Stem Cell Clinic

Cumberland County family turns to non-FDA approved stem cell treatment to help two-