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1. Additional Cases of EEE Found in Michigan Horses
By Edited Press Release
TheHorse.com
September 28, 2015
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced Sept. 28 that two additional cases of Eastern equine encephalitis have been diagnosed in horses in Calhoun and Van Buren counties.
The MDARD was notified by the United States Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa, of the results on Sept. 22. Both the Calhoun horse and the Van Buren horse had a positive blood test suggesting EEE exposure and had already been euthanized. These horses had not been vaccinated for EEE.
"These additional cases emphasize the need to protect your horses from mosquito-borne diseases," said James Averill, DVM, PhD, the MDARD's state veterinarian. "Animal owners need to take environmental preventative measures against mosquitos and always talk to their veterinarian about vaccination options."
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2. Washington state vet: Backyard flocks most vulnerable to bird flu
By Don Jenkins
Capital Press
September 28, 2015
OLYMPIA - Washington State Veterinarian Joe Baker says he's confident commercial poultry farms are prepared for bird flu, but he's worried that ignorance will not be bliss for owners of backyard flocks.
Even after what the U.S. Department of Agriculture calls the "largest animal health event in our history," Baker said he still encounters poultry owners who are oblivious to bird flu.
And even if commercial barns ward off the virus, trade sanctions will follow if the disease strikes a non-commercial flock, Baker said. "We can't separate the small hobby flocks from the commercial operations."
The highly pathogenic bird flu that made its U.S. debut in a wild duck in Washington last December eventually claimed 7.5 million turkeys, 42.1 million chickens and cost taxpayers more than $950 million, according to the USDA. The virus infected 211 commercial operations, with 184 of those cases in April and May in the Upper Midwest.
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3. Managing machines, equipment ensures livestock health
By: Ann Marie Edwards
Iowa Farmer Today
September 26, 2015
Thorough biosecurity programs have already been put in place by most livestock producers who recognize the need to safeguard the health of their flocks and herds.
Machinery and equipment are part of those plans.
"With the current price of cattle and other livestock, it's wise to do everything possible to protect your investment," says Lew Strickland, Extension veterinarian for the University of Tennessee.
"Simple, down to earth basic biosecurity can be applied to farms without costing a fortune. This will help prevent the spread of disease farm-to-farm and within your farm."
First, start by managing outside visitors. Make sure visitor and service vehicles don't drive over feed delivery or manure handling routes.
Locate holding pens for animal pickups near the road and away from the herd and barn areas. Keep visitor vehicles out of areas that are accessible to livestock.
Ensure bedding in trucks is clean and ample when moving livestock to prevent both injuries and disease.
Wash and disinfect the outside, inside and especially tires of vehicles that transport livestock to other farms.
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4. USDA: New national record set for number of hogs on farms
Associated Press
Las Vegas Sun
September 26, 2015
DES MOINES, Iowa - The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the nation has reached a new record for the number of hogs and pigs on farms.
The national inventory on Sept. 1 was 68.4 million animals, up 4 percent from a year ago and the most since the USDA began keeping national quarterly records 27 years ago.
The industry has been rebuilding herds after a virus killed an estimated 9 million baby pigs last year.
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5. Western Milling LLC Voluntarily Recalls Western Blend Horse Feed, Lot 5251 Due To Potential Monensin Contamination
Western Milling Press Release
Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine
September 25, 2015
GOSHEN, CA - Western Milling announced today that it has voluntarily recalled 50 lb bags of Western Blend horse feed, LOT 5251, manufactured on September 8, 2015. This voluntary recall was initiated by Western Milling after it learned that an ingredient in the feed in question may contain monensin, an ionophore. According to the FDA, clinical signs of ionophore poisoning in horses vary depending on the dosage ingested, but can include poor appetite and feed refusal of the grain product, diarrhea, weakness, rapid heart rate, labored breathing, decreased exercise tolerance, depression, wobbly gait, colic, sweating, recumbency, and sudden death. The first clinical signs are often noted from 12 to 72 hours after ingesting a toxic dose and the clinical signs may linger up to about 8 days. Permanent cardiac damage is possible in horses which showed adverse effects, but then recovered.
The feed subject to this recall was distributed in September, 2015 to stores in California and Arizona. All stores where the bags were sold have been notified. Of the 1,100 bags being recalled, all but 67 bags have already been reclaimed by the company.
Consumers are urged to examine any bags of Western Blend horse feed purchased in September, 2015 to check and see if they have Lot 5251. Any bags with this lot number may be returned to the stores where they were purchased for a full refund.
The voluntary recall comes after notification that several horses who were reported to have consumed the feed being recalled while at the same equine facility have died.
For more information, please call the company at 1-559-302-1062.
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6. UA's Vet Med Program to Have Home in Oro Valley [AZ]
Univ. of Arizona Press Release
UANews.org
September 28, 2015
University of Arizona President Ann Weaver Hart announced Monday that the new home for the UA's Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program will be its newest campus: University of Arizona Oro Valley.
The campus also will support a new UA initiative tied to One Health, a worldwide effort to address disease threats to humans and animals simultaneously and improve the health of both populations. The UA will be using supercomputer-driven predictive analytics to detect and diagnose emerging threats to human health.
Hart said most serious human diseases developed as animal diseases and the most catastrophic diseases today - Ebola, H1N1 and Avian Influenza - have immediate linkages to animal diseases.
"The University of Arizona Oro Valley campus will serve to integrate programs related to veterinary and human medicine, public health, social sciences, ecological and environmental sciences, all focused on addressing today's complex health challenges," Hart said. "With the DVM program, the University is matching degree output to state need. And with the One Health research analytics initiative, we are using UA knowledge and innovation to help address pressing new health challenges that defy traditional modes of analysis and problem solving."
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7. Clemson opens high-tech lab to digitize agriculture
Scott Miller, Public Service Activities
TheNewstand
September 28, 2015
BLACKVILLE - Clemson University's Edisto Research and Education Center has added a laboratory to develop sensor technologies that will monitor the health of South Carolina farms.
The high-tech sensor lab enables Clemson researchers to rapidly develop precision-agriculture technologies that once would take weeks or even months to build, test and refine. Products built here could save growers hours scouting fields and monitoring animal health, as well as reduce unnecessary pesticide applications or irrigation.
Clemson sensor engineer Joe Mari Maja shows one of the machines at the new sensor laboratory at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville.
Clemson sensor engineer Joe Mari Maja shows one of the machines at the new sensor laboratory at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville.
Image Credit: Clemson University
"We are designing technologies that will help growers identify and treat problems quickly before they spread," said Clemson sensor engineer Joe Mari Maja.
Working with Clemson entomologists, agricultural engineers and agronomists, Maja is building circuit boards and sensors he has designed to be used in fields, on agricultural equipment or on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) he uses to scout fields for insects and disease.
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