Using video conferencing technology, researchers with the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine found that connecting specialized pathologists with in-the-field large animal veterinarians in real time delivered a definitive diagnosis for dead cattle 98 per cent of the time.

Unassisted necropsies or post-mortems in the field only reached a definitive diagnosis 67 per cent of the time, so the video conferencing option is significantly more likely to result in a diagnosis, said lead researcher Jennifer Davies.

“Ultimately, when we reach a diagnosis in these cases, that equates to better use of producer money and veterinary resources in these investigations,” she said.

“That allows the vets to have a definitive diagnosis and evidence to make decisions on herd treatments and management. I think it shows the value of veterinary lab diagnostics as well to the producers.”

The Beef Cattle Research Council-sponsored project focused on beef cattle but it could be adapted to all types of production animals, Davies said.

“I think we have a need and desire for the service. I think it would support multiple different commodities throughout the province. And right now, our lab is exploring options to move this from the research arena into a service that we can offer to veterinarians in Alberta.”

While Davies was optimistic about telepathology’s potential prior to the project, she was stunned by how effective it was.

“While I had suspected our diagnostic rate would improve through the use of this technology, I was a bit surprised just how much improvement we saw.”

Telepathology is fundamentally a response to geographical challenges. There’s a high ratio of cattle producers to veterinarian pathologists in Canada. The latter are rarely located in rural communities where they can readily perform on-site post-mortems.

Although veterinarians are trained to do routine post-mortems, pathologists provide specialization and expertise in the causes of disease and death. Post-mortem investigations can suffer without their input, said Davies.

“If we don’t understand why animals are sick and dying in Alberta, we don’t know what diseases we have here and what we don’t have here. And that leaves us open to missing new and emerging diseases.”

Another challenge is that it is frequently impractical and expensive to send whole bodies, particularly large livestock like cattle, to a lab. Telepathology offers pathologists the chance to see a body on-site while working with a vet to collect the most relevant samples.

The project had three objectives. The first was to determine if real-time pathologist assisted necropsies (RT-PAN) improved the chances of finding the cause of death compared to unassisted field post-mortems.

The second was to see whether pathologist assistance reduced the time and money involved in reaching a diagnosis.

Finally, researchers wanted to see if real-time post-mortems are useful and viable service options that could be offered to food animal vet practitioners by the diagnostic services unit (DSU) at UCVM.

The researchers used video calling to enable a pathologist at the DSU to help interpret pathology, guide collection of samples and see the site and animal as the post-mortem occurred.

The team worked with five vet clinics to collect 58 necropsies. Thirty-two were unassisted field post-mortems while the other 26 were RT-PAN. Locations were concentrated in southern Alberta mainly because the researchers targeted vet practices already using the DSU’s services, said Davies.

The challenges of using RT-PAN are largely technical. It’s highly dependent on strong communication services. This may limit use in remote areas with substandard internet access.

Even in areas with well-developed telecommunications, issues such as adverse weather conditions, poor video and audio as well as equipment challenges can create obstacles.

Davies said poor phone and internet connections are major limiting factors in some regions and there are no easy solutions. However, the team had backups in case of front-line equipment failure.

“There were certainly instances where we couldn’t necessarily establish video feed for conferencing, but perhaps cell service was still present in that area and then we could rely on phone conversations as well and that still had value.

“In the absence of having telecommunications in the area, then I think we have to go back to some of our more standard or tried-and-true methods of working with veterinarians out in the field. And that can be for them to take static images and email us digital photos of what they were seeing that helps to augment the case and our understanding.”

Another barrier is time, a limited resource for most large animal vets. However, a post-project survey of participants found they considered RT-PAN education a valuable use of time.

Respondents were also enthusiastic about the potential to build relationships between veterinarians and pathologists as well as opportunities for continuing education. The BCRC summary described both possibilities as “extremely valuable.”

Davies was surprised by telepathology’s potential for human connection.

