Final Report for ENE99-048
Project Information
There is a need for a source-referenced compilation of alternatives to antibiotic/chemical use for livestock. There are numerous references from ancient to current regarding specific types of alternative livestock medical and management practices, but on one book that complies much of the information. The lack of a good source-referenced compilation of alternative practices for livestock seriously limits communication among experts in alternative medicine, veterinarians, extension educators, and livestock producers. We held a conference at the University of Connecticut on October 20-21, 2000 entitled "Alternative and Herbal Livestock Health Conference: A scientific review of current knowledge". We published a Sourcebook about Alternative and Herbal Livestock Health Practices. We produced 200 copies of the Sourcebook. Fifty copies of the Sourcebook were sent to Northeast SARE. The remaining 150 copies are available for the cost of shipping ($8.00) from Shelly Syme at the Home and Garden Center, Unit 4115, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269. The Sourcebook is a resource book about alternative and herbal livestock health care practices for USDA personnel such as Extension and NRCS. A Web site was created that contains most of the information in the Sourcebook. The Web address is: http://www.canr.uconn.edu/plsci/AHLH%20SB-Web.pdf. A textbook about alternative and herbal livestock health care was submitted to Iowa State Press. The textbook is an expanded version of the Proceeding from the conference we held on alternative and herbal livestock health care practices.
Important concerns regarding food safety, particularly antibiotic and chemical residues in meat and milk, have stimulated renewed interest in alternative methods of promoting livestock health. This parallels the resurgent interest in alternative medical practices in the human health professions. An example is the National Institute of Health=s establishment of a National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. Unfortunately, a source-referenced compilation of alternatives to antibiotic/chemical use for livestock is unavailable, although there are numerous references from ancient to current regarding specific types of alternative livestock medical and management practices. The lack of a good source-referenced compilation of alternative practices for livestock seriously limits communication among experts in alternative medicine, veterinarians, extension educators, and livestock producers. We addressed this problem by sponsoring a workshop on alternative and herbal livestock health practices, where experts in several related areas presented Astate of the art@ type lectures to an audience of interested agricultural professionals (which included extension educators, veterinarians and producer representatives), followed by breakout sessions in which ideas and information were shared. We published the proceedings of the Workshop to allow wide dissemination of the information to agricultural professionals. A second goal was to create a sourcebook of information on alternative and herbal livestock health management practices based on a complete literature review and the input of experts in this field. The development of the sourcebook followed the concept of the German Commission E, where a panel of experts classified and published various types of information from scientific to anecdotal about herbal remedies utilized in human medicine. The sourcebook was structured to enhance ease of use by extension educators for their clientele. Both paper and web-based versions of the sourcebook were produced. Our overall goal was to gather interested agricultural professionals and experts together to create resource materials for both the scientific community and the end users to highlight and enhance the use of non-chemical means of improving livestock health. Another outcome of this project should be the identification of areas in which further research are needed, which should result in a stimulus to acquire additional scientifically-based data.
Cooperators
Educational Approach
Publications/Outreach
Our outreach was a conference entitled "Alternative and Herbal Livestock Health Conference: A scientific review of current knowledge". The proceedings and information about the conference are available at this web address: www.sp.uconn.edu/~wwwahlhc.
We published one document, a sourcebook about complementary and alternative approaches to livestock nutrition and health, and about poisonous plants that affect livestock health for agricultural professionals. Two hundred copies of the sourcebook were published. Fifty copies were sent to Northeast SARE. The remaining 150 copies are available for the cost of shipping ($8) from Shelly Syme at the Home and Garden Center, Unit 4115, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269.
A Web site was created that contains most of the information in the Sourcebook. We developed and submitted a manuscript to Iowa State Press for a textbook on alternative and herbal health care practices for livestock. The manuscript was developed with participants from the conference and other experts from around the world. The book currently is being edited by Iowa State Press.
Performance Target Outcomes
Project Outcomes
We published one document, a Sourcebook about complementary and alternative approaches to livestock nutrition and health, and about poisonous plants that affect livestock health for agricultural professionals. Two hundred copies of the Sourcebook were published. Fifty copies were sent to Northeast SARE. The remaining 150 copies are available for the cost of shipping ($8.00) from Shelly Syme at the Home and Garden Center, Unit 4115, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269.
A Web site was created that contains most of the information in the Sourcebook. The Web address is: http://www.canr.uconn.edu/plsci/AHLH%20SB-Web.pdf.
We developed and submitted a manuscript to Iowa State Press for a textbook on alternative and herbal health care practices for livestock. The manuscript was developed with participants from the Conference and other experts from around the world. The book currently is being edited by Iowa State Press.
Future Recommendations
There seems to be great interest in the topic of alternative and herbal health care for livestock. We have had many requests for our Sourcebook, and Iowa State Press believes that there is a great potential for a textbook on this topic. Alternative health care for livestock complements other work by SARE such as intensive grazing for milk production. We believe more educational materials and educational events about alternative health care for livestock should be made available by SARE.
Information Products
- Alternative and Herbal Livestock Health Conference: A Scientific Review of Current Knowledge: Evaluation of Homeopathic Nosodes for Mastitis and Calf Scours, and Documentation of Homeopathic Practices (Conference Proceeding)
- Alternative and Herbal Livestock Health Conference: A Scientific Review of Current Knowledge: Evaluation of Homeopathic Nosodes for Mastitis and Calf Scours, and Documentation of Homeopathic Practices (Conference Proceeding)