Available on demand

BRD is complex, costly and no joke. It costs beef producers $900 million every year, and treatment choices are top of mind for consumers. In this session of Science Talks, Dr. Ron Gill from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and Dr. Judson Vasconcelos from Merck Animal Health discuss the role of animal welfare in managing BRD and the consumer mindset on antibiotics. Viewers will gain insights on consumer perspectives, best practices and what the industry should strive for in animal welfare.

Presenters:

Dr. Ron Gill is professor and Extension livestock specialist for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and also serves as Associate Department Head and Program Leader for Extension animal science faculty in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University.

He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Angelo State University, San Angelo, Texas and his doctorate from Texas A&M University. He has worked for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension for 35 years.

He provides leadership in Extension programming related to animal well-being and low-stress livestock handling and assists in providing leadership to statewide programming efforts for Beef Safety and Quality Assurance programming. He was recognized in 2018 for his efforts across the nation in BQA when he received the BQA Educator Award from NCBA.

Works with NCBA to deliver the Stockmanship and Stewardship program across North America

Serves as a member of the TSCRA and NCBA Cattle Health and Well-Being Committee and serves on the NCBA Animal Health Advisory Committee.

Dr. Judson Vasconcelos
Head of Veterinary and Consumer Affairs
Merck Animal Health

Dr. Judson Vasconcelos heads the Merck Animal Health Veterinary and Consumer Affairs team. The V&CA team supports Merck’s partners in the companion animal and livestock industries, academic institutions, and veterinary related associations in areas such as Animal Welfare, Sustainability, Veterinarian Wellness, and Consumer Trends. A native of Brazil, Dr. Vasconcelos received his Veterinary Medicine degree from the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul in 1998. He received his M.S. degree in Animal Science from West Texas A&M University in 2003 and his Ph.D. degree in Beef Cattle Nutrition and Management from Texas A&M University in 2006. After his Ph.D., Dr. Vasconcelos worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Texas Tech University before joining the University of Nebraska as an Assistant Professor of Animal Science to conduct beef cattle feedlot nutrition and management research. He is an author of more than 30 peer-reviewed publications on animal nutrition, management and productivity products. Dr. Vasconcelos has been in the Animal Health industry since 2010.

Burt Rutherford - Moderator
Director of Content, Senior Editor
BEEF Magazine

Burt Rutherford is director of content and senior editor of BEEF. He has nearly 40 years’ experience communicating about the beef industry. A Colorado native and graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in agricultural journalism, he now works from his home base in Colorado. He worked as communications director for the North American Limousin Foundation and editor of the Western Livestock Journal before spending 21 years as communications director for the Texas Cattle Feeders Association. He works to keep BEEF readers informed of trends and production practices to bolster the bottom line.

SPONSORED BY 
Merck Animal Health