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I clearly remember one of my early classes as an animal science student at the University of Vermont, ASCI 141 - Feeds and Feeding. Throughout the semester, Dr. Jim Welch walked us through the formation of diets for every stage of growth, pregnancy and lactation for a number of livestock species. As earnest students, we agonized over the correct combination of forages, grains and mineral mixes to meet the exact nutrient requirements for a lactating sow or a weaned dairy calf. We carefully balanced the availability of an ingredient with its cost and benefit to the intended animal. In our homework exercises, ounces and pennies would impact our decisions and the validity of our answers. We rigorously defended our answers and challenged anyone, including Dr. Welch, to question our findings.

While you would not think it from the news and your social media feeds, the risk to the average American from the new coronavirus (COVID-19) is still low. However, if you are near Seattle or have family or friends there, you are well aware that there are pockets in the U.S. where the virus is spreading more rapidly, bringing more attention to ways we can prepare for the virus should it spread further. Now is an opportune time to look at the policies and procedures in place for your animal food business to protect your employees and still be able to provide feed and pet food to your customers.

Most people can count the number of animal rights groups they know on one hand. If only that were how many actually exist. Not only are there hundreds of animal rights groups, but they are working together to make farming and ranching more difficult and cause distrust with your customers.

Many of the questions I’m asked in my role with the Merck Animal Health Veterinary and Consumer Affairs team are about antibiotics. It’s easy for those of us in the agriculture industry to forget just how many people in the United States aren’t involved in agriculture and often the opinions they form are based on information they hear on the news. Most of the time, people just want the same few questions answered.

In order to get better at something, you must practice. That was drilled into me at a young age by a basketball coach I had as a pre-teen. I wanted to play college basketball so I practiced and practiced, I even slept with my basketball! That saying also goes for activities outside of sports too. So, practice indeed is what our U.S. government agencies and 14 state animal health authorities did in September, regarding a mock scenario of an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in the U.S.

Roughly this time last year, we started hearing about the first outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) across China. Our rapid response team immediately activated, developing a multi-pronged action plan to address this issue. Now, more than a year later, with the disease still actively spreading across Europe and Asia, we realize that this threat, which has so far stayed outside of our borders, is still of grave concern.