that far, I'd also make sure she was up to date on all vaccinations before travel, including one for shipping fever (a form of pneumonia). We have used Pfizer One Shot for this, about 2-3 weeks before transport.

So, it's all possible, but you need to decide if you are going to buy a milk cow sight unseen; this is an animal that you'd probably be living with for some time.

haypoint · #4 01/29/12, 08:26 PM

It would be nice if there was a website that showed what the requirements are for each state. But there isn't. I guess it is because the requirements change from time to time.
Perhaps you can check with the VA Dept of Ag and find out from them.

I don't know the details, but recently a guy imported a couple cattle from South Dakota to Indiana without a Health Certificate and they were infected with TB. The State took them and unlike the cattle imported into Michigan, he wasn't given market value for his cattle, his illegal importation cost him the value of two steers.

loislanefl · #5 01/29/12, 08:32 PM

zeiglerlivestocktransport.com is a reliable transport company.

PrettyPaisley · #6 01/29/12, 08:47 PM

But I want a Guernsey!
And I do not have any other cows. Would I need to quarantine her from my goats?

My big question was to find out how I make sure she is okay to buy-sight unseen. I wasn't even thinking about making every cow in NC sick.

I just want healthy grass-fed butter from a Guernsey for my girls so they will be healthy kids who love long and prosper.

Callieslamb · #7 01/29/12, 09:06 PM

Have her milk tested before you buy.....make sure she isn't harboring some of those bacterias that can't be cured.

willow_girl · #8 01/29/12, 09:28 PM

I moved my girls 8 hours from N MI to SW PA and they came through the journey OK, although they were dry and not bred at the time. And one of my girls, Twister, was shipped from GA to MI as a heifer ... she was a real high-dollar beauty at the time! She has lived in more states than I have, LOL.

Call the department of ag in your state and find out what you need to bring a cow in legally. I have shipped interstate twice, and both times, a veterinary health certificate and TB and brucellosis tests were required. Actually, I just complete one transport in December, and the vet papers cost me $150.

You also need to keep hauling costs in mind ... a 500-mile (?) journey is going to cost a pretty penny. Think about what you could buy closer to home for that price!

myersfarm · #9 01/29/12, 10:08 PM

when I bring in calfs from Illinois WITH A CERTIFICATE ...MY FARM is QUARANTINED FOR 90 DAYS....I can bring more in but nothing can go out....but if I bring in just one more calf the 90 days start over if born here they are ok...but with my set up I keep them way after the quarantine is lifted by 6 months

there CAN BE a fine of $20,000 on each animal that leaves my farm if I get inspected and can not produce the number of animals I bought....but my state vet is one nice guy....death losted calfs i pull the metal tag to show the numbers I lost....

PLEASE get a health certificate if something goes wrong you could lose everything you have and still owe.....

mistletoad · #10 01/29/12, 10:33 PM

We bought our bull from Missouri. We had the seller's vet check him out and give him a clean bill of health - she paid for that, but we paid $35 for a breeding soundness exam. Then we purchased insurance on him from American Livestock Inc - that was $75. Transporting was $550 using Zeigler. This was almost 3 years ago, I imagine all prices would be higher now.

6e · #11 01/30/12, 07:59 AM

We bought our bull and our one cow from MO and transported them here to Ks. We called the vet we'd be taking them to and told them "approximately" what time we'd be coming through. When we got there, he ran them in, ran the necessary tests and tagged their ears for transport and gave us our papers. It only cost about $40 I believe. But I will warn you.....at that time our bull was only about 14 months old. The vet told us that the one test for bulls, if performed over 16 months, takes a month to perform and costs about $300. Ouch. So, we were happy he was young enough he didn't need that one. Cows didn't have to have that test. It didn't cost much and was not a big deal at all. We hauled them almost 10 hours. It wouldn't have taken that long but we had a wheel bearings go out on the trailer and then hit pea soup thick fog that slowed us down to a snails crawl, so a 6 hr trip turned into a 10 hour trip. But regardless of the hours, they did just fine and the cow was pregnant at the time and went on to deliver a beautiful, healthy heifer calf 3 months later.

genebo · #12 01/30/12, 08:21 AM

You are ucky that a TB test wasn't required. It takes 3 days to read the results.

6e · #13 01/30/12, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genebo

You are ucky that a TB test wasn't required. It takes 3 days to read the results.

I don't know if they tested for TB there before we bought the cow. But regarding bringing them here Kansas law says that:

"Cattle originating from accredited free or modified accredited free states are not required to be tested. States or areas of lower status and all cattle of Mexican origin shall be tested negative for tuberculosis within 60 days prior to entry into Kansas and will be required to be retested 60 to 90 days post entry, unless going direct to a licensed feedlot. Mexican cattle originating from a Mexican state that has a TB eradication program in place and the program has met the requirements of the Bi-National TB Committee will not be required to be retested. Entry permit is required on all Mexican cattle. 24 hour permit number (785) 296-2328."

Missouri was considered a TB free state and is accredited free state since 1986. They are also Bangs disease accredited free state since 2004.

