JD-Consult: A virtual farm consultation

Awardees: Mike Collins, Jeannette McDonald
Team Members: Jan Cheetham, Elizabeth Harris
Department: Veterinary Medicine

Johne's disease, a chronic infectious cattle disease, requires changes in herd management and diagnostics to control. The benefit-cost issues are complex and differ by farm. Because of the complex pathobiology and economic factors at play, experience is the best teacher. The goal is to give students experience as consulting veterinarians to six dairies recommending the most cost effective disease management plan for each farm. The basis is an economic decision analysis model that determines the financially best control program. This simulation can be adapted to other farm scenarios and act as a model for problem-solving in other integrated biological systems.

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