AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by the candidates for the 2026 Vice President election, Dr. Daryl Nydam and Dr. Eric Behlke. Nydam is from Dryden, N.Y. and is currently employed at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, and Behlke is from Okotoks, Alberta and is currently employed at Feedlot Health TELUS. Our candidates provide some background information, discuss the value of AABP to them and our members, initiatives they see as important to continue as well as develop, and what they like to do outside of veterinary medicine. In the spirit of collegial camaraderie, we also ask each candidate for positive words about their opposition.

The election will close on December 11 at 5 pm eastern. AABP provides information for our members to learn about each candidate. This includes a candidate Q&A insert in the November newsletter, biographies, presentations at the annual conference in Omaha, and this podcast. You can find all of this information about the candidates on the ballot page here. 

The candidate with the most votes will be seated as the AABP Vice President after the Annual Business Lunch in Minneapolis on August 29, 2026, and will ascend through all four offices of the Executive Committee. In addition to serving on the AABP Board, the Vice President manages preconference seminars for the 2027 conference, the President-Elect chairs the 2028 AABP Annual Conference, and the President represents the organization and chairs the Board in 2029. In 2030 they will complete their service and chair the Forward Planning Committee as Past President. 

Cast your vote before December 11 at 5 pm eastern by going to this page. 

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by AABP Honor Roll member Dr. David Reid, a graduate of Kansas State University, who has dedicated his career to milk quality consulting on dairy farms. The dairy industry has experienced significant contraction over the past 30 years with a similar number of cows in the national cattle herd on a smaller number of farms. This means that we have larger dairies and farms need to get a larger number of cows milked in the allotted amount of time without sacrificing milk quality.

Reid states that general goals are five-and-a-half parlor turns per hour in side-by-side parlors and depending on the size of the rotary, seven to nine turns per hour. Two factors that influence throughput is the size of the parlor and the amount of labor the farm employees for milking. He states that the most important factor in improving throughput is getting cows to be a willing participant in the milking process and practicing good stockmanship by moving cows in a calm manner. This also results in cows moving slower, so they have less manure splash and are calm when they start the milking process. Reid suggests that veterinarians walk the path that cows walk from the home pen to the parlor to make sure there are not areas that are dirty or create issues for cow handling. Frequency of fresh bedding application is a critical question for veterinarians to review with producers to improve cow cleanliness.

Reid also discusses making sure that the milking routine is consistent from milking-to-milking and milking technician-to-technician. Forestripping every cow at every milking is a critical step that not only allows for detection of abnormal milk but improves milk letdown, milk flow rates and decreases unit on-time which is important for maximizing throughput. We also discuss some of the features in parlor that allow for the machine to strip the cow, but Reid cautions that this does not detect abnormal milk. Other tips Reid suggests for improving throughput are starting to prep the first cow as soon as she enters the first stall, shield field-of-vision areas where cows enter the parlor so they only see the cow ahead of them, and proper use of the crowd gate to train cows to the audible noise, then backing off. 

Veterinarians play a critical role in monitoring milk quality and parlor throughput on their client’s farms. This includes monitoring milk per shift, turns per hour, walking the cow path to detect any issues, and visually inspecting milk filters. 

To find milk quality resources on the AABP website, visit this page and select the Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee. If you are interested in joining the Milk Quality and Udder Health Committee, contact Dr. Fred Gingrich at [email protected]. 

AABP executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich reviews a paper published in The Bovine Practitioner with two of the authors. Joining today are Dr. Greg Habing, professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. Emily Nogay, clinical assistant professor at The Ohio State University Large Animal Ambulatory Services. 

Salmonella Dublin is a host-adapted and zoonotic pathogen affecting many dairy farms. It can be associated with high morbidity and mortality and is often multi-drug resistant which elevates its importance to dairy farmers and veterinarians. Surveillance and diagnostics are an important aspect of managing diseases in our herds. Nogay reviews available diagnostic tests and the advantages and disadvantages of each one. The ELISA test has a sensitivity of 65%, but is used to screen herds for the disease. The objective of this study was to determine if the four U.S. commercially licensed Salmonella vaccines would result in a positive Salmonella Dublin ELISA test result. 

We walk through the results of the paper and discuss some of the findings, including the impact of the vaccines on the serum ELISA results and some potential reasons for the ELISA results after vaccination. Habing discusses future opportunities for research on this disease, including the need for better diagnostic tests, including a PCR test to screen herds. 

