Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory advancing toward more airtight animal disease prevention with new facility plans.
You’re in a bull pen wearing an obnoxiously bright red shirt. You turn to your left and see a huge, wide-horned bull running toward you, muscles rippling and eyes fixed on your chest. Instead of fleeing for your life, you stay put and watch as he rams into you.
Now, why would you stay put? You wouldn’t. You don’t wait until the bull hits you to start running.
Staying ahead of the game
Similarly, John Irvine, a sixth-generation operator of Irvine Ranch, doesn’t wait until his cattle get sick to start treating them. In his business, if one diseased cow or bull doesn’t get caught in time, the entire herd could become infected.
To combat this terrifying prospect, Irvine and his ranch hands line up their herd of 300 cattle every spring to collect vials of blood. They send the samples to the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, located on K-State’s Manhattan campus, for preventative diagnostic tests.
“Because of the KVDL’s services, we know that we’re giving our customers clean, healthy bulls,” Irvine said. “The lab is a great partner for us, and they enable us to do what we do well.”
Why is KVDL important?
The lab already works to prevent disease spread, but it’s also vital during a catastrophic outbreak or a disease crisis. Overall, KVDL’s economic-impact-to-operating-cost ratio is 113:1.
“The economic impact of livestock production and food safety in Kansas is undeniable,” says Jamie Retallick, director of the KVDL. “Ensuring the health of companion animals and wildlife resources is imperative. Protecting Kansans who interact with domestic animals and wildlife is paramount. KVDL faculty and staff provide critical support for a wide range of biologic researchers and train the veterinarians, researchers and diagnosticians of tomorrow.”
Not only does KVDL support Kansas’ livestock and agriculture industries, but it also assists house pets, zoo animals and wildlife.
“Everyone is connected to animal health in some form,” Retallick said. “Whether it’s a pet that’s a family member or an animal in livestock production, there’s an animal connection for everyone. Not many organizations can claim that they’re such a critical part of so many industries and areas of society, but we can, and we’re proud to continue serving this role for Kansas.”
A crown jewel for Kansas
The Kansas Legislature is recognizing KVDL’s importance by allotting $128 million to build a new state-of-the-art facility. This is an important step toward advancing animal health and disease prevention.
“This will be a crown jewel for Kansans, and we’re thankful and proud to have the legislature’s trust in our mission to protect the state from animal diseases,” Retallick said. “We’re going to continue giving this our all, doing our best for the state.”
With their effort to wrangle disease-free herds and corral economic prosperity, KVDL is taking the bull by its horns.
By Kate Ellwood
Curated from: Investing in Kansas’ first line of defense against animal disease