“Both the veterinarians and pathologists at the lab reiterated on several occasions in the survey that this was a powerful tool for relationship building. And I would echo that I learned a lot from the veterinarians I worked with. I hope they learned a little bit from me as well,” she said.

“It just really showed me that when we work together in partnership as field veterinarians and pathologists, rather than working in silos, we can accomplish greater things.”

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The Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy, a think tank operating out of the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, says its three recently released reports aim at “providing a neutral and evidence-based analysis of each party and their respective election priorities for the future of the ag sector.”

The reports, it said, “are intended to be a tool for agricultural organizations and stakeholders to use as a jumping-off point for discussions in the lead-up to the Alberta elections.”

The second of the three, titled Primary Producers’ Voices on Policy in Alberta, details results from a survey of 297 Alberta farmers and their concerns on the topics of climate, spending, markets/commodities/trade and technology/research.

The demographics of the farmer respondents were broken down into categories of 18-39, 40-60 and 60 and older.

Sixty-one per cent of respondents in the 18-39 group agreed their farm has been positively affected by federal climate change regulations. The two older groups did not view the situation the same way, however, with only 56 and 23 per cent agreeing respectively.

All demographics strongly agreed investment in research for emissions reductions should be a government priority.

The responses related to spending were not as decisive. On the question of whether the Alberta government provides strong incentives for new farmers to begin their careers, 51 and 52 per cent of the 18-39 and 40-60 groups voted they agreed, while only 21 per cent of those over 60 did.

Agreement that the government should prioritize subsidizing agriculture input costs was similarly tepid, ranging from 40 to 60 per cent.

The category of markets and commodities saw more noticeable agreement, however. All demographics generally agreed upon priorities related to the topic, such as opening up in new international trade markets, ensuring fair returns for commodity producers, incentivizing Albertan commodities and investing in new processing facilities.

Likewise, in the category of technology and research, every group agreed Canadian agriculture research has benefited their farms and investment in innovation technology in Alberta should be a high priority.

There was also consensus that the government should have significant involvement in the agriculture sector.

The first report, The Role of Political Parties in Shaping Agriculture Policy, outlines the track records of Alberta’s previous United Conservative Party (UCP) and New Democratic Party (NDP) governments.

According to the report, “the NDP government funded investments in research, food safety and animal health,” whereas “the UCP government has taken a direct-investment approach with Albertan producers and decreased ministry expenses for increased capital spending.”

The report’s conclusion states the NDP has emphasized increased protection for those working on the agriculture sector, and the UCP has focused more on giving control over to agricultural workers to make decisions about their individual daily operations.

It also concludes the NDP has focused more on research and funding the ministry of agriculture, whereas the UCP has prioritized direct investments.

It also notes many similarities between the two parties, however, such as how they have both invested in agribusiness.

The third report, An Overview of Party Visions, was just released Thursday and summarizes what the parties have promised in their platforms.

Among the more significant pledges were the UCP commitment to expand the Feeder Assistance Loan Guarantee from $2 million to $3 million, and the NDP’s promises to “create an Alberta value-added incentive program to help companies access capital,” create a food incentive task force and “increase staff for services and agri-food and value-added approvals.”

More about the surveys, party history and election pledges can be found in the full reports.

— Jonah Grignon reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Ottawa.

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The survey intro notes that wild pigs can transmit diseases to a herd and “because pathogens can be transmitted in many ways, it is crucial to understand how wild pigs interact with livestock and how often, and what production practices may influence this.” 

The short survey also aims to document practices to manage wild pigs on farms. The survey is part of a $970,000 research project led by University of Calgary Veterinary Medicine professor Dr. Matthieu Pruvot.

The overall aim is to “mitigate the risks of the expanding population of wild pigs” and “maintain disease-free status requirements for live animal and meat product exports.”

The survey can be found at www.tinyurl.com/yjktuj9w.

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Flush with major new provincial funding, officials at the province’s vet school say they have a plan to address the long-standing problem.