AABP’s peer-reviewed journal, The Bovine Practitioner, publishes original research studies, reviews, case series, and case reports intended to provide clinically relevant research to private practicing veterinarians. It is an open access journal and there are no publication fees for submitting authors. Read more about the journal at this link. 

The effect of Salmonella vaccination on Salmonella Dublin blood enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results. Bov Pract. 2025;59(2), 53-60. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259266

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by technical services veterinarians from Merck Animal Health, Dr. Jacque Fusilier and Dr. Dave Sjeklocha to discuss bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in beef cattle. BRD has long been a challenge in the cattle industry but today, we are taking a fresh look. From shifting market dynamics to evolving herd management practices, we explore what is driving BRD today and what steps we need to take to stay ahead.

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Merck Animal Health as part of their sponsorship package for the opening reception at the 2025 AABP Conference in Omaha, Neb. Merck is also the sponsor of the Merck Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award which is the AABP Foundation’s scholarship program providing nine students scholarships of $10,000 each. 

Market influences can impact producers' willingness to provide interventions to manage disease risk. Merck Animal Health partners with Superior Livestock Auction to evaluate the economic impact of providing preconditioning programs for calves including the VAC45 and PrimeVAC programs. The data from 2024 indicates that this preconditioning program added $8.46/cwt compared to non-preconditioned calves. 

We also discuss beef-on-dairy crosses and labor challenges in our industry that can impact disease risk. Good animal handling, management and ensuring adequate colostrum delivery and vaccination can decrease BRD risk. Our guests discuss evaluating the risk of arrival calves by calculating shrink, backtags, other tags and evaluating manure consistency. Sjeklocha has a goal of less than 6% shrink.

Technological advancements have also played a role in disease monitoring and improving calf health while optimizing labor resources. Veterinarians can play a key role in monitoring disease, providing goals, evaluating records, and training producers and caregivers how to manage stress and improve handling and management of calves. 

For more information on the products available for BRD prevention, control and treatment, visit https://MAHCattle.com.

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. Chris Ashworth, Global Veterinarian for Zinpro Performance Minerals and Dr. Dave Sjeklocha, technical services veterinarian for Merck Animal Health to discuss New World Screwworm (NWS). Recently, the United States Animal Health Association and National Institute of Animal Agriculture hosted an NWS symposium in Kansas City which was sponsored by the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, Merck Animal Health and Elanco. Both of our guests attended and are providing an update from that symposium.

NWS was recently discovered in Nuevo Leon, Mexico which is 70 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. The infected animal was a feedlot steer that was detected with larvae upon arrival at the feedlot. Mexican authorities have restrictions on animal movements both at the point of origin and arrival.

The life cycle of the NWS fly is about 3 weeks. Fertilized eggs are laid in packets of 200-350 eggs that hatch in 12-21 hours with the emergence of larvae within 3 days. Two important aspects of the life cycle are that female flies mate and lay eggs once, then die and they lay eggs in fresh wounds, not decaying tissue like other fly strikes. The larvae burrow deep into wounds and cause significant destruction which can result in the animal dying of septicemia in 1-2 weeks. It is important to inspect for larvae and remove all of them, placing them in alcohol to kill them. 

The USDA continues to work with Mexican authorities to protect the U.S. from this fly. Releasing sterile male flies works based on history of control of this pest, but the current production rate of 110 million per week is not enough to control the areas that have the fly. It is also important to remember that half of the sterile flies are females, although scientists are working to try to produce only male flies to increase production. The U.S. is also constructing a facility in Texas, but the timeline for completion to release of flies is 2-3 years.

The most important thing veterinarians can do is to inspect animals aggressively. Pay special attention to any wounds – superficial wounds or scrapes, foot rot lesions, open umbilical cords, wounds in the vulva from calving, castration wounds or dehorning sites. Veterinarians and producers should remain hypervigilant and report any suspicious wounds or larvae and contact their state animal health official. Treatment involves the use of avermectin products and doramectin has received emergency use authorization for NWS by FDA. Fly control and wound care is also very important for control of this infestation.

AABP members can also view the presentation from Dr. Bud Dinges at the 2025 AABP Annual Conference in Omaha by going to the NWS page on the AABP website (https://aabp.org) as well as other NWS resources. 

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich reviews some of the survey results available on the AABP website. Find all survey results under the Member Resources tab of the AABP website or directly at this link.  

