Preventing, identifying and addressing animal health problems is vital to establishing a sustainable farming operation.
With healthier animals; welfare, production, and profitability increases. The Animal Health Hub provides resources to prepare for and prevent health concerns such as parasites, diseases, and deficiencies, as well as offers basic care best practices, so that farmers can instead invest time into operational growth and production.
Resources
A Proactive Approach to Livestock Health
In the context of livestock health, the terms prepare, prevent, and evaluate focus on ensuring the well-being of animals and mitigating health risks by taking steps to create a proactive and adaptive approach to managing livestock health and welfare effectively. Resources include broad and species-specific information to keep animals happy and healthy.
Prepare
Plan and equip yourself to manage livestock health proactively.
Prevent
Take steps to avoid health issues and ensure optimal care.
Evaluate
Continuously assess and improve livestock health strategies.
Virtual Tour
One way to learn about livestock care is through the experience of other farmers by attending pasture walks or farm tours. However, not all farmers are open to sharing their operations due to their own biosecurity protocols limiting visitors.
Animal Health News and Updates
- Report from Department of Agriculture and Markets: New York State Confirms Isolated Detection of Chronic Wasting Disease in DEC’s Region 6
- The Times Union: Rare equine virus that can infect humans found in 7 more counties
- From St. Lois Public Radio: Diseases from ticks can be devastating to cattle, but a new vaccine could offer protections
- From the Cornell Chronicle: Bald eagles face highest lead risk of NYS deer scavengers
- Bovine Veterinarian Report: Why Calf Enrichment Benefits Animals, Industry Messaging
Updates: Avian Influenza
- From the University of Minnesota: FAO urges nations to ramp up actions to blunt impact of H5N1 avian flu
- University of Minnesota Report: H5N1 dairy cow study finds sustained milk production drop, extensive transmission across herd
- Article from Good Housekeeping: Can Pets Get Bird Flu? 7 Symptoms to Look for in Cats and Dogs
- From Stat News: Trump administration takes aim at bird flu. For now, the cattle will have to wait
- From the University of Minnesota: H5N1 strikes more poultry in 4 states; CDC updates details on recent human cases
Meet the Team
Dr. Rachel White, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Educator, University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Sustainable Agriculture and Livestock Educator.
Dr. Dana Hill
Assistant Extension Professor, Veterinarian Specialist, and Director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Grant Information
This effort is supported in part by funding through the National Animal Disease Preparedness Response Program (NADPRP) for the 2024-2026 project “Reaching All Farm-Raised Animals: Assessment, Outreach, and Education on Farm Biosecurity and Disease Outbreak Preparedness in Maine for Small and Diverse Livestock Farms.” This initiative is in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) Animal Health Program.
Contact the Animal Health Hub experts
Tap into trusted resources, science-backed information, and real-world guidance for keeping your animals healthy.
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