Geni Wren

Monitoring Uterine Health On-Farm

Much of our efforts on the dairy involve watching, tracking and monitoring performance of the herd and individual animals. When it comes to monitoring metritis—a costly and time-intensive disease with far-reaching repercussions—a consistent protocol for monitoring animals is essential to proactively preventing disease. ... Full story.

WSVMA does not support HSUS bill

As a result of a unanimous vote, the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) does not support passage of Initiative-1130 should it make the November ballot, even though in a newsletter article to its members, the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association declares overwhelming support from Washington State veterinarians. ... Full story.

Staph more likely from humans than meat, says expert

Last week, consumer media was abuzz about the Translational Genomics Institute study declaring that half of meat samples are positive for Staphyloccus aureus. ... Full story.

MRSA study “inconsequential”

Once again bad science is causing a food safety scare that is confusing consumers and potentially needlessly damaging the entire meat industry. The Translational Genomics Research Institute says that a study shows that much of meat and poultry sold in supermarkets is contaminated with drug-resistant Staphylococcus bacteria. ... Full story.

Raw milk: turning the clock back on science

The raw milk debate has been raging throughout the U.S. in various states and counties for several years. Proponents says can cure about every ailment known to man, woman or child, but opponents of raw milk advise consumers about the food safety issues with raw, unpasteurized milk and potential deadly pathogens that can lurk within unpasteurized milk. ... Full story.

Repopulating rural veterinarians

In last Sunday’s Kansas City Star an article by John Milburn from the Associated Press talked about Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signing a new law to create Rural Opportunity Zones in counties that have faced large population declines in the past decade. These counties are in need of resident, jobs, and even veterinarians. ... Full story.

NMC wants SCCs lowered to 400,000

For the fifth time the NMC (formerly the National Mastitis Council) has voted to submit a proposal to the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) to lower the somatic cell count (SCC) regulatory limit in the United States from the current 750,000 to 400,000 cells/ml. ... Full story.

Video 'HSUS Revealed!' gets 34,000 hits  

The newly launched Missouri Farmers Care Web site encourages people to find out more about farmers and how food gets from field to plate, and offers stories from farmers around the state who farm because they care. The group recently released a YouTube video, “HSUS Revealed!” which has already garnered 34,000 hits. ... Full story.

Alaska Congressman Refuses Award from HSUS

Alaskan Congressman Don Young refused an award this evening from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Humane Society Legislative Fund that would have honored his work for animals in 2010. ... Full story.

Help consumers understand animal care

At the recent 2011 NMC meeting in Arlington, Va., Mike Lormore, DVM, MS, MBA, Pfizer Animal Health, discussed some messages that dairy veterinarians and their producers can use to help consumers understand animal health and veterinary practices. ... Full story.

Vigilance Keeps BSE Risk Low

A January 13 press release from the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine indicates that feed enforcement activities to limit the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) appear to be successful. ... Full story.

BQA Still Vital To Food Safety

The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Program grew from its 1980 start as a Beef Safety Assurance Program (residue avoidance) in five states to a national education program. ... Full story.