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and the 360° coverage mastitis portfolio. From prevention to treatment options designed for judicious antibiotic use, the 360° coverage mastitis portfolio has the products you need to defend udders at every angle. Find out more information by visiting this link.  

AABP administers a survey to graduating seniors to collect data on their job, debt, and obstacles they experience in job seeking since 2018 with an average response rate of 152 per year. In 2025, the average starting salary was $91,500 and 40% of respondents reported incomes over $100,000. The average debt reported was $150,431 with 17% reporting no debt. Of those reporting debt, the average debt was $180,000.  

Respondents also report their obstacles or challenges to accepting a job offer with salary/compensation being the number one challenge (45%) 28% reporting poor work environment/human resources issues, 15% hours of work required and 12% gender or other bias. 

AABP also has administered surveys asking what type of community members spent the majority of their childhood, with 630 responses. 70% of members reported growing up in a rural area, 25% suburban and 5% urban. This report is consistent across all graduation years including the 2025 graduating seniors.  

Gingrich also reviews the results of the survey administered by the Mental Health and Well-Being Committee with 493 respondents. Highlights of this survey indicated that 57% identified mental health as important or very important, 40% have sought mental health therapy, 30% have sought  guidance from a religious leader, 85% discuss stressors with family members and 45% discuss with work colleagues.  

Gingrich invites members to consider joining a committee that interests them by going to the committee menu on the AABP website and submitting a brief bio to join. He also discusses other member resources including AABP-L, practice management workshops, online recordings of conference sessions and webinars, webinars and seminars.  The 2026 Recent Graduate conference is also open for registration! Find out more information at this link. Open access to AABP publications is also available from the Publications menu of the AABP website. Specific articles of interest referencing improving recruitment and retention of bovine or mixed animal veterinarians are below:

Factors influencing job and career satisfaction in veterinarians 10 years or fewer from graduation

A mixed-method pilot study investigating challenges experienced by mixed animal veterinarians in practice and their private practice experiences prior to graduation

Factors influencing administrative personnel and veterinarian turnover and compensation packages in rural mixed-animal practices over a 5-year period

Incomes and satisfaction among bovine focused veterinary practitioners in the United States and Canada

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich provides information about the 58th AABP conference and feedback from the post-conference survey. If you have feedback that you would like to provide for consideration in future conferences, you can email [email protected] before October 31. 

Eighty-eight percent of respondents ranked the conference good or great indicating a successful AABP annual conference providing continuing education, a trade show, great beef and dairy products, and networking opportunities. 

Gingrich reminds attendees of the conference that CE certificates are available by logging in to the AABP website, hover over your name in the upper right corner, and select My CE Certificates. You can scroll to the bottom of your certificate to select individual presentations from the session blocks that you attended.

All AABP conference sessions are recorded and available at no charge to AABP members. Go to the continuing education menu on the AABP website or directly at this link to see all conference sessions. The 2025 conference sessions will be uploaded over the next two months as they are edited and posted. You can also listen or view presentations on your mobile device by downloading the free BCI Mobile Conference app for your device. Note that CE certificates for viewed sessions are not available through the app and you must be on a browser to take the quiz and receive a CE certificate.

AABP will continue to adhere to its core mission of providing continuing education for our members. Watch the CE menu on the website for upcoming webinars, non-conference seminars, practice management workshops, and future conferences. 

AABP Executive Director joins you from Omaha, Neb. to welcome everyone to the 58th AABP Annual Conference and provide some tips for your planning.

Arrivals at the Omaha airport can take ride share (Uber/Lyft) or taxis from the airport to the hotel area. The airport, as well as areas around the hotels, are under construction and ride share pickups are in the lower ground level of the parking garage at the airport. The airport is a 10-minute ride from the hotel area.  

Preconference seminar attendees should go directly to their seminar room to get their registration packs and name badges and do not need to go to the registration desk. The lameness seminar is in the convention center and all other seminars are on the second floor of the Hilton hotel. Clinical forum breakfasts and committee meetings on Thursday morning will also be on the second floor of the Hilton hotel. All remaining sessions are in the convention center which is called the CHI Health Center. 

All other attendees should visit the registration desk on the ground floor of the convention center on arrival. Wednesday evening will be the opening dinner reception and scholarship presentations sponsored by Merck Animal Health in the Grand Ballroom on the second floor of the convention center. Thursday morning is the Zoetis Breakfast and presentation from Dr. Mike Overton on using data for decision making. Friday evening is the Zoetis Dinner, Scholarship Presentations, and live auction benefiting the AABP Foundation and Amstutz Scholarship Fund. To build a consortium and bid on an item as a group go to this link. A list of auction items can be found here.  

