Upcoming Bull & Heifer Sales

Deer Creek Simmental will be having a production sale on the farm in Nelson County on Saturday, November 14th. They will be selling some excellent Simmental and SimAngus bulls.  The sale catalog is on the website at www.deercreeksimmental.com

Quaker Hill Farm will be having a performance bull and female sale on Friday, November 6 in Louisa County. See the website for more information: http://www.quakerhillfarm.com/

Knoll Crest Farm will be having a performance bull sale on Friday, December 4 in Red House, VA. Please see the catalog on their website for more information: http://knollcrestfarm.com/

 

4-Her’s Registered Braunvieh Heifer FOR SALE

The heifer is a 15 month old registered Braunvieh. Owner has the sire and dam info as well, very tame, weight is 865 -875.

She won reserve in Albemarle County and placed 2nd in her age group in the State Fair. The owner is selling her as breeding stock only. They are willing to have her bred and certified by the vet that she is carrying. If you are interested please call Nate Carnahan at (804) 837-3528. Please see pictures below from the State Fair of Virginia Youth Livestock Show this October.

20151009_124532 2015100995154226 heifer 1 heifer 2

MARE Center Undergraduate Summer Internship

The MARE Center’s Undergraduate Summer Internship is open to applications for summer 2016!

APPLICATION DUE FEBRUARY 5, 2016

Horse

Objective: To help prepare undergraduate students for careers in the equine industry, academia or the veterinary sciences through applying classroom knowledge in a real world setting and learning new skills through meaningful research and Extension projects.

The internship will be offered in summer 2016 and is located at the Middleburg Agricultural Research and Extension Center (MARE Center) a 420 acre equine facility located in the heart of Virginia’s horse country. This is an immersive learning environment for those students who are sincere in their desire to secure employment in the equine industry and/or pursue post-baccalaureate education in graduate or veterinary school. This novel program provides substantive and authentic experiences that result in the ultimate capstone experience.

Interns will assist with all ongoing research and Extension activities at the MARE Center. Each intern will be assigned a specific project area. Project areas will include topics such as equine nutrition and health, pasture management, conservation and land stewardship, equine reproduction, and youth development (4-H). Interns will be involved with all aspects of their specified project including literature review, protocol development, experimental design, data collection, data recording, and data analyses. Interns will have the opportunity to disseminate knowledge gained through their project in an Extension or research publication or presentation. An essential component of the internship will be developing leadership and communication skills while building networks within the equine industry through Extension activities. Interns will gain practical hands-on experience operating a 420 acre farm. Management experience will include daily horse care, nutritional management, young horse handling, reproductive management, pasture and forage management, and potential management of other livestock.

Upon completion of the internship, students will gain appreciation of and proficiency in skills necessary to work within the equine industry. Interns will develop a greater understanding of the scientific method, including experimental design and implementation. Additionally students will improve upon life skills including critical thinking, problem solving, communication, leadership, collaboration and organization.

This internship is appropriate for students entering their junior or senior year in the fall semester following the internship. The internship is open to current undergraduate students at Virginia Tech or any other institution in the United States or Canada. Students graduating in May 2016 will also be considered. The internship generally runs from early- to mid-May through mid-August, and is tailored to each student. Current students may receive college credit if desired and will be responsible for tuition and fees. Transfer credits will be the student’s responsibility. Internships will include shared housing and utilities. Interns must provide evidence of renter’s insurance.

Interested students should complete the application form and submit required documents by February 5, 2016 for consideration for Summer 2016. For further information, please contact Shayan Ghajar: sghajar@vt.edu 540-687-3521 ext 26. Application forms may be downloaded HERE.

MARE Center Summer Internship

Registered SimAngus Bull For Sale

Deer Creek Upside: Six year old SimAngus Emblazon sired bull for sale. He has sired many nice replacement heifers and now we are in need of changing out sire genetics. He is very docile, you can pet him on the head. If you are interested in adding some great genetics to your herd this year, please consider calling Wilson Denoon (804) 370-3190. Please see papers at link: Deer Creek Upside papers

Press Release: Second Case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in a Virginia Horse in 2015

~ Disease has a 90 percent mortality so prevention is key ~

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) today announced the second case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) in a Virginia horse this year. The horse, a three-year-old Tennessee Walker mare, was from Chesapeake and had only been purchased by the owner three weeks ago. Its vaccination history is unknown.

The horse exhibited signs August 13 and was euthanized August 14 due to the severity of the illness. VDACS received confirmation from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa on August 21. Both cases of EEE this year have been in horses from Chesapeake.

“One of the reasons most veterinarians recommend a six-month vaccination schedule in Tidewater Virginia is because of the prevalence of mosquitos in the area,” said Dr. Richard Wilkes, State Veterinarian. Wilkes explained that EEE, a mosquito-borne illness, causes inflammation or swelling of the brain and spinal cord and is also called “sleeping sickness.” Symptoms include impaired vision, aimless wandering, head pressing, circling, inability to swallow, irregular staggering gait, paralysis, convulsions and death. Once a horse has been bitten by an infected mosquito, it may take three to 10 days for signs of the disease to appear.

Last year Virginia had one reported case of EEE, in a horse from Suffolk. The disease has a mortality rate of 80 to 90 percent, so prevention is a key part of equine health. Vaccination and mosquito control/ avoidance are the central elements of prevention.

Available vaccines are generally effective in drastically reducing the incidence of both EEE and West Nile Virus (WNV) in horses. VDACS announced the first Virginia horse to test positive for WNV August 14.

For the vaccine to be effective it must be handled and administered properly and be given at least two weeks before the horse is exposed to the virus. Additionally, to stimulate full immunity, horses must be vaccinated twice, about 30 days apart, the first year of vaccination. The vaccines are effective for six to 12 months, so horses should be revaccinated at least annually. In addition to vaccination, horse owners should avoid mosquito infested areas and take measures to reduce the local mosquito population to minimize the chances of mosquitos biting their horses.

For more information, horse owners should contact VDACS’ Office of the State Veterinarian at 804.692.0601 or consult their local veterinarian.

Summer Enrichment Program in Agriculture & Environmental Science

VSU Summer Enrichment Program

Virginia State University is hosting a summer enrichment program for rising high school juniors and seniors interested in science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math. It will be held June 22-26 on the Virginia State University campus and at Randolph Farm. For more information and to apply, check out the pdf link. Applications due by May 15th!