Delmarva Poultry Health, Processing, and Live Production Meeting - September, Ocean City, MD
“This is one of my favorite conferences to go to every year - it’s big enough to cover a range of issues, but also small enough that you get the chance to meet with many of the folks in the room. There was a lot of emphasis this year on the state of Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) in the Delmarva region, how vaccination programs have been rolling out, and some of the challenges with secondary infections like E. coli that ultimately lead to mortality after an aMPV infection. My takeaway was that there has been a lot of progress on dealing with aMPV even since we started Barnwell, but there are still open questions for the industry to better understand.”
-Michael Rhys, CEO & Cofounder
American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) Annual Meeting - July, Orlando, FL
“Not many scientific conferences come with a view of Disney, but the real magic at AAAP this year was the people. Coming back for a second year, I was reminded why a vet-focused meeting is so worthwhile for someone like me who isn’t a veterinarian. The talks are grounded in real field problems, from Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) and reovirus in turkeys to Campylobacter hepaticus (Spotty Liver Disease) in layers. What stood out to me was how often the environment came up: litter as a reservoir for Enterococcus cecorum, Mycoplasma synoviae persisting on farms for days, and poultry red mites surviving in barns for months! At the same time, researchers are making real progress on genomic tools to trace the origin of infections for pathogens like Pasteurella multocida, Avibacterium paragallinarum, and Salmonella. Presenting a poster, ‘Longitudinal metagenomics: sequencing of environmental samples to track animal health and guide intervention strategies,’ gave us a chance to show how metagenomics can complement what vets are already seeing on farms, and the feedback we got will directly guide where we go next.”
-Dr. Cassie Ettinger, Senior Computational Biologist
Pennsylvania Poultry Sales and Service Conference - September, State College, PA
“I had a great few days at the Pennsylvania Poultry Sales & Service Conference and NECAD at Penn State University. Some of the sessions most relevant to Barnwell Bio covered the importance of litter management, the benefits of autogenous and gel vaccines, and the latest updates on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV). The most interesting to me was a talk on how birds see their environment (they can see UV light as well as red, green and blue like us) and how that might affect their behavior. It was also so nice to reconnect with familiar faces and meet complementary companies working toward healthier flocks. And as an added bonus, I got to be back in my home state.”
-Casey McGinley, COO & Cofounder
Poultry Sustainability and Welfare Summit - September, Atlanta, GA
“This was my first time at the Poultry Sustainability & Welfare Summit, and I was excited to be part of the Innovations Panel alongside other innovative companies. I talked about how environmental surveillance can detect pathogens and diseases like Staphylococcus, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Salmonella, E. coli, Spotty Liver Disease, and Egg Drop Syndrome, which helps poultry health teams prevent, diagnose, and treat them earlier. The day opened with a recorded conversation with Temple Grandin, which was a great way to set the tone. The afternoon focused on Key Welfare Indicators (KWIs) and how to turn welfare data into on-farm action. My takeaway was that disease and welfare are closely connected. Catching disease earlier, or better yet, preventing it altogether, is one of the most direct ways to improve both bird welfare and sustainability.”
-Dr. Natalie Urie, Lead Veterinarian
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