A rash of sow mortalities first reported in southeast Iowa, and now seen in Minnesota, Colorado, Illinois and North Carolina, has experts concerned and confused. The Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab has seen 20 cases of this syndrome in the past six months, says pathologist Pat Halbur. PRRS in the past has been associated with late-term abortions, but generally not with sow deaths or abortions during early gestation. But something about the virus has changed. Scientists have isolated and are studying the strains of PRRS virus from these recent outbreaks.
Efforts continue to look for other infectious and toxic agents, as well.
At this point, we do not have all the information needed to address this. FSA halts foreclosures under discrimination charges U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman yesterday ordered the Farm Service Agency to temporarily halt foreclosure sales on delinquent farm loans until each case can be reviewed as to whether there is evidence of discrimination or inconsistency in program delivery, citing concerns raised recently alleging discrimination in some USDA programs. Boyd himself is facing foreclosure on his farm due to problems with USDA-administered loans. The new global ompany will be called Merial Animal Health. The Weed Management Team has created a site containing articles written by ISU weed specialists, commentaries on weed topics found in the press, and links to many other agronomic and weed science resources.