The Anatomy of a crisis and the veterinarian's role

Abstract

I didn’t grow up too far from the farm in Indiana, but most of my information about farmers and farming came from going to the local farm to buy sweet corn and from my friends who were in 4-H. Today, it’s a different story. I work with MorganMyers, a strategic communications firm that works specifically in the food and agricultural spaces - from farm to table. Our team has helped manage the communication around several of the more recent animal welfare challenges from a variety of perspectives - the brand, the cooperative/processor and the farmer. On a day-to-day basis, I oversee the public relations activity for Merck Animal Health across species, and I work closely with their dairy team rolling out the new Dairy C.A.R.E. initiative. I have been around the country conducting Dairy CARE workshops, and everywhere I go, I make sure to get myself on a dairy or calf ranch. I’ve learned a lot and gained a great deal of perspective. Some of the material I’ll share with you today is part of that program.