It will start with a slight increase in veterinary students this fall and be followed by a much bigger increase in the next two years along with changes aimed at attracting more young vets and foreign-trained professionals to rural areas.

“We’ll add five more students starting this September, and adding more next year, and the remainder when the new facilities are built in 2024 — we are fast-tracking that,” said University of Calgary president Ed McCauley.

“We’ll be creating a pipeline where our skill and knowledge can grow. Nowhere will this be felt more than in rural Alberta. Soon there will be more students, and soon after that, there will be more vets.

“That is what our agricultural industry needs, and what our province needs.”

Earlier this year, the province pledged $58.5 million for a physical expansion of the university’s vet school and followed that up this month with another $8.4 million over three years to boost enrolment. By 2025, the school will have ‘seats’ for 100 students (double the current 50) — although it will be another four years before they graduate.

The shortage of rural vets has been growing and groups such as the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association have been urging government to act on the problem (which is not just a shortage of vets but also other veterinary professionals).

“There have been some rough days for our profession over the last few years,” said Dr. Natasha Kutryk, the association’s vice-president and a large-animal veterinarian.

“Labour shortages combined with COVID and the rising demand for services have placed tremendous stress on the veterinary profession.”

The vet shortage is a global problem and the boost in provincial funding here will be noticed across the country, she said.

“We have not seen this level of investment in the Alberta veterinary community before,” said Kutryk. “The Canadian veterinary community will take notice of Alberta’s leadership.”

That view was echoed by the dean of the University of Calgary faculty of veterinary medicine.

“I have to congratulate Alberta for taking the initiative here — the rest of Canada is still talking about the problem,” said Dr. Renate Weller.

But addressing the vet shortage will take time, she added.

“We need some short- and medium-term solutions. The whole team at the U of C, we’re running as fast as we can, but we need a few years to produce those new vets for Alberta.”

Part of the solution is to “import some talent,” said Weller, a native of Germany who has worked in the U.S. and U.K. and consulted globally.

“At the U of C, we are ready to help onboard those people,” she said. “We already have plans for micro-credentials so we can assure that those people who come in can fit the market.

Another issue is that most grads from vet schools head towards small-animal practices, usually in urban centres. Only 20 to 30 per cent of U of Calgary grads have gone into a rural practice of any sort.

But Weller said her school plans to address that issue by creating rural and urban “streams.”

“The rural stream will be on large animals,” she said. “However, these people are the true James Herriots (the famous British vet and popular author) — they also need to be able to spay cats or neuter dogs. They need to be rural practitioners who can service all the animals related in those vicinities.”

But to do that, the vet school needs to change, said Weller.

“We have already started changing admission criteria, and we are looking at traits besides academic,” she said.

The school also needs to play a role in supporting grads who go into rural practice, she added.

“I come from a rural area, I’ve worked in a rural area and it’s stressful to be on your own, especially in the cold and dark,” said Weller. “What we are especially going to do and what we are working on is a support network — a tele-support network where we can provide the clinical and personal mentorship that people need.”

Graduating more people willing to go into rural practice won’t work if they don’t stay, she said.

“The shortage is a leaky bucket phenomenon,” she said. “We have true expansion of the sector, but we also have attrition, attrition due to retirement and stress… We also need to keep those professionals in the profession longer, and let them have a fulfilled work life.”

Still, doubling the capacity of the vet school is a major step forward, Kutryk said at a press conference to announce the increased funding for enrolment.

“It has been a dire forecast until today — a day that represents an opportunity, a commitment of educational excellence and dedication to developing a profession that will contribute significantly to the growth and innovation in Alberta’s economy,” she said. “Today is a very good day for the veterinary profession, for Alberta animal owners and for all Alberta children dreaming of one day being a veterinarian.”

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“This targeted enrolment funding will go towards hiring on more faculty/staff to teach the increased number of students,” Sam Blackett, press secretary for Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, said following Tuesday’s funding announcement.

“It will also go towards purchasing additional course materials such as textbooks and/or other equipment needed to support a larger number of learners for the program.”

