Animal Bytes

June 13, 2012

MN State Cattlemen’s Association Summer Tour

The Board of Animal Health will participate in the Annual MN State Cattlemen’s Association Summer Tour and Trade Show. This year’s event will be held in Little Falls on July 10. The Board and Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) will staff a booth at one of the tour stops to provide agency-related information to participants.

The Board will have information on improving traceability in Minnesota, carcass disposal, and protecting herd health by practicing biosecurity. Stop by our booth for inventory worksheets, electronic options for on-farm record keeping, information on ordering official ID for your cattle and composting cards.

The MDA Livestock Development team will be on-site to talk with farmers about low-interest loans, grants, cost share and other assistance available to improve or expand your business. We hope to see you there!

Fair Season

The 2012 fair season is upon us. Here are a few reminders from the Board of Animal Health:

  1. All imported animals must be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection and meet the Board’s importation requirements.
  2. All animals must be examined by the official veterinarian on the day they are admitted to the exhibition and at least once daily during the exhibition.
  3. Livestock and poultry that exhibit signs of any infectious or communicable disease, including ringworm and warts, may not be exhibited.
  4. Sheep and goats within 30 days of giving birth (before or after) cannot be exhibited without prior approval from the Board of Animal Health.

Always check with the exhibition to make sure they have no additional requirements. For questions about 4-H exhibition requirements, please contact the U of M Extension office at 1-800-444-4238. For MN State Fair exhibition requirements, call 651-288-4417 or visit www.mnstatefair.org.

For questions about exhibition of livestock in MN, please contact the MN Board of Animal Health at 651-201-6814.

Veterinary Medicine Contributes $1.5 Billion to Minnesota Economy Annually

By the U of M College of Veterinary Medicine

Minnesota’s veterinary medicine industry is a major economic force in the state, contributing $1.5 billion annually to Minnesota’s economy, and the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine accounts for a large share of the economic activity.

In total, 14,500 people, including 2,001 veterinarians and 2,385 certified veterinary technicians, are employed in Minnesota as a result of the veterinary medicine industry. These people collect $680 million in annual combined wages and salaries.

To view the complete article, please visit the College of Veterinary Medicine website at www.cvm.umn.edu.

At Your Service

Keep us in mind for your upcoming events! Board of Animal Health staff members are eager to talk about how we can work together to protect animal health. It is our mission to help keep Minnesota’s domestic animals free of diseases that have an impact on agriculture and the people behind it.

Possible presentation topics include:

  • Carcass disposal and composting
  • Biosecurity
  • Rabies
  • Chronic Wasting Disease
  • Foreign animal disease awareness
  • Regulatory veterinary medicine
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Bovine tuberculosis
  • Board of Animal Health and its mission
  • Scrapie

For more information or to schedule a presentation, please call 651-201-6830.