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1. New ways needed to bridge communication gap in animal ag
Feedstuffs
May 6, 2016
Engaging consumers is very crucial for animal agriculture - a message shared by several speakers at a recent Animal Agriculture Alliance 2016 Stakeholders Summit.
"People don't seem to understand the food system, and they are getting their information from everyone but farmers," said Yvette D'Entremont, a blogger and science advocate also known as "Sci Babe."
D'Entremont encouraged the attendees to bridge the gap by reminding consumers that farmers are also consumers, to show photos when possible - because "seeing is believing, and connecting with people is essential" - and, last, to incorporate humor in things you want people to read.
"Trust is the most important thing," Jay Byrne, chief executive officer of V-Fluence, said as he discussed how to get agriculture's story heard in the media. The key to being heard is to be clear and concise, avoid negative language and convey to people that they have choices, Byrne said.
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2. Bird flu worries still haunt producers as they spend money to prevent it [edited]
By Tom Meersman
Minneapolis Star Tribune
May 8, 2016
Last year at this time, Minnesota turkey growers were in the middle of a full-blown disaster, the likes of which they'd never seen.
Between March 4 and June 5, the highly pathogenic H5N2 bird flu claimed about 5 million turkeys and 4 million egg-laying chickens on more than 100 farms in the state. Minnesota, the nation's No. 1 turkey producer, lost 10 percent of its production.
This year? Nothing.
Viruses are always changing, said Minnesota Board of Animal Health Assistant Director Beth Thompson, and it's clear that some part of the H5N2 virus originated in Europe and Asia, and likely spread through migrating birds.
"What type of birds, and whether it's the fall migration or the spring migration, there are still a lot of questions about that," said Thompson. "Across the country everyone is still looking at the virus and trying to understand what happened."
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3. Commitment, technology aid animal welfare
By Jim Dickrell
DairyHerd.com
May 6, 2016
Even in times of economic stress, animal care cannot be comprised. That should go without saying, but when times get financially stressed, it's sometimes tempting to take shortcuts: maybe bed one fewer time per week, not replace an employee or not keep up with training to ensure protocols are followed.
But doing so will likely create more problems than it avoids. Stressed animals or shortcuts in protocols will inevitably lead to more acute or chronic health issues, higher cull rates and lower productivity.
At the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association Conference last month, speaker after speaker pointed out the need for focused management to keep calves on track to reach their genetic potential. It makes little sense to use high value semen then not manage those calves for optimal growth and performance.
"Aversive handling at a young age [also] can create problems for that heifer throughout her life cycle on a dairy," says Sandy Stokes Goff, with Stagecoach Consulting Services. "Negative experiences with human caretakers can establish fear in animals, making them difficult to handle."
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4. Wildlife group proposes deer farm crackdown to fight CWD [WI]
By the Associated Press
Chippewa Herald
Mary 5, 2016
MADISON - A prominent sportsmen's group wants Gov. Scott Walker to crack down on captive deer farms as he considers revising the state's chronic wasting disease tactics.
The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation's letter to Walker, announced Thursday, asked him to impose regulations designed to keep CWD from spreading from captive deer to wild deer. The recommendations include requiring farms to double fence, installing warning devices that can detect open gates and annual fence inspections by the state or an independent inspector.
The letter also suggests that farmers be required to inspect their own fences at least monthly and immediately after any major wind storms. They would have to kill their herds within a month if they haven't double fenced and one of their deer tests positive for CWD. They also would have to maintain liability insurance to cover any damages to the state resulting from escapes.
The DNR recorded 29 escapes from deer farms in 2015 alone. Nevertheless, the agency in December adopted an emergency rule allowing farmers to opt of the state's CWD program without upgrading their fences.
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5. This robotic CT scanner is made for horses, but it could revolutionize human scanning too
By Chloe Olewitz
DigitalTrends.com
May 4, 2016
If you've ever had a full body medical scan, you probably remember the claustrophobia of sliding on your back into a tight-fitting tube. It's not a pleasant experience for humans, but for horses the process is so uncomfortable that it requires heavy anesthetics. That's why the Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a new imaging system that will scan horses while they are awake and standing, to avoid trauma and detect internal issues sooner.
To make this possible, Penn Vet partnered with an imaging technology company called 4DDI to create the so called "Equimagine" scanner. The system uses a series of robots that can move around a standing patient to capture a variety of high-resolution images. In addition to the two-dimensional images popular in CT scanning, Equimagine can also capture fluoroscopic images (think short x-ray movies), three-dimensional scans, and radiographs at speeds of up to 16,000 frames per second.
Thoroughbred racehorses in particular commonly develop stress fractures that can be difficult to detect. When hairline fractures intensify enough for experts to notice the pain in the movements of the horse, it's often too late to reverse the damage. "This technology has the potential to help diagnose those early enough that we can manage them and help prevent the horse from suffering a catastrophic breakdown on the race track," said Dean Richardson, chief of large animal surgery at the New Bolton Center at Penn Vet.
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6. FDA Holding Three Public Meetings on FSMA Strategic Implementation of Prevention-Oriented Import Safety Programs
FDA Ctr. for Veterinary Medicine
May 6, 2016
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today three one-day public meetings, entitled "FDA Food Safety Modernization Act: Focus on Strategic Implementation of Prevention-Oriented Import Safety Programs." The public meetings will be held in different regions throughout the United States to provide importers and other interested persons an opportunity to have an in-depth discussion on the implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) import safety programs, (i.e. foreign supplier verification programs (FSVPs) for importers of food for humans and animals, accreditation of third-party certification bodies and FDA's Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP)). During these meetings, participants and key FDA subject matter experts will discuss the next phase of FSMA implementation related to import safety programs, which includes establishing the operational framework for these programs and plans for guidance documents, training, education, and technical assistance. The purpose of the regional outreach public meetings is to continue the dialogue with the importer community on FSMA and elicit ideas that will help to inform the FDA and our stakeholders on how to continue to work together to successfully comply with FSMA mandates and regulations.
Public Meeting attendees are encouraged to register online to attend the meeting in person. For questions about registering for the meeting or to register by phone, contact Peggy Walker at 214-384-0667, FAX: 469-854-6992, e-mail: pwalker@planningprofessionals.com. Early registration is strongly recommended because seating is limited.
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7. The Humane Society of the United States Forms National Agriculture Advisory Council
HSUS News Release
May 6, 2016
After making tremendous strides with the establishment of 11 state agriculture advisory councils over the past four years, The Humane Society of the United States announced the formation of its National Agriculture Advisory Council. The council is comprised of family farmers and agriculturalists who practice and promote higher animal welfare standards within their operations.
Kevin Fulton, Nebraska farmer and chairman of the council said: "I am proud to serve alongside the distinguished farmers and ranchers for The HSUS' National Agriculture Advisory Council. These individuals are proven leaders who represent the face of humane and sustainable agriculture in this country. We are fully committed to working with The HSUS to improve the welfare of farm animals in a way that benefits not only the animals, but the family farmer, the consumer and our environment."
Marty Irby, senior director of rural outreach and equine protection at The HSUS said: "The establishment of our National Agriculture Advisory Council is a tremendous accomplishment for the welfare of farm animals, the promotion of humane and sustainable farming practices and for the economic vitality and future of rural America. We are grateful for the support, encouragement and willingness to serve from each of these dedicated farmers and ranchers who promote and adhere to higher animal welfare standards as alternatives to factory farming practices."
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