In the press – Swine in Minnesota

Dr. Maria Pieters honored with 2024 Distinguished Service Award by MVMA

Millions of people pass through the CHS Miracle of Bith Center (MOBC) at the Minnesota State Fair each year, likely unaware of the colossal effort it takes to ensure the health and safety of the hundreds of animals born in the exhibit.

Maria Pieters receives the 2024 Distinguished Service Award. Photo credit: Ryan Tibbitts.

Among those caring for animals and supporting more than 100 veterinary students and dozens of volunteer veterinarians on hand to help is Dr. Maria Pieters, an associate professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine. For her dedicated involvement with the exhibit and her passion for its mission, Pieters received the Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association’s 2024 Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Perle Zhitnitskiy named founding member of new veterinary educator credential process

Dr. Perle Zhitnitskiy, swine faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine and regular contributor at the umnswinenews.com blog, has been named distinguished expert in Veterinary Education and founding member of a new credentialing process that will be offered to veterinarian education professionals.

The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) in partnership with the Academy of Veterinary Educators announced in October that Zhitnitskiy is among 32 veterinary educators chosen to oversee the Academy-Certified Expert Educator credential.

Midwest Veterinarian Earns Top U.S. Swine Award

Antimicrobial resistance in swine and its interconnections to animal welfare and the sustainability of pork operations has fascinated Carissa Odland, DVM, for years. A farm’s performance on these factors can be the difference between profitability and loss. Yet, not enough is known to give producers a reliable recipe for success. Dr. Odland aims to change that.

USDA NIFA awards Food Animal researchers more than $2.7 million

With the new support, CVM researchers will help animals and producers across the swine industry

The United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) recently funded more than $2.7 million worth of research at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The projects that benefit from this funding will help the food animal agriculture industry maximize production and advance strategies for keeping animals healthy. This recent investment in the CVM’s research represents another milestone in the decades-old relationship the College has with USDA NIFA, which has established a history for furthering food animal agriculture across species and contexts.

College leadership looks forward to how this new funding, when paired with CVM investigators’ expertise, will further the science that powers animal welfare and food security across the country.

The list of awardees includes Dr. Montse Torremorell and Dr. Noelle Noyes who will work on the elimination airborne viruses from swine barns and antibiotic resistance in swine, respectively. Dr. Jerry Torrison, head of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will launch a new pathology residency program in collaboration with South Dakota State University.

Left to right: Dr. Montse Torremorell, Dr. Jerry Torrison, and Dr. Noelle Noyes

More accurate gilt testing needed to detect Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

Alyssa Betlach -DVM, veterinarian with Swine Vet Center and graduate student at the University of Minnesota- talks in Pig Health Today^® about differences in the ability to detect Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae based on sample types.

Highlights

Transmission of M. hyopneumoniae is very slow compared to other pathogens. Gilts and sows have a critical role in the transmission of M. hyopneumoniae.
Accurate gilt surveillance is key in those sow herds seeking negative M. hyopneumoniae status.
To detect M. hyopneumoniae, the laryngeal swabs and deep tracheal catheters are more accurate than other sample types during the early stage of infection.