From the Editor – Sept 2004

Like many of you, I had the distinct privilege of attending the IPVS conference in Hamburg, Germany. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet with colleagues from around the world and to see swine medicine from another person’s perspective. Swine production methods and government regulations differ in various regions of the world. Therefore, concerns facing North American veterinarians differ somewhat from those facing veterinarians elsewhere. Similarly, practice techniques around the world differ because of herd size, regulations, and industry expectations. The advantage of attending the IPVS is that our perspective is broadened and we gather gems of knowledge and ideas that we can apply to our work in our home countries.

I had the good fortune of discussing these issues with a veterinarian from Denmark. He appreciates receiving and reading the Journal of Swine Health and Production, but pointed out that not all articles and practice tips relate to his work in Denmark. I am sure that is true. However, we would like the journal to have worldwide applicability. This will happen only if we receive and publish articles from countries other than those in North America. Although we have published many of these over the past few years, most of our submissions do come from the United States. A change in the distribution of submissions is needed.

We would appreciate receiving articles from practitioners and researchers from around the world who have practical information or leading-edge research to share. By publishing science from around the world, we will have the opportunity to repeat the IPVS experience every other month. Through this we will learn from one another’s challenges, opportunities, and experiences.

If you are a veterinary practitioner in Denmark or Australia, Spain or Germany, Britain or Switzerland, South Africa or Sweden, I challenge you to send us a practice tip, a manuscript for "What’s your interpretation?" or an interesting case study. I do not mean to limit the list of foreign countries of interest: we can learn from all of you. Tell us what is important to you and your colleagues. What are you doing? What is working for you? What was your latest and greatest challenge?

If you are a researcher in Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, or Australia with new information of an applied nature, send your manuscript to be published in the Journal of Swine Health and Production. Our readers have a distinct focus on swine, so your research work will be put into practice immediately. There is nothing more gratifying than to see your work multiplied a thousandfold in farms around the country or the world.

This issue of the journal contains a letter to the editor. We welcome letters about our editorials and scientific articles. If you write a letter, the author of the original manuscript will be given an opportunity to respond to it, and both the letter and the response will appear in the same issue. If you read anything in the journal that leaves you with the urge to write, please take the time to jot your ideas down and send your letter to our Publications Manager, Karen Richardson, at pub_mgr@aasv.org. In future issues, we hope to add a commentary with responses from scientists who have a common research focus. This is an effort to engender dialogue among colleagues in the field of swine health and production. Through communication we will grow.

After the IPVS, I feel as if the world has become smaller. I have met new colleagues from Germany and South Africa, China and New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela, and many other places. Let us continue the dialogue and sharing of ideas from around the world through the Journal of Swine Health and Production. I look forward to hearing from you from all corners of the globe. Together we will move swine health management forward into the future.

— Cate Dewey