We hope you’ve already made your lodging arrangements for AASV’s 50th Annual Meeting – now it’s time to register for the conference itself! Online registration has just opened for the meeting, to be held March 9-12 in Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), Florida, where presentations will address the theme, “Built to Last: Celebrating 50 Years of Progress.” Conference details, including registration, lodging, and the scientific program are available at www.aasv.org/annmtg. It pays to register early – after February 15, the member registration rate takes a BIG jump. Plus, after February 25, registration will close entirely until on-site registration opens in Orlando on March 9. Printed registration materials are being mailed to all AASV members, and should arrive in most members’ mailboxes within the next couple of weeks (they’re included with JSHAP for international and student members who receive mailed journals). See you in Orlando!
Monthly Archives: December 2018
Swine Veterinary Internship Program Application Now Open
The Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine (ISU CVM) is seeking veterinary student applicants for the Swine Veterinary Internship Program (SVIP). There will be several openings for summer 2019! Details, the application form and instructions can be found here: https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vdpam/academics/summer-opportunities/svip
Position Announcement: Attending Veterinarian, Clinical Research
This position is responsible for providing veterinary oversight to the care and use of laboratory animals (livestock and companion research animals are included) at Merck Animal Health. He/She is responsible for ensuring that humane, legal, ethical, efficient, and scientifically sound research is conducted. Responsibilities also include training and oversight of the animal care staff, representation on the internal animal care and use committee (IACUC), and facilitating communication between the Animal Services/Research Facility and the Research and Development department.
Position Announcement: Swine Veterinarian
Smithfield Hog Production Division is seeking a Swine Veterinarian for our Rocky Mountain Region who will assist in improving production and efficiency and company profitability through improving herd heath status and bio-security. The main operation, located in beautiful Southern Utah, is a 140,000-sow operation farrow-to-finish with 60+ farm sites. This position may also support our Arizona, California, and Idaho locations within the region. This position will promote process improvement with a focus on health, disease prevention and biosecurity. Competitive pay ($70k – $115k) and amazing benefits are offered! Come be a part of Smithfield, the world’s largest pork producer, and help us produce “Good Food. Responsibly®.” For details and to apply, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com/hogproduction and enter 18001704 into the keyword search.
Veterinary students: Apply for $5000 scholarships by December 31
The AASV Foundation and Merck Animal Health are pleased to announce the continuation of the AASVF-Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program. Ten $5000 scholarships will be awarded to sophomore and junior veterinary students in 2019. Now in its fourth year, the program seeks to identify future swine veterinarians and assist with their educational expenses. Applications are due December 31, 2018 for scholarships that will be announced at the 2019 AASV Annual Meeting.
ASF Presentations Posted
We are pleased to share the presentations from the African swine fever sessions at the 2018 ISU James D. McKean Swine Disease Conference with you. Please see the descriptions and links below.
SHIC Notes New Outbreak of SVA in Brazil
In August 2015, a new, national outbreak of Seneca Valley A (SVA) began in the US, just one month after the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) started operations. Looking back, we discovered Brazil had gone through an SVA outbreak during the late fall and winter of 2014-15 in the US, during their summer season, preceding the US occurrence. Thank you to Dr. Daniel Linhares of Iowa State University for notifying SHIC of this new SVA outbreak in Brazil and to Dr. Gustavo Simao, Agroceres PIC in Brazil, for offering this on-the-ground update of the current situation.
SHIC Mid-Month Global Disease Report Captures International ASF Lessons Learned
In the December mid-month Global Swine Disease Monitoring Report from the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), a collection of observations and lessons learned from African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks in China and Europe are shared. In addition, recommendations for US producers to follow to continue to prevent the entry of the virus in this country are detailed. ASF continues to spread in China with Qinghai province reporting their first cases of the virus. It appears the spread in Romania and Poland has slowed. Earlier this month, both China’s General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs as well as the Global ASF Research Alliance released analyses and reports on the issues surrounding the spread of the virus. The mid-month report includes a summary of each.
Declaring Farm Visits in ASF Positive Countries to Customs
When returning to the United States after visiting a farm or being in contact with animals in a country (or countries) with African swine fever (ASF), or any other foreign animal disease, you should declare this information to US Customs and Border Patrol via written form, airport kiosk, or verbally. Then you should be diverted for an ag secondary screening by an ag specialist. The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, and American Association of Swine Veterinarians are asking you to report your experience if you are not diverted for secondary screening with return to the US following overseas travel.
Raised Without Antibiotic Self-Assessment Tool
The AASV, in collaboration with the National Pork Board, has published a self-assessment tool for producers who are considering enrolling in a Raised Without Antibiotic production program. This self-assessment tool aims to provide producers with a systematic way to evaluate their ability to convert to this production type. Producers are encouraged to work through this tool with their production team, including their herd veterinarian, to ensure a smooth transition. The self-assessment tool can be accessed on the AASV Publications page.