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1. Third Case of Chronic Wasting Disease Confirmed in Ark.
ArkansasMatters.com
March 22, 2016
NEWTON COUNTY, Ark. (News Release) - A second white-tailed deer has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, according to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The disease is fatal to deer and elk.
The second positive CWD test came from a deer north of Mt. Sherman at Camp Orr.
The AGFC took tissue samples from the 4�-year-old female deer, which was found dead on March 2. The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison, confirmed the test late Monday.
Earlier this month, another deer was found dead in Ponca. That deer also tested positive for CWD.
The two deer are in addition to an elk killed during a hunt near Pruitt, which was confirmed to have the disease Feb. 23. All three locations are in northern Newton County near the Buffalo River.
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2. Pence signs captive hunting bill [IN]
By Niki Kelly
The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
March 22, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana's captive hunting industry is officially legal and on the books after Gov. Mike Pence signed legislation into law Tuesday.
Senate Bill 109 codifies the controversial practice of hunting farm-raised deer for money behind high fences following a court ruling in its favor last year. It is effective immediately.
There are currently seven captive facilities - located in Harrison, Marshall, Kosciusko, Blackford, Whitley, Miami and Decatur counties.
The bill is the culmination of a 10-year legal battle waged over these hunting grounds, ending when the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled last year that the Department of Natural Resources didn't have statutory authority to regulate privately owned deer. The Indiana Supreme Court allowed the decision to stand in June, which left the practice unregulated.
Lawmakers could have banned the practice altogether but chose instead to impose modest rules on the industry.
The new law transfers all authority regulating hunting preserves to the Board of Animal Health - even the hunting aspects of the industry. Many wildlife and hunting groups opposed the bill, which treats farm-raised deer as livestock.
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3. Determination pays off [PRRS]
By JoAnn Alumbaugh, Editor
PORK Network
March 22, 2016
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS, is a thorn in the swine industry's side. Collectively, it costs the industry an estimated $664 million each year. Dr. Derald Holtkamp, associate professor of veterinary medicine at Iowa State University, said that equates to about 9.9 million pigs per year, which is far more devastating than Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has been, even at its worst.
Speakers at the North American PRRS Symposium provided an extensive update on PRRS, including research, biosecurity protocols, disease strains to watch, and an update on regional control programs.
The regional programs are in good hands with the coordinators who spoke at the meeting. They exemplify the dedication and perseverance it takes to maintain momentum and keep producers engaged in the process of disease control.
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4. UC Davis Veterinary Science Ranked No. 1 in World Again [edited]
By News and Media Relations
University News
March 22, 2016
The University of California, Davis, held onto its top spot in veterinary science in the latest QS World University Rankings released today. As the No. 1 university in veterinary science, UC Davis is renowned for applying a "One Health" approach to addressing critical health concerns on a local and global scale.
"The people and programs of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine are dedicated to providing innovative and compassionate clinical care, making groundbreaking discoveries and teaching the next generation of leaders in veterinary medicine," said Michael Lairmore, the school's dean since 2011. "This recognition is also a reflection of the dedication of our philanthropic partners who provide generous gifts that help fund novel research, improved facilities and student scholarships."
The veterinary school, also ranked No. 1 by U.S. News and World Report, is home to a robust research program, which last year totaled more than $56 million. The school annually provides clinical services to more than 50,000 animal patients in 34 specialties. UC Davis serves as a strong leader in veterinary medical education, providing nearly 550 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine students annually with a curriculum built on sound educational theory designed and delivered by prominent faculty members.
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5. Equine Leptospirosis: "Now We Have a Vaccine!"
By University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
TheHorse.com
March 22, 2016
Craig Carter, DVM, PhD, director of the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and professor of epidemiology, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, gave a talk on equine leptospirosis, "Now we have a vaccine!" at the 7th Annual Kentucky Breeders' Short Course, held Jan. 30 in Lexington.
Leptospirosis is a zoonotic (transmitted between animals and humans) bacterial disease found worldwide that can affect any mammalian species, including humans, wildlife, rodents, livestock, and horses.
Some risk factors for horses contracting leptospirosis are increased rainfall, standing water or bodies of water in the environment, wildlife/domestic animals shedding the organism upon urination, contaminated soil, overcrowding of horses in pastures, and feeding off the ground.
Clinical signs include fever, loss of appetite, swelling of eyes, light sensitivity, ocular discharge, eye cloudiness, redness around eye, lethargy, mid-to-late-term abortion, and kidney and liver failure. The primary signs consist of chronic uveitis (moon blindness) and abortion.
Researchers conducted two national studies investigating the prevalence of leptospirosis, and the results ultimately led to the development of a vaccine. Carter and the UK VDL conducted the initial National Equine Leptospirosis Seroepidemiology Study from 2010-2012. The study consisted of 30 diagnostic labs in the United States and Ontario, Canada. Carter and his team looked at five geographic regions and evaluated serum from animals moving in the markets and to events. The team made an assumption that all horses in the study were healthy at the time of the study. The total population consisted of 1,495 horses, with 561 mares and 934 geldings.
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6. California's average size dairy declines
By Fran Howard, AgWeb contributor
DairyHerd.com
March 22, 2016
The nation's top dairy state, has been struggling with low milk prices for years, and it appears that thin to nonexistent operating margins have now taken a toll on the average size of a Golden State dairy operation.
"California's dairy industry is in decline. By every measure, the industry was smaller in 2015 than in 2014," notes Sarina Sharp, agricultural economist with the Daily Dairy Report.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, California producers had nearly 1.75 million milk cows headed into 2016, down 41,670 head from a year earlier, a 2.4 percent year-over-year decline. Annual milk production last year in California dropped 3.4 percent to 40.87 billion pounds, and there were 1,438 dairy operations in the state, down 32 operations from the prior year.
"The decline in the number of dairies represents a continuation of a trend that has been underway across the nation for decades," notes Sharp. "By and large, the U.S. dairy industry is consolidating."
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7. Cuba and the U.S. Sign Memorandum on Agriculture
Radio Cadena Agramonte
March 22, 2016
Havana, Cuba - A memorandum of understanding was signed on Monday in this capital by agricultural authorities of Cuba and the United States - Gustavo Rodriguez and Thomas Vilsack, minister and secretary of the Department of Agriculture, respectively - in one of the activities of the program of the official visit to the island of U.S. President Barack Obama.
The text is aimed at promoting cooperation in agricultural trade, productivity, food security, and sustainable management of natural resources, as well as protection against the introduction and spread of pests, diseases of plants, animals and the environment.
Rollero said during the meeting that the agreement demonstrates the interest of both governments to work on the process of normalization of relations.
He recalled that their bases date back to the visit to Cuba of Vilsack in November, 2015, and since then some areas of cooperation have been identified, although "for our part we have the capacity to sign agreements on plant and animal health," he pointed out.
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