Sections
Program Goals
Program Description
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
 Year 4 Clinics
Focus Areas
Extramural Studies
Clinical Competencies
Veterinarian's Oath

Focus Area for Food Animal Production Medicine

Focus Area Leader

Dr. Monte McCaw

Description of the Focus Area

This focus area is designed to train interested students in all the basic, many of the intermediate, and some of the advanced skills needed to be successful and influential in their chosen species and facet of modern food animal production.  The scope of training and hence careers available is very broad and ranges from private practice for family farms / enterprises, incorporated farm operations, or integrated corporate food production systems on into government or corporate jobs in allied industry companies.  Meaningful and vital careers can be pursued in food safety (any point from farm to table), prudent use of antibiotics, antibiotic-free food animal production, protection of the national food supply via inspection of and collaboration with foreign producers of food products or through Foreign Animal Disease surveillance, prevention, and crisis planning at state or national levels.  Excellent training in skills necessary to pursue the modern veterinarian’s role in helping farmers and producers can be attained in: 1) herd disease prevention, diagnosis, or management which is fully dependent upon 2) understanding and meeting the needs of the animal which also is essential for helping 3) maximize the reproductive, growth, or milk / egg production performance of food animals.  All these goals must be balanced with the national and global needs to minimize the feeds, financial, and material resources used, the waste produced, and hence impact upon the environment as a whole.   Each student’s 4 year training program will be tailored to their particular species and skills of interest.  With the help of their chosen food animal faculty advisor, the student will develop a plan of study, to gain a functional knowledge of and essential skills in veterinary population medicine and food animal production.  Planning would include choosing Selective courses, agricultural summer-work opportunities, senior Blocks, veterinary practice externships, and specialty career summer-work experiences or 2 week senior Blocks pursuing non-practice training in pathology, food safety, state and federal disease surveillance and management, international government programs, or any facet of veterinary research that intrigues them.  Given the international nature of food production and procurement, externships in other states and even outside the US can be components of a Food Animal Focus Area plan of study.  Students are expected to gain experience in at least two different food animal species (i.e., ruminants and swine; swine and poultry; etc.). At the end of their training, Food Animal Focus Area student will have at a minimum acquired the knowledge and skills required to perform at an intermediate level in the following fields: herd/flock health management, regional disease control concepts, and the various production methods and grouping / housing structures used by various sized food animal production enterprises.

It is understood that the field of food animal medicine is far too broad and complex to allow anyone to acquire an intermediate level of proficiency across all the main food animal species (ruminants, swine, and  poultry). Therefore, the objective of this focus area is to provide adequate training for food animal oriented veterinary students to gain the basic level of knowledge and skills expected of food animal veterinarians in two species, an intermediate level in their species of choice.  Many of the potential career opportunities possible based upon training in Food Animal Veterinary Medicine may or will require additional post-graduate training or degrees to become fully trained for the particular job or future advancements.  Additional training programs include research-based MS or PhD degrees (microbiology, immunology, physiology, nutrition, behavior, etc), clinical residencies, board certification, MBA, JD, etc.  

Food Animal Scholars are automatically enrolled in the Food Animal Focus Area.

Advisors

Mark Alley

Glen Almond

Kevin Anderson

H. John Barnes

Peter Farin

Oscar Fletcher

Jim Floyd

Isabel Gimeno

Jim Guy

David Ley

Michael Martin

Monte McCaw

Barrett Slenning

Geof Smith

Siddhartha Thakur

Dennis Wages

List of support Faculty (non-core mentors who play a significant role):

Ron Baynes

David Bristol

Talmage Brown

Peter Cowen

Jay Levine

Mike Levy

Carlos Pinto

Jim Riviere

Malcolm Roberts

Mike Whitacre

Steps for planning your career training within the Food Animal Focus Area

Year 1-3 Requirements

Food Animal Scholars are automatically enrolled in the Food Animal Focus Area. 

All Food Animal Focus Area interested students should select an advisor as soon as possible to enable mapping out their 4 year plan of study early to avoid missing potentially valuable training opportunities or experiences.  At this time there are no required selectives for the Food Animal Focus Area (however a Food Animal Production Systems basics selective is being planned to be offered each Fall Semester.

Year 1-3 Recommended Courses

VMA 991 G Avian anatomy & physiology

VMA 991 K Diagnostic toxicology

VMA 992 B Interpersonal skills

VMA 992 I Food animal residue avoidance

VMC 991 N Professional meeting

VMC 992 V Success in veterinary practice

VMF 991 A Advanced topics of ruminant medicine

VMF 991 B Beef cattle production medicine

VMF 991 C Management of dystocia

VMF 991 G Ruminant nutrition

VMF 991 M Mastitis/milk quality

VMF 991 R Emerging diseases of international importance

VMF 991 U Veterinary medical terminology in Spanish

VMF 991 W Pathology of birds I

VMF 991 X Pathology of birds II

VMF 991 Y Design of Food Animal Vaccination Programs

VMF 992 B Advances in poultry health research & communication

VMF 992 C Large animal practice experience

VMF 992 E International pork production

VMF 992 F Embryo biotechnology research

VMF 992 K Extension education for veterinarians

VMF 992 Z VTH clinical experience

VMM 991 I Special topics in pathology II

VMM 991 V Advanced clinical parasitology

VMM 992 B Diagnosis of viral diseases

VMM 992 D PCR-based diagnosis of bacterial disease

Fourth Year Required Rotations

The following rotations are required

VMB 976 Radiology

VMB 977 Anesthesia

VMP 977 Clinical Laboratory and Necropsy

VMP 978 Clinical Pathology, Parasitology, and Immunology

VMP 990 Large Animal Community Classroom (4 rotations)

One of the following rotations is required

VMC 973 Sm Anim Surgery

VMC 975 Equine General Surgery

One of the following rotations is required

VMC 979 Equine Medicine

VMC 954 Small An Med for FA students

One of the following rotations is required

VMC 960 Small Animal Emergency

VMC 966 LA Emergency/Critical Care

At least 3 of the following 4 rotations are also required:

VMP 970 Ruminant Health Management

VMP 982 Poultry Health Management I

VMP 984 Swine Medicine & Production I

VMP 979 Epidemiology

Additional Recommended Rotations:

VMP 971 Food An Dz Diagnostics

VMP 973 Special Topics in Epidemiology

VMP 981 Special Topics in Theriogenology

VMP 983 Poultry Health Management II

VMP 985 Swine Medicine & Production II

VMP 987 Ruminant Topics

VMP 973 Special Topics in Epidemiology

VMC 970 Small Animal Community Classroom

Other Experiences

Students should consult with their advisor regarding extramural studies and other educational experiences

Other Useful Information

Bovine practitioners: http://www.aabp.org/

Swine practitioners: http://www.aasp.org/

Small ruminant practitioners: http://www.aasrp.org/

Poultry veterinarians: http://www.acpv.info/