animal health

The University of Idaho is accepting applications for Beef 201, a follow up to last year’s popular multi-day workshop tailored toward helping the region’s beginning ranchers.  Phil Bass, associate professor of meat science, said May’s event follows last year’s Beef 101 hosted in Moscow.   "Really what we're tryin...

Legislation that recently cleared the Washington state House looks to address the shortage of veterinarians across the state.  Sponsor of the legislation, Representative Tom Dent, said House Bill 1705 will set up a task force with Washington State University, industry leaders, existing vets to study the current shortage, and recommend strategies to recruit, train, and retain large animal veterinar

Bovine Respiratory Disease and Swine Respiratory Disease continue to be year-round production challenges for the livestock industry.  When looking for the right antibiotic, producers and veterinarians consider several factors, including dose volume, absorption rates, duration of activity and even the packaging.  Dr...

After bird flu has been detected in dairy cattle across the country, including here in the Northwest, there have been talks about the USDA testing milk samples to determine if H5N1 is present.  How would testing those samples work?   “...

External parasites in your dairy herd can turn shiny coats into tattered ones and reduce the comfort, efficiency, and performance of the herd.   “Lice are typically going to be found around the neck, shoulders, or back of cattle and there's a couple of different kinds. We have b...

A rule change from the FDA, effective summer 2023, means ranchers and livestock owners will need a veterinary prescription to purchase certain medically important antibiotics like LA 200 and penicillin.  Dr. Fred Gingrich is the Executive Director of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.   “...

Earlier this week, Farm Foundation announced a forum on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture: How Far Have We Come and What's Next? The free online forum is set for Tuesday, September 27, at 6:00 am Pacific.   Farm Foundation said antimicrobial resistance poses a serious public health threat and has the potential to affect society, the economy and the health of animals and humans.  Th... Read

The Washington state Department of Agriculture is investigating what caused several horses to recently become sick.  The Department confirmed on Facebook they are investigating reports of suspected hoary alyssum in hay, possibly causing several horses to become ill.  Ac...

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with his counterpart in Mexico Tuesday and announced the opening of Mexico to U.S. potato exports by May 15th. A Department of Agriculture statement said they met to continue cooperation on shared priorities, including open trade, science-based policy-making, and sustainable and climate-smart agricultural production ...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture didn’t need to search far for their new state veterinarian. WSDA announced Wednesday that interim state veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle has been selected to serve as the new state veterinarian. Itl ...