In his welcoming remarks at the Agricultural Business Council’s October meeting, Dr. Ben Wolfe, dean and CEO of K-State Olathe, highlighted the strides his campus has taken to reach several goals, including increased investment in bio-manufacturing, animal health and technology that integrates food and dietary routines into the healthcare system. He noted that the school’s Food Innovation Accelerator program is “helping entrepreneurs and businesses develop and commercialize food-related products.”
Justin Smith, DVM, Kansas Animal Health Commissioner with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, stressed in his presentation centering on New World Screwworm that “NWS is an animal health concern, not a food safety issue.” He added that no treatment is required for cattle going to slaughter. Texas is the primary hotspot for NWS in the U.S. because of its proximity to Mexico, which is the source of most of infections, he explained. But Dr. Smith said, “The flies did not fly into Mexico, they came into the U.S. with the cattle we imported.”
Recently, USDA, APHIS and U.S. cattlemen have identified 53 confirmed cases in Texas and New Mexico. The Kansas Department of Agriculture has conducted 15 foreign animal disease investigations related to the NWS threat. While Dr. Smith indicated he was encouraged with the response to date, he closed his presentation with a list of “what keeps me awake at night.” He noted that Kansas’ NWS response had some vulnerabilities and limitations:
No approved treatment for lactating dairy cows
No ability yet to develop critical mass of responders
No maintaining continuity of beef slaughterhouses
No maintaining continuity of dairy cows
Lack of communication and outreach
Lack of premises data and surveillance
Dr. Susan Metzger, who leads strategic interdisciplinary initiatives that advance integrated agriculture programs across Kansas State University, addressed the concerns Dr. Smith identified in his presentation. She noted that USDA-APHIS had recently given the school a Challenge Grant to develop and implement an AI-enabled surveillance system to track NWS, accelerate its diagnosis (through PCR) and develop and test prevention methods.
Dr. Metzger reviewed K-State’s Next Gen Plan with impressive goals and outcomes. Four years into Next Gen, the school has invested $680 million in research, faculty competitive awards and facility building and renovations. By 2028, K-State aims to have invested $350 million over six years in research. The future, said Dr. Metzger, hinges on “enhanced development in expanded research and training in ‘digital agriculture,’ robotics, drones, remote sensing, data analytics and AI to help producers make better-informed decisions.”