Livestock

SICK CHICKS or sick people? The livestock industry's massive use of antibiotics has apparently led to strains of bacteria that are resistant to those wonder drugs. And that puts humans increasingly at risk from food-borne infection. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration a month ago finally took action by banning two antibiotics widely used by poultry growers since 1995. The same family of drugs (fluoroquinolones) used to combat food poisoning in humans has shown a dramatic loss of effectiveness in that short period.

A smiling Amanda Arrington, 13, stood tall for a photograph with the folks who bought her pig last night. Amanda, of Marriottsville, then left the auction ring, thought about the animal she named "Bebe" and wiped away tears. For 4-H'ers with animals, the annual livestock sale is the emotional high point -- and sometimes low point -- of the Howard County Fair, a time of pride and excitement mixed with sadness. It's also an emotional time for the local businesses that bid on the grand-champion breeds.

Annie McGraw, 8, was a whiz at identifying types of animal feed and equipment used to care for livestock, but telling a Hampshire from a Montadale sheep and a Brahman from a Hereford steer stumped her a little. As a member of the Howard County Livestock Clovers, Annie took part in several events last week at the Howard County Fair geared toward the youngest 4-H members. That included a quiz Thursday to see how much the participants have learned over the year. "We take this test every year, but it's still kind of tricky," said Annie, who lives in Woodbine.

The sight of a big-eyed, wet-nosed cow grazing in a field is more than just a pretty picture for Rebecca Hamilton. The 17-year-old Lisbon resident automatically starts evaluating the shape of its back, the muscles in its legs and the "spring" of its ribs. As a competitor in livestock judging since she was 8 years old, Hamilton said of herself and others in the activity, "Now we can't look at cows and see cows, we see the [little] things about them." Having excelled at judging the size, shape, girth and gait of animals at county, state and national competitions, Hamilton and Maria Stevens, 17, of Woodsboro in Frederick County will compete tomorrow in an international beef judging contest in Scotland.

The terms, the protocol and even the animals were unfamiliar at the Royal Highland Show's livestock judging contest in Scotland, but two Maryland teenagers adapted to earn top awards at the international competition. Rebecca Hamilton of Lisbon and Maria Stevens of Woodsboro, both 17, competed as a team at the show, receiving points for their ability to evaluate beef cattle and to explain their rationale for rating the animals. Stevens and Hamilton received the top and second-highest scores among several dozen teams from the United States who judged beef cattle, dairy cattle or sheep.

Faced with mounting evidence that the routine use of antibiotics in livestock may diminish the drugs' power to cure infections in people, the Food and Drug Administration has begun a major revision of its guidelines for approving new antibiotics for animals and for monitoring the effects of old ones.The goal of the revision is to minimize the emergence of bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotics. Such resistance makes them difficult or impossible to kill.Drug-resistant infections, some fatal, have been increasing in people in the United States, and many scientists attribute the problem to the misuse of antibiotics in people and animals.

Antibiotics are being used far more heavily in pigs, cows and chickens than has been revealed by the drug and livestock industries, a public interest group is expected to announce today, giving as evidence its calculations of the use of the drugs on farms. Healthy farm animals are routinely fed antibiotics to promote growth and prevent infections. The issue is of concern because that practice can breed strains of drug-resistant bacteria, which can infect people who eat meat from the animals or come in contact with food or water contaminated by the animals' droppings.

When Charlie Coles entered the show ring at the Howard County Fair for the annual 4-H livestock sale with his white goat, Snowflake, he couldn't muster a smile. The 8-year-old's face was downcast as the auctioneer took bids from audience members and when he and Snowflake had their photograph taken with the winning bidder. Then the two jogged back to the barn, where Charlie sat alone for a while, thinking about saying goodbye. "There is a lot of crying on sale night," said Charlie's sister Katie, 10, remembering her tears last year, when she sold a favorite lamb.

Seven-year-old Stephanie Clark didn't much care for the bowl-you-over affection of pigs. Really and truly, they frightened her. But this week, she took one into the Howard County Fair's show ring for the first time and demonstrated that practice can knock the fear out of you. "She got out here, and she was moving it around - you would never have guessed she started out scared of this animal," said her mother, Laural Clark of Glenelg. "I was very impressed." Learning to handle a pig with ease is one of the ideas behind the county's livestock program for Clovers, the youngest 4-H'ers.

FREDERICK - The din on the floor, the auctioneer's musical cadence, the farmers gathered in ritual. The weekly Frederick Livestock Auction hooked Jim Starliper from the moment he encountered it as a young boy. Forty-two years later, Starliper was breathing in the heady smells of cattle and wood shavings at the auction barn last night for the final time. The auction, a Monday evening staple since 1959, has tagged its last calf and heard its last "Sold!" Its demise is part of a transformation that has seen once-rural Frederick County attract businesses and residential developments, but lose farms, woods and gun clubs.