This year’s unusual winter weather has presented a significant challenge to dairy farmers and their animals. The wide temperature swings and wet-warm weather in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions have stressed cattle and led to an increased incidence of disease. Experts at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center have seen an increase in pneumonia cases, ranging from sudden death of apparently healthy animals to chronic illness and poor production, particularly in growing heifers and calves, but also in adult cows.
Summertime is great for eating ice cream, but the heat and humidity can be dangerous for dairy cows, lowering milk production and threatening their health, said Dr. Meggan Hain, Staff Veterinarian at Penn Vet’s Marshak Dairy at New Bolton Center.
A new virtual symposium series presented by the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet), in collaboration with PennPraxis, the community engagement arm at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, will explore the advantages, challenges, and opportunities surrounding animal agriculture and food production systems within Pennsylvania, the surrounding region, and across the United States.
With the COVID-19 pandemic wearing on, many Americans are turning to raising poultry to fill their extra time at home. While raising backyard birds is a great idea – whether for food, for educational purposes, or as a hobby – the influx of new flocks has put humans, as well as the birds they care for, at risk of Salmonella sickness.