The new money comes as rural Alberta and its farmers and ranchers face what Finance Minister Travis Toews on Tuesday called “an emerging shortage” of veterinarians and veterinary technologists.

The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) published a workforce study last year showing vacancy rates for veterinary positions as well above the provincial job vacancy average.

That report put Alberta’s vacancy rate for veterinarians at 16.7 per cent, and for veterinary technologists at 18 per cent, compared to the provincial average of 2.6 per cent.

To bridge that gap, the province aims to increase the existing number of seats in the U of C veterinary program by up to 50, which would double its current capacity.

“Agriculture is a key pillar of Alberta’s economy. That’s why it is so critical we ensure that livestock have access to the veterinary care that keeps them healthy,” Premier Jason Kenney said in Tuesday’s release.

“Alberta will be well served by this new and expanded generation of veterinarians,” ABVMA president Dr. Daren Mandrusiak said in the same release.

The new funding follows February’s capital budget commitment of $59 million over three years for animal health infrastructure at U of C — which includes money for a new facility at its Spyhill campus, more core teaching capacity at its W.A. Ranches site, and renovations at its Foothills campus.

The new facility at Spyhill will be about 7,200 square metres and include a mix of classrooms, lecture theatres, an instructional wet laboratory, administrative space and student service space.

The W.A. Ranches site will get about 1,200 square metres of space including a classroom trailer, a multi-purpose trailer, and administrative office space for academic and teaching technicians.

New animal holding facilities are also planned at that site, including penning for cattle and a Sprung tent structure, Blackett said Wednesday.

Alberta’s recent investments in veterinary programs follow its 2017 decision not to renew its funding for the University of Saskatchewan’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, shifting that funding instead to U of C starting in 2020.

— Liam O’Connor reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Saskatoon.

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Addressing the shortage was a key goal for Pat Burrage, who spent most of his three-decade-plus career in small rural practices. But it’s not solely a matter of boosting the number of graduates from the vet school, he wrote in a message to association members.

“The solutions to the current professional workforce shortage are very complex,” he wrote before adding, “it wasn’t easy getting to this point nor will it be easy in the months and years ahead, but there is a plan.”

The new funding is a “positive step forward for our profession, for all animal owners and for Alberta,” he added.

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The most eye-catching ag-related item in the Alberta government’s Feb. 24 budget was the pledge of $59 million over three years for “infrastructure to expand the veterinary medicine school at the University of Calgary.”

“We are also making a generational investment at the University of Calgary to expand the faculty of veterinary medicine,” Finance Minister Travis Toews said in his budget speech.

“This $59-million investment will address a critical emerging shortage of large-animal veterinarians in rural Alberta.”

The Alberta Veterinary Medical Association said it was “thrilled” by the announcement, saying it would allow the university to double the number of vets it graduates every year.

“Budget 2022 provides a bold and decisive investment in veterinary medicine that will bolster the health and welfare of animals, growth in rural communities and the health of Albertans,” the association said in a news release.

The budget also maintains the $37-million budget for Results Driven Ag Research (RDAR), the arm’s-length agency set up two years ago to fund agricultural research in the province.

Budget documents for the Ag Ministry also say the government is “on track” in its effort to attract $1.4 billion in new investment in the agri-food sector by next year. It heralds the $933-million expansion of the irrigation system in southern Alberta that will add 230,000 irrigated acres. The province is putting up $280 million (30 per cent) of that money. (The irrigation districts are putting up 20 per cent and borrowing the remainder from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank.)

“To create new jobs and spur growth in the agriculture industry, the ministry is building value-added processing capacity, expanding irrigation infrastructure, attracting new investment and expanding trade,” the supporting budget document states.

It also contains a very precise, albeit unexplained, number on Premier Jason Kenney’s election promise to cut red tape, a measure enacted in a piece of legislation called the Red Tape Reduction Act.

