(April 7, 2009 Stillwater, OK) – A select group of veterinary students at OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences visited three feed lots recently thanks to the generosity of Elanco Animal Health Division. Accompanied by D. L. Step, DVM, DACVIM, Herd Health and Production Medicine, associate professor in Veterinary Clinical Sciences, veterinary students Joe Freeman (’10), Ryan Grant (’10), Zeke Proctor (’09) and Jason Thorne (’10) traveled to Texas and Oklahoma feedlots gaining valuable hands-on experience and information about food animal medicine and rural veterinary practice.

Joining the group for the 2 ½ day tour was Tom Portillo, DVM, with Elanco. Portillo provided an overview of Elanco, case scenarios, and industry background on feed lot medicine. He also discussed his personal career path from feed lot consulting to the pharmaceutical industry.

“Our first stop was the Texas Cattle Feeders Association (TCFA) in Amarillo, Texas,” explains Step. “We met with TCFA representatives and Dr. Guy Lonergan with West Texas A&M University.”

From Amarillo the group traveled to Cactus, Texas, to visit the second largest feeder in the country, Cactus Feed Yards.

The next stop brought them in touch with one of their own, OSU Class of 1989 alumnus, Dr. Shawn Blood. Blood is the veterinarian for the Hitch Feed Yards located in Guymon, Okla.

The final destination on the tour was a dairy heifer replacement facility located at Texas County Feeders also in Guymon. Here, again, the group encountered an OSU veterinarian, Dr. Tom Latta, Class of 1968.

“We really appreciate this opportunity to see up close cattle feed lot production and to be able to interact with people who have been in the business for years,” says Step. “Our veterinary students were able to participate in lots of question and answer sessions with some of the top veterinarians in the cattle production business.”

The Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is one of 28 veterinary colleges in the United States and is fully accredited by the Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The center’s Boren Veterinary Medial Teaching Hospital is open to the public and provides routine and specialized care for small and large animals. It also offers 24 hour emergency care and is certified by the American Animal Hospital Association. For more information, visit www.cvhs.okstate.edu or call (405) 744-7000.

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