Our friends at Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. want to improve livestock health through preventive measures, while at the same time bridge the gap between producers and consumers who are more removed from production agriculture than ever before. The company has launched the Prevention Works platform to raise awareness and foster conversations between veterinarians, their clients and consumers. The goal is …
BIVI 3FLEX Makes an Impression at WPX
Managing swine respiratory diseases is economically important for the pork industry, which is why the relatively new Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica 3FLEX vaccine is being well received by producers. During a BIVI press conference at World Pork Expo, experts discussed the latest findings in managing swine respiratory diseases such as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCV2) …
Alltech’s Nutrition Revolution
He’s a revolutionary in the area of nutrition. Dr. Karl Dawson, Chief Scientific Officer, Alltech, took the stage the opening session of the 2012 International Symposium. The company is doing breakthrough research in nutrigenomics to find new ways to feed our animals to enhance their performance, health and longevity and enhance the consumer experience. Dr. Dawson also talks about how …
USDA Confirms BSE Case
The U.S. Department of Agriculture today confirmed the nation’s fourth case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from central California. “The carcass of the animal is being held under State authority at a rendering facility in California and will be destroyed. It was never presented for slaughter for human consumption, so at no time presented a risk …
Multiple Pathogens Multiply Costs for Pork Producers
When it comes to pathogens in swine, one plus one amounts to more than just two, according to Dr. Tom Painter, Director of Veterinary Health Services for Cargill Pork. He told other swine vets at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in Denver last week about a study they did on the economic costs of different combinations of …
Better Beef Sales Launched at Cattle Convention
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Beef Checkoff have partnered with Merck Animal Health to launch new online retail-training program for Better Beef Sales. The need for more training of meat-counter employees became evident after Merck Animal Health conducted a series of consumer panels that revealed consumers identify the staff behind the counter as experts. “The consumer that goes …
The Novus Triple S Bottom Line
At the International Poultry Expo, Novus International announced a new enzyme “candidate,” the first from their collaboration with Verenium. I spoke with Gary Hayen, Global Business Director for the fermentation products division. Gary says that by bringing these two companies together they will bring a strength to the industry to bring solutions to their customers. He says that because of …
PRRS Seminar Wrapup
The Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica staff veterinarian with a focus on PRRS, the swine disease that so many are trying to eliminate, is Dr. Reid Philips. Reid was on hand for this year’s PRRS ARC&E Seminar. I asked Reid to provide a wrapup viewpoint about how this year’s seminar went. He says this year’s program came together really well. The seminar …
PRRS Surveillance
Dr. Jim Branstad, Keota Veterinary Clinic, spoke about PRRS Surveillance in area regional control projects during the Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS Seminar. He should know all about pig surveillance since as he says, “I spend about 90 percent of my time with pigs.” The message he had included the need to talk individually with producers in the project area. That one …
Small PRRS Projects Seeing Success
Dr. Jim Lowe is an independent veterinarian and one of the attendees at the Boehringer Ingelheim PRRS ARC&E Seminar. He’s the guy on the Mac. I asked him why he attends this seminar. Jim says that he spends a lot of time dealing with PRRS and this program allows him time to visit with colleagues and share information. He’s involved …