The supporting budget documents for provincial ministries contain yearly updates on pro­gress on this effort. For Agriculture and Forestry, there was an 8.2 per cent “regulatory reduction” for the 2019-20 fiscal year and this year’s budget document says that number reached 12.1 per cent in 2020-21.

The fiscal year ends on March 31, so a more recent number isn’t available but in its most recent report on this initiative, the government cited examples from agriculture. It said it had cut the number of forms and supporting documentation needed for Canadian Agricultural Partnership grant programs; allowed livestock producers to sell an animal directly to consumers and have it slaughtered on site for personal consumption; and is allowing farm and commercial vehicle registration renewals to be done online.

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“They are family members,” Renate Weller said of the four-legged emigrés. “We have had the donkey and his two companion ponies for 20 years and I didn’t want to leave them behind.”

Weller — and ensemble — moved from London, England because of the opportunities at U of C’s Veterinary School of Medicine (UCVM), she said.

“I come from one of the oldest vet schools in the world (the Royal Veterinary College),” she said. “That’s where I spent most of my career.”

She grew up in southern Germany on a small farm near the Austrian border and attended veterinary school in Munich. Both that school and the Royal Veterinary College are long established but coming to UCVM offers a different sort of opportunity.

“I graduated from one of the oldest veterinary schools and the biggest,” said Weller. “Calgary is small and in its teenage years. It’s way more agile and can adapt much easier to the global challenges we are facing. That appealed to me.”

The family arrived mid-August, and Weller started her new role on Sept. 1.

She said she likes the hands-on model practised at the U of Calgary. Through their veterinary training, students learn practical skills, which give them real-life experience.

“To me, that’s the way forward,” she said.

A chunk of that hands-on learning takes place at the University of Calgary’s W.A. Ranches, a 19,000-acre working ranch that the school calls a “living laboratory.”

“It’s such an opportunity for those who research as well as on the teaching side. The opportunities are endless there,” she said.

In her interviews for the position, Weller was impressed by the engagement of people involved both in the faculty and in the local community.

“The stakeholders really want to contribute and help and get involved. That is unbelievable. It is really great here,” she said.

She’s also impressed by the scope of research being done at UCVM.

“For a school that size, they punch above their weight. That was a big draw for me. They’re tackling really big problems,” she said.

“What a lot of people don’t understand is that veterinary work is a lot more than looking after individual animals. They play a big role in tackling environmental and sustainability issues.

“We all know there is a close relationship between animal health and human health, and Calgary embraced that very early.”

Weller has a wide variety of experience.

She worked in the corporate world as director of veterinary education at CVS group, one of the U.K.’s largest integrated veterinary service providers. She began her work as a veterinarian in rural general practice, and eventually specialized as an equine clinician. She has also worked in private practice, in hospitals, in universities, and as a researcher. Along the way, she took on leadership roles.

And that journey has taken her around the world. Weller has worked in Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and has done development, consultancy and research work in Dubai, Brazil, Finland and Russia.

“I consider myself a global citizen,” she said. “I guess that’s one of the things I love about veterinary medicine. You can go wherever you want and take your skills with you and there’s always demand.”

Because of her upbringing in rural Germany, Weller feels at home in farming communities.

“The flavour varies a bit, but farmers talk the same talk,” she said. “We worry about weather, about prices and so on. That’s where I come from.”

One of her priorities and interests is tackling Alberta’s shortage of rural veterinarians, which is also a problem in the United Kingdom, Germany and most of Europe.

“If you would ask me what’s the biggest threat at the moment to animal care, it would be that — the lack of and availability of veterinary expertise. That’s something we all have to work on.”

People need to examine new models and bring various communities together to work on solutions, she said.

“I would also like to look into creating almost like bridging programs for foreign vets,” she said. “The basic skills are there. If you are a decent vet and you have the skills, you can learn.”

There also needs to be a focused effort to attract people with international veterinary expertise, and keep veterinarians and vet techs in the profession.