Make sure to visit the great trade show to network with vendor representatives and learn about their companies to take advantage of any show specials. We also have lounges and an entertainment area in the exhibit hall, as well as our Bovine Bucks lunches. If you purchased a lunch ticket, it will be in your name badge. 

To help you navigate the conference, utilize the printed program guide available at the registration desk or the online schedule to add items to your calendar. Attendees should also download the conference app on their mobile device. Search for Yapp in your device’s store and then click on the plus sign to add a Yapp and enter code AABP2025. The app is sponsored by Beef Quality Assurance and has all conference schedules, descriptions and events. There is also a conference survey on the app that we encourage all attendees to take after the conference and provide needed feedback to AABP. To ask questions and participate in polls, download the Slido app and enter event code AABP2025. 

Thank you to the program committee, our sponsors, volunteers, exhibitors, speakers and each of you, our attendees and members, for coming to the conference! We are here to help you have a great experience and advance your education on all things cattle!

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by Dr. David Villar, a co-author on the paper “Diagnostic findings of copper, selenium and manganese deficiency in dairy and beef cattle submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory” published online first in the Bovine Practitioner. 

This episode of Have You Herd? is sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim and their 360°  coverage mastitis portfolio. Every lactation cycle, cows are up against the threat of mastitis. Which really means you’re up against it, too.  Thankfully, Boehringer Ingelheim has you covered with 360° coverage solutions. From prevention to treatment options designed for judicious antibiotic use, the 360° coverage mastitis portfolio has the products you need to defend udders at every angle. What’s in your cattle health toolkit? Experience the power of complete mastitis care at this link. 

Villar provides information on the importance of micromineral nutrition of beef and dairy cattle health. This study looked at submissions to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS) to evaluate the disease processes and pathogens identified along with micromineral analysis. The primary objective of this study was to determine if the correlation patterns of hepatic Cu, Se, and Mn for disease in the CAHFS diagnostic database at different ages would be similar for beef and dairy cattle. 

Villar discusses the results from the study which identified that 33% of beef cattle were deficient in CU, 46% were deficient in Se, and 41% were deficient in both. In dairy cattle, very few animals had deficiencies, indicating appropriate micromineral ration balancing and intakes. The number one disease seen in beef was bovine respiratory disease (BRD) with a median age of 8 months. Of these, 68% were deficient in Cu, Se or both, and most had a history of transportation and commingling. Although BRD was also frequently diagnosed in dairy animals, the median age was 90 days. Salmonella Group D was the next most frequent disease in deficient dairy animals.

This paper identifies the importance of micromineral deficiencies and correlations with diseases. There are significant opportunities for veterinarians, especially involved with beef cattle, to address micromineral nutrition programs and monitoring. 

Diagnostic findings of copper, selenium and manganese deficiency in dairy and beef cattle submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory. (2025). The Bovine Practitioner, 59(2), 61-70. https://doi.org/10.21423/bpj20259267

AABP Executive Director Dr. Fred Gingrich is joined by veterinarians from Heritage Vet Partners, Drs. John Davidson, Greg Kurtz and Eric Duch. Heritage Vet Partners is the sponsor of this episode of Have You Herd? and the sponsor of the childcare room at the AABP Annual and Recent Graduate Conferences. AABP recognizes that veterinarians with young families may face challenges in attending the conferences. For this reason, AABP offers an unattended childcare room and caregivers and children can register for free so that the veterinarian can attend the CE sessions at the conference. Heritage Vet Partners supports this family-friendly atmosphere by sponsoring this childcare room.

Our guests start by describing why they chose to join Heritage Vet Partners and the impact it has had on preserving their practice culture. Davidson describes the partnership model and value proposition for practice owners and members of the veterinary team and how it supports the practice. We also discuss some of the benefits these practice owners have seen for their support staff when integrating with Heritage Vet Partners and how it has supported their practices' daily activities and work-life balance.

Kurtz and Duch describe the partnership model and dispel some of the myths about the corporate practice model and the stigmas associated with it. Davidson closes our podcast by sharing some thoughts that students, recent grads and owners might consider regarding Heritage Vet Partners. 

Find Heritage Vet Partners on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HeritageVetPartners or visit their website https://heritagevetpartners.com/.