By MEGGIE I. FOSTER
Assistant Editor

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) elected new officers, including a new chairperson and vice-chairperson during its quarterly meeting last week.
Bruce McDavitt, D.V.M. of Zionsville, Ind. was elected the new chairperson.

“The election of McDavitt marks the first time BOAH has elected both a father and son as chairman to this Board,” said Denise Derrer, BOAH information officer.

Derrer said that Bruce’s father, Duane, chaired the Board in the early 1990s.

John Baker, a swine veterinarian from Boonville, Ind. was named vice-chairperson.

Other division directors who submitted reports during the meeting include: Paul Dieterlen, meat and poultry inspection; Cheryl Miller scrapie division; Tom Ford, dairy division; Michael Kopp, avian health; Marianne Ash, bio-security planning; Derrer, public information; and Doug Metcalf, who serves as the chief of staff.

Metcalf reported that BOAH has recently been selected to host an emergency response event on May 10. According to Metcalf, the plan stages a disaster caused by a gamma radiation bomb dropped at the intersection of 1-65 and 1-465. The monumental disaster causes homes and farms to be destroyed and damaged within a large mile radius of the site.

As a result, many animals are left to suffer or carried in with the owners to the rescue center, in which BOAH is responsible for operating the animal response plan. The agency will be tested on details of their response in the event of this disaster, and how they care and prepare for the sick and lost animals. Nearly 100 volunteers from central Indiana will participate in the staged event.

The next quarterly meeting of BOAH will take place on July 26 in Indianapolis. For more information on BOAH, visit www.state.in.us/boah

This farm news was published in the May 2, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.