The AASV Foundation is pleased to announce that the National Pork Industry Foundation has renewed funding for the NPIF Internship Stipend for 2014. This program, now in its sixth year, provides internship opportunities to six veterinary students who are interested in swine medicine but have limited means to gain experience early in their education. The AASV Student Recruitment Committee is seeking six US swine practitioners to be mentors for the students. Commitments include answering one student’s questions regarding the industry throughout the year and hosting the student for a minimum of 1 month in the summer. If you are interested in being a practitioner mentor, please contact Dr. Nathan Schaefer at 515-236-1238 (cell) or nathan.schaefer@boehringer-ingelheim.com.
Monthly Archives: October 2013
Alternate Student Delegate Applications Due November 11
The AASV Student Recruitment Committee is accepting applications from veterinary students interested in serving as the Alternate Student Delegate on the AASV Board of Directors. This student will represent student interests and serve as a non-voting member of the AASV board. This experience will provide the student with a unique perspective of the inner workings of the AASV. The term of service is 2 years; the first year as alternate student delegate, and the second year as the student delegate.
Position Announcement: Associate Director, Wean-to-Market Business Unit Veterinarian
The Maschhoffs, one of the largest independent pork producers in the U.S., is looking for an Associate Director, Wean-To-Market Business Unit Veterinarian.
AASVF Auction Committee Rides Again!
Under the leadership of Dr. Daryl Olsen, the 2014 AASV Foundation Auction Committee is saddled up and on the trail to Dallas. The Foundationâs pardners are starting to ante up and the donations are already rolling in. The committee asks ALL AASV members to join in the posse and support the effort! Here’s how: Donate an item for the auction: Just complete and submit the Auction Donation Form to have your item added to the online auction listing and recognized in the auction catalog. Remember, donations are due by December 1!Bid on items at the auction (or call in your bids if you won’t be at the meeting)Watch the AASV e-Letter for upcoming announcements of a new activity you won’t want to miss! Even if you won’t be at the meeting, you’ll be able to join in the effort to support the Foundation. Stay tuned… Contact a member of the Foundation Auction Committee with any questions or suggestions. And while you’re at it, thank them for their efforts!
Join us for the 2013 Swine Disease Conference on November 14-15, 2013!
Attend the 2014 Swine Disease Conference to get the latest in information that addresses the daily concerns of swine practitioners. The conference focuses on emerging swine pathogens and their control, and improvements in diagnostics and risk-based controls useful for on-farm health plan development.
African Swine Fever Keeps Spreading in Russia
African swine fever [ASF] keeps spreading in Russia despite the harsh pre-emptive measures the authorities have been taking. Outbreaks have been registered in 15 regions of the country. The authorities have declared a comprehensive policy of eliminating pig-breeding at private household-run farms and old livestock farms unable to guarantee the proper level of protection. However, the overall [number of] livestock has not shrunk, because the productivity of major agricultural companies is growing. Yet, the spreading ASF has put a big question mark over the future of this branch of livestock farming in Russia.
Industry Invests in Future with Commitment to Swine Welfare
A major milestone was reached this month when industry fundraising achieved 50% of its target to establish a National Chair in Swine Welfare. The proposed Chair in Swine Welfare, an industry-wide initiative, has been gaining momentum with 6 provincial pork associations, and four pork processors committing to the 5-year program to develop a dedicated team of researchers focusing on swine welfare. The Chair application will go forward soon to NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) as an IRC (Industrial Research Chair), a program that benefits industry development of applied and early discovery research. The program provides 50:50 matching funds to the industry financial pledges, for approved research programs. “The process for achieving such a program is significant” notes Lee Whittington, President of Prairie Swine Centre and the lead organizer behind the Chair. “We first identified the Chair concept as a viable option over 4 years ago, the ensuing years have included the necessary steps of working with industry qualifying the priority of and gauging the need of greater effort in welfare, endorsement and partnering with the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, at the University of Saskatchewan, selecting the right candidate for the Chair position and presenting the concept to industry to achieve the financial requirements of the program.
Origin, Evolution, and Genotyping of Emergent Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Strains in the United States
Coronaviruses are known to infect humans and other animals and cause respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. Here we report the emergence of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in the United States and determination of its origin, evolution, and genotypes based on temporal and geographical evidence. Histological lesions in small intestine sections of affected pigs and the complete genomic sequences of three emergent strains of PEDV isolated from outbreaks in Minnesota and Iowa were characterized. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses of the three U.S. strains revealed a close relationship with Chinese PEDV strains and their likely Chinese origin. The U.S. PEDV strains underwent evolutionary divergence, which can be classified into two sublineages. The three emergent U.S. strains are most closely related to a strain isolated in 2012 from Anhui Province in China, which might be the result of multiple recombination events between different genetic lineages or sublineages of PEDV. Molecular clock analysis of the divergent time based on the complete genomic sequences is consistent with the actual time difference, approximately 2 to 3 years, of the PED outbreaks between China (December 2010) and the United States (May 2013). The finding that the emergent U.S. PEDV strains share unique genetic features at the 5′-untranslated region with a bat coronavirus provided further support of the evolutionary origin of PEDV from bats and potential cross-species transmission. The data from this study have important implications for understanding the ongoing PEDV outbreaks in the United States and will guide future efforts to develop effective preventive and control measures against PEDV.
Ohio Forms First PRRS Task Force
The Ohio Pork Producers Council (OPPC) has organized the nationâs first state PRRS Task Force, says Dick Isler, executive vice president of the OPPC.
Pig-Ski Headed Back to Copper Mountain
The 2014 Pig-Group Ski Seminar is slated for February 5 – 7, 2014 at Colorado’s Copper Mountain. The event opens with a reception on Wednesday evening, Feb 5. Continuing education sessions take place Thursday and Friday mornings, with the afternoons free for recreational activities. The family-oriented resort offers shopping, skating, snowmobiling, sleigh rides and night life activities – all within walking distance.