Looming Shortage of Large-Animal Vets Could Put Meat/Dairy Product Safety at Risk
Originally Published by the Times Union, Albany, N.Y., October 09, 2007
by Cathleen F. Crowley, Albany Times Union, N.Y.
October 9, 2007 – Shelly Mackowski steps out of her pickup truck into the barnyard of Wil-Roc Dairy Farm. She pulls a blue jumpsuit over her shorts and T-shirt and slips her running shoes into thick rubber boots. Veins stand out on her forearms and her body is well-muscled.
Mackowski, a veterinarian, runs road races in the summer but spends most of her days shoving 1,500-pound cows around barns in Columbia County.
At a time when Americans are demanding healthier and more wholesome foods, fewer veterinary students are choosing Mackowski's job. The life of a large-animal vet, also called a food-supply vet, entails long hours, lengthy drives and low pay. Veterinary leaders warn that there will be a major shortage by 2016 if the trend continues. Read more on MyCattle.com.
Federal Plan to Lower Lake Okeechobee Raises Drought Concerns; Unease Over Cattle
Originally Published by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, October 11, 2007
by Andy Reid
October 11, 2007 – Even with Lake Okeechobee dipping to historic lows, powerful South Florida forces are sounding the alarm over a new federal plan for what to do when the water returns.
Sugar cane growers, the Seminole Tribe of Florida and South Florida water managers question a proposal by the Army Corps of Engineers to keep Lake Okeechobee about a foot lower than normal year round.
The corps proposes holding less water in Lake Okeechobee – South Florida's primary backup water supply – because of safety concerns about the aging earthen dike that surrounds the 730-squre-mile lake. Read more on MyCattle.com.
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