According to kansas law then, they did not have to have either of those tests to cross state lines since they were coming from accredited free states. All other health work they had to have only took a few minutes.

But the Trichomoniasis test is required for bulls and takes 30 days and is very expensive. We were able to bring our bull because he was under age virgin bull. But an older bull we would not have been able to bring.

We did all our homework first calling both the vet here and vet there and they coordinated on what we would need. All was good and we have beautiful healthy cows and it was worth every penny spent and every mile driven.

hiddensprings · #14 01/30/12, 09:00 AM

We bought a few cows from a farm in MO. I just called my State Vet and he told me what was needed to bring them into Tennessee. 8 hour drive, cows did fine and the farmer we purchased from took care of getting the necessary paperwork from their vet so we could transport.

Laura Workman · #15 02/10/12, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genebo

Your seller may want you to pay for this. It's OK to do that, as long as he is the one who has the work performed and you pay him the amount it cost. You want him to be responsible for the results of the test, not you.
http://www.ncagr.gov/paffairs/AgRevi...2livestock.htm

Hi Gene, You've got me curious now. Why does it matter who has the work done?

-Laura

haypoint · #16 02/10/12, 12:10 PM

Recently a group of high priced show cattle were sold in SD and sent all over the US. Then, it was discovered that a cow that had been penned up with those pricy cattle had TB. It was the cow to one of those high priced show cattle. But without ID, no one knew which calf went with that cow. One buyer from IN, didn't bother to get an interstate health certificate. His steer was conficated, with no repayment and he will be charged in court. Other buyers will also lose their steers or heifers, but will be paid market value. Some of those exposed cattle were at another cattle show and other cattle potentially exposed.

People do not realize how far and how often livestock are moved around this country. Interstate Health Certificates won't stop the spread of all diseases, but it helps.

genebo · #17 02/10/12, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laura Jensen

Hi Gene, You've got me curious now. Why does it matter who has the work done?

-Laura

The seller should be responsible for having the tests done and be the one to stand behind the results. The testing takes place while the cow is still in the seller's possession. If something is not kosher with the test or the result, then the seller should be the one held responsible.

It's the same reason you should have the seller arrange to have the animal delivered whenever possible. If the seller delivers it, then you take possession on your property, after the trip. If you buy the cow and arrange delivery yourself or go pick it up, you take possession on the seller's property and if anything goes wrong on the trip, it's your problem.

haypoint · #18 02/14/12, 12:34 PM

Here is another reason to check first and be sure to get your Interstate Health Certificate:

Four Arkansas Trichomoniasis cases reported in 2012; 97 total for 2011

Mary Hightower, Cooperative Extension Service University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Delta Farm Press

February 13, 2012

With the spring cattle-breeding season approaching, Trichomoniasis is rising to the forefront again for Arkansas' cattle producers.

Last year, a spike in cases of the bovine venereal disease prompted the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission to implement emergency regulations requiring a testing of all bulls being brought into the state. The regulations also require a negative test for trich for any bull changing ownership. All bulls testing positive for the disease must go to slaughter within two weeks of the positive test. Similar regulations have been adopted by other states.

Once infected, the bull remains infected for life. There is no approved treatment for bulls.

Ninety-seven cases of Trichomoniasis were reported in Arkansas during 2011, said Jeremy Powell, Extension veterinarian for the University of Arkansas.

"That number had been increasing steadily since new regulations were set in place last year," he said, adding that in January 2012, four cases were reported, one in Howard County and three in Carroll County.

Full text:

http://deltafarmpress.com/livestock/...-97-total-2011

willow_girl · #19 02/14/12, 01:02 PM

Quote:

ecently a group of high priced show cattle were sold in SD and sent all over the US. Then, it was discovered that a cow that had been penned up with those pricy cattle had TB. It was the cow to one of those high priced show cattle. But without ID, no one knew which calf went with that cow. One buyer from IN, didn't bother to get an interstate health certificate. His steer was conficated, with no repayment and he will be charged in court. Other buyers will also lose their steers or heifers, but will be paid market value. Some of those exposed cattle were at another cattle show and other cattle potentially exposed.

People do not realize how far and how often livestock are moved around this country. Interstate Health Certificates won't stop the spread of all diseases, but it helps.

Oh my! What a nightmare.

One of my cows started off life in Georgia. As a high-dollar heifer, she was sold to a farmer in Michigan. Then I bought her, and have since moved to PA. She's lived in one more state than I have!

haypoint · #20 02/14/12, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willow_girl

Oh my! What a nightmare.

One of my cows started off life in Georgia. As a high-dollar heifer, she was sold to a farmer in Michigan. Then I bought her, and have since moved to PA. She's lived in one more state than I have!

With the movement of cattle in the US, an undetected communicable disease could infect 50% of all the cattle in 21 days. While we think about Emergency Preparations for National Disasters, we often overlook the work that’s done for livestock disease control. Veterinarian and people from Agriculture Departments spent weeks helping animals after Katrina. As a result of this disaster, we have a better system in place and all horses in LA must have an implanted microchip.