News Update

April 5, 2016

Preparing for VFD

The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rule passed last October will influence how cattle producers administer certain antibiotics. But what do producers need to know to prepare their operations before the VFD rule comes into effect in January 2017?

Elanco veterinarian Kerry Keffaber shares ways producers can prepare in the next nine months.

“Come January 1 [2017], antibiotics that are shared-class, that are used both in animals and humans, will only be used for therapy and require veterinary oversight,” he explains.

“The first thing in the foundation is to have a veterinary-client-patient relationship. So identify your veterinarian and make sure you’ve had those discussions of how he’s going to help make your medical decisions for your animals on the farm,” Keffaber continues.

He adds that in further preparation for VFD, work with your veterinarian to review your overall herd health program.

View the full interview on this week’s The Angus Report.

— Adapted from The Angus Report.

Two Weeks Remain for Free BQA Certification!

With only two weeks remaining, the countdown continues for beef and dairy producers to become Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)-certified for free online through April 15. As an added bonus, anyone who becomes certified during this period is eligible to win a pair of Roper boots, courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Inc. (BIVI) and the BQA program, funded by the beef checkoff.

BIVI will pick up the $25-$50 online training fee for every person completing BQA training through April 15. That includes anyone who works with cattle — whether it is beef or dairy. Visit www.bqa.org to take advantage of the open certification period today.

To learn more about your beef checkoff investment, visit www.mybeefcheckoff.com.

The free certification is made available by BIVI. Use the coupon code BIVIBQA during checkout for the free BQA online training.

— Adapted from a release by the Cattlemen’s Beef Board.

$4.4 Million in Funding for Veterinary Loan Repayment

The USDA on April 5, announced $4.4 million in available funding to help repay veterinary school loans in return for veterinarians serving in areas lacking sufficient veterinary resources. The funding is available through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP), administered by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).

“Veterinarians are critical to America’s food safety and security, as well as to the health and well-being of both animals and humans,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, the NIFA Administrator. “There are significant shortages of veterinarians in areas of this country, and a leading cause is the heavy cost of four years of professional veterinary medical training, which leaves current graduates of veterinary colleges with an average debt of more than $135,000.”

Recipients are required to commit to three years of veterinary service in a designated veterinary shortage situation. Loan repayment benefits are limited to payments of the principal and interest on government and commercial loans received while attending an American Veterinary Medical Association-accredited college of veterinary medicine resulting in a doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree or the equivalent.

For more information, please view the full USDA news release online.

— Adapted from a release by USDA NIFA.

Jack Shere Officially Named as Chief Veterinary Officer and Veterinary Services Deputy Administrator

Almost two months ago, Kevin Shea, APHIS administrator, announced Jack Shere as USDA’s acting chief veterinary officer (CVO) and deputy administrator for Veterinary Services (VS). He is now pleased to announce that appointment is permanent. Shere replaces John Clifford, who served as deputy administrator for 12 years, and is now the chief trade advisor for the VS National Import Export Services. Shere will lead the program’s many employees in protecting and improving the health, quality and marketability of U.S. livestock, animal products and veterinary biologics. He will also oversee the VS national and international reference laboratory network.

— Adapted from a release by USDA APHIS.

Pond Management Workshop set for April 23

A pond management workshop is set for 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 23, at the University of Missouri (MU) Forage Systems Research Center (FSRC) at Linneus.

FSRC, MU Extension and the Missouri Department of Conservation sponsor the event.

Topics include watershed management, pond construction, managing existing ponds, stocking ponds, and fish and aquatic plant management, says MU Extension agronomy specialist Valerie Tate.

A $10 fee is payable at the door.

For more information please view the Angus Journal Virtual Library calendar of upcoming events.

— Adapted from a release by Linda Geist, University of Missouri Extension.

— Compiled by Paige Nelson, field editor, Angus Journal.

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