The annual election for AASV Vice President is now underway. The two candidates for this position are Drs. Paul Ruen (Fairmont, Minnesota) and Karen Lehe (West Lafayette, Indiana). Information about the candidates appears in the January/February 2008 issue of the Journal of Swine Health and Production, and is available online here. Ballots have been mailed to all AASV Active Members (veterinarians in the US, Canada, and Mexico) and must be returned by mail. Only official ballots received in the AASV office by February 29 will be counted. The election results will be announced at the AASV 2008 Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Monthly Archives: December 2007
Nominations sought for AASV District Directors
Nominations for the office of AASV District Director are currently being solicited in four AASV districts. Nomination cards have been mailed to all eligible voters in districts 2 (Southeastern US), 5 (Illinois and Wisconsin), 9 (Minnesota and North Dakota) and 11 (Canada). Nominations must be returned to the AASV office by January 18.
Are you offering externships at your practice???
Students at the 2008 AASV Annual Meeting will compete in a “Business Card Scavenger Hunt” to collect the most business cards from participating practitioners. We would especially like to encourage involvement of veterinarians that are offering student externships, ride-alongs, summer jobs, or other similar experiences. Other AASV members in non-traditional roles, members of the Board of Directors, etc, are also encouraged to participate. This is a great way to boost your interaction with students (and potential future associates!) at the meeting.
Mexican Government Closes Ports to Pork
In response to a nonbinding resolution passed by the Mexican Congress on November 22, 2007, and signed by the presidents of Mexico’s three leading political parties, the Mexican Ministers of Agriculture and Economy have notified the Congress that the government will undertake several administrative actions that could seriously jeopardize exports of U.S. pork to Mexico. Mexican authorities are reviewing the list of U.S. plants and establishments approved to export U.S. pork to Mexico with the objective of removing from the list entities that consolidate pork consignments for onward export to Mexico.
Research Shows Sows Housed on Straw Perform Longer than Sows Housed on Concrete
Research at the University of Manitoba’s National Centre for Livestock and the Environment shows the longevity of sows housed on straw tends to be better than that of sows housed on partially slatted concrete floors.
New virus in pigs pops up in Australia
Australian researchers have found a new type of virus that causes high mortality rates in (primarily) piglets.
Deadline approaching to register for ABVP entrance examination
The deadline to register for the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners entrance examination in Swine Health Management is January 15, 2008. The exam will be administered Saturday morning, March 8, at the AASV annual meeting in San Diego. After passing the 100 question entrance exam, the candidate is eligible to submit credentials and subsequently sit for the qualifying exam to become a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners. For more information, go to the ABVP website at http://www.ABVP.com or contact Dr. James Kober at svsmi@sbcglobal.net.
Economic Impact of U.S. Pork Trade
The changes in U.S. pork trade in the past 21 years are quite impressive. U.S. pork exports have grown from 86 million pounds carcass weight equivalent in 1986 to 3 billion pounds in 2006. Another comparison shows that the U.S. has gone from a negative 1.036 billion pounds net export in 1986 to a positive 2,008 billion pounds in 2006 (Table 1).
Swine Vet Center ? Tail Biting in Weaned Pigs
Researchers in this study analyzed the effectiveness of different practices used to prevent the occurrence of tail-biting among pigs. They also looked at how well various treatment practices reduced tail-biting after it had begun in a group of pigs.
Couldn?t have done it without Dr. Gramer
A recent news article from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) regarding a newly identified swine influenza variant (reproduced in the December 19th edition of AASV e-Letter: New Swine Flu Has Avian Flu Genes) neglected to mention the important contribution of Dr. Marie Gramer and the folks at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Gramer’s lab was the first to identify the H2N3 influenza virus that infected two groups of pigs at separate production facilities in 2006.