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Dairy vets provide biosecurity advice to prepare farmers
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FarmandDairy.com
Contributing Writer
Contributing Writer
WEST LIBERTY, Ohio — The sun is rising on a dairy operation in Logan County, Ohio, and veterinarian Eric Gordon’s arm is up to his shoulder in the back end of a cow. He reads the portable ultrasound via goggles while veterinary students from Ohio State University watch the image using an iPad. Jerrod Henry, partner at Henry Farms, reads from a clipboard and tells Dr. Gordon which cow needs a pregnancy check. Gordon typically administers the “P1 check” 28 to 36 days after insemination. He confirms the cow is pregnant and the fetus is growing normally. At Henry Farms, P1 checks receive a vaccination for leptospirosis to help prevent abortion. If a cow that was bred didn’t conceive, a different injection brings her back to estrus, so Henry or his herdsman can re-breed. There are other ways to determine if a cow is pregnant besides the physical exam, of course. Many farmers only call their veterinarian in an emergency, but Henry considers Gordon to be a vital partner in their dairy op-
eration. Gordon provides regular diet and nutrition advice, as well as recommendations for disease prevention and treatments. “Vaccination protocols change,” said Henry. “We work hand-inhand with him on most things.” Working together. Henry manages the dairy operation at Henry Farms with his father, Mark. His uncle and cousins farm 4,000 acres of soybeans and corn. His grandfather purchased the farm in 1959. They have always maintained a working relationship with a local veterinarian, and Henry appreciates regular visits with Gordon. Gordon appreciates working with Henry, as well. “We are one of the expenses that has to be worked into the margins,” he said. “We can’t come out for every single sick cow and honestly we don’t have time. But we provide the protocol and treatment for them to administer.” Gordon is the Medical Director of the Marysville Large Animal Services in Union County, a remote clinic of the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center, located in Columbus, Ohio. From the Marysville clinic, veterinarians serve farms in 17 counties in west-central Ohio.
Pregnancy check on a dairy cow at Triple T farm. From left Dr. Eric Gordon, Dr. Megan Moran and vet students Jona Fletcher and Maria Rutan. (Melissa Weber photo)
The veterinarians rarely travel alone. All Ohio State veterinary students complete at least one two-week rotation in large animal medicine, working at the Marysville clinic. Prevention. Biosecurity is the reason Gordon visits dozens of dairy farms each week. It’s a critical, yet often underappreciated role veterinarians play. He works with farmers and herdsmen and often suggests minor changes. Much of his advice is focused on ways to prevent the spread of disease. For example, Gordon recommends using calf hutches, or plastic stall walls in barns, which are easier to clean and disinfect. Most infectious diseases of calves are respiratory or diarrheal, and open fencing between stalls allows calves to lick each other and be nose-to-nose. “But, open fencing provides better airflow, which can also be an advantage,” he added. (Continued on Page A14)
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Extinct Ohio fish befuddles biologists By Barbara Mudrak
By Melissa L. Weber
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When the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently declared the Scioto madtom — a type of catfish — extinct, people probably imagined it was one of those two-footlong whiskered beasts that Ohio anglers love to fight. And that it must have put up a heck of a fight with a name like madtom. In reality, the Scioto madtom was probably 2 inches long, like most of the other madtoms that still inhabit waters in Ohio and other places. Their name perhaps came from the reaction of humans when they got stuck with the sharp spines at the front of their dorsal and pectoral fins. The little fish uses these as weapons, purposely sticking them straight out when threatened. The Scioto madtom was not only native to Ohio, it was found only in Ohio in one small section of Big Darby Creek, which flows into the Scioto River. If the Scioto madtom had lived in other states and could still be found in those places, it would have just been declared “extirpated,” or disappeared, from Ohio. But the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s definition of “extinct” is that a species or subspecies that was in Ohio at the time of European
settlement and has disappeared from its entire range … well, it has basically disappeared off the face of the earth. “Extinct means it’s gone gone,” said John Navarro, administrator for the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s Aquatic Stewardship program. “And we just hate to see that.” Anomaly. The announcement of its extinction brought some speculation that the Scioto madtom may have been a canary in the coal mine and had succumbed to industrial and agricultural runoff and other pollution. But Navarro noted that the bluebreast darter, another species that lives in Big Darby Creek, used to be endangered but is no longer on any list “because its population has exploded.” “The Big Darby flows into portions of the Scioto River that have reached the highest rating of Exceptional Warm Water Habitat,” he said. And it’s probably no coincidence that the Clean Water Act is celebrating its 50th anniversary. “It’s been a game changer,” he added. There is concern, however, about the expansion of Columbus and pressure on Big Darby Creek from development. Starting in 2004, the Franklin County commissioners began to meet with officials of Columbus and eight (Continued on Page A8)
While the Scioto madtom was recently declared extinct, the Stonecat madtom is the most widely distributed species of the madtom family and is so plentiful it is listed as â commonâ in Ohio. While most madtoms attain a length of only two inches, the Stonecat can sometimes grow to five inches or more. (Tim Daniel, Ohio Division of Wildlife, photo)
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