“It’s heartbreaking when you see young, enthusiastic people drop out of the profession after a few years,” she said. “We need to address the factors that cause them to drop out. We need to support them.

“The whole COVID-19 situation has led to a bigger acceptance of tele-health. I think we need to see that we build up a network where more experienced vets help youngsters who are having trouble with a case, that we make help accessible.”

Weller’s husband, Thilo Pfau, is working as a professor in the faculty of kinesiology at the University of Calgary. The two older children are enrolled at the University of Calgary, while the two younger ones are in high school and junior high.

“They (the two younger children) enjoy that they don’t have to wear a school uniform and can bring their mobile phones to school,” she said. “That is a big no-no in schools in the U.K.”

But one of the family is looking for employment.

“We have two dogs — one is a well-trained herding dog who misses her sheep desperately,” said Weller. “So if there are any farmers around Calgary who need their sheep herded, we are happy to come out and help.”

Her pony, donkey and Icelandic horse — all in their 20s and in good health — are coming to Canada, but were delayed because it is difficult to ship animals during COVID-19.

The post New vet school dean brings a lot of expertise — and an entourage appeared first on Alberta Farmer Express.

But the province needs to develop a value-added industry, focus on sustainability and leverage trade deals that the country has negotiated, says the report from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy.

“Alberta has the building blocks to be a global mega-power,” says the report.

Specifically, those strengths include “abundant natural resources, a strong network of research and development facilities, one of the lowest users of pesticides per-hectare regions in the world, political stability, and goodwill to encourage investment, a growing primary and secondary processing sector, a respected regulatory system, and access to a sophisticated, ethnically diverse consumer base.”

That gives the province a winning hand, it says.

“When properly nurtured with enhanced technology and focused investment, growth and success will be the outcome,” predicts the report, authored by Kim McConnell (founder of AdFarm and a well-known figure in the province’s ag scene) and Karen Spencer of the School of Public Policy.

Although Alberta has recently taken a backseat to its Prairie neighbours in areas such as pulse processing, its food-processing and manufacturing sector grew at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent in the last decade and that was almost twice the rate of other parts of the economy outside of the energy sector.

But a shift in mindset is still needed, it says.

“Today, much of Alberta’s agri-food industry is commodity-centric,” the report states. “More than half of all crops and livestock products are exported to another country to be processed, and then finished products are imported back here for sale. Jobs and economic value will grow by increasing ingredient processing within Alberta, with a goal of moving to branded food manufacturing.

“And along the way there is ample opportunity for the development of new byproduct manufacturing, such as bioplastics made from crop starches.”

In addition to making products from commodities (“think pasta, beer, prosciutto”), resources such as natural gas and water can be leveraged to help the value-added sector grow, the report states.

It also touts opportunities in carbon sequestration in agriculture and says the province should take advantage of trade deals with Europe, Pacific nations and the U.S. and Mexico.

But it also says the provincial government should focus on removing obstacles, especially streamlining regulations for processors and improving the investment climate.

“Alberta can do more to create the proper investment environment and take actions that will stimulate investment,” the report states. “Canada is currently ranked twenty-third in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, while New Zealand, the United States and Australia all rank higher. Alberta has to take some innovative approaches to enhancing its investment conditions.”

And the rollout of broadband internet in rural areas has to speed up, the report says.

“The speed at which Alberta can improve its broadband coverage into its rural areas directly affects the ability of Alberta farmers and ranchers to employ AI technologies, sensor use, and other precision agriculture automation applications — faster implementation will accelerate economic growth.”

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Formerly provided by Poultry Health Services, the program can test for diseases such as avian flu, E. coli, and other pathogens and microbes. Poultry Health Services of Airdrie, which serves the commercial poultry sector, began the program and “grew the lab from basic serology in 2005 to a full-service, Level 2 diagnostic lab system accepting samples from across North America,” the company said.

The transition to UCVM began more than two years ago and having the program at the university will allow for both teaching operations and “exciting research opportunities for improving poultry health,” the school said.

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