Michigan State University will host a virtual field day focusing on responsible use of antimicrobials October 26, 9:30-11:30am via Zoom. This virtual field day event will feature leading researchers and outreach specialists representing Michigan State University and Kansas State University and include local farmers and retail businesses who will describe why sound antimicrobial stewardship is critical to the future of livestock production and provide practical advice on how it can be implemented effectively on farms of any size.
How Animal Agriculture Can Benefit from Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs
Professor Pamela Ruegg, DVM, MPVM, David J. Ellis Professor of Antimicrobial Resistance and Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University. Use of antibiotics in food producing animals is increasingly controversial and restricted. Adoption of antimicrobial stewardship programs is encouraged to help producers proactively optimize antibiotic usage while maintaining both treatment efficacy and animal welfare. This brief presentation will introduce some concepts of an antimicrobial stewardship program while focusing on practical benefits that accrue to farms when steps are made to improve decision-making for antimicrobial use.
Stewardship of Antibiotics and Animal Health on a Dairy Farm
Phil Durst, MSU Sr. Extension Educator and Ciarra Lahuis, graduate student will have a conversation with Jack Jeppesen of Black Locust Dairy about what stewardship means to him and how his farm manages use of antibiotics. They will explore issues of balancing animal well-being with consumer confidence and discuss management that is done to reduce the need for antibiotic use.
Retail Advocacy and Consumer Support
Matt Smith, President, Louise Earl Butcher, Grand Rapids will talk about his role and relationship with the small local farms that supply his Whole Animal Butcher Shop. He will give a brief history of the butcher shop and how it came to be almost 6 years ago, then focus on the relationship his business has with local farmers and how they raise their animals using a Management over Medicine approach. "It will be a discussion on the animals, and how they move from the farms to our shop, and the value the end consumers see in this."
The Future of Antimicrobials in Food Animal Production
Professor Mike Apley, DVM, PhD, DACVCP, Kansas State University, will share his vision for The Future of Antimicrobials in Food Animal Production. Professor Apley began his veterinary medicine career with a general practice in central Kansas. He joined the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2005 as a professor of veterinary clinical sciences where he teaches beef production medicine, large-animal medicine and clinical pharmacology courses and holds the E.J. Frick Professorship in Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Apley has conducted industry research focusing on infectious diseases, antibiotic efficacy and resistance, and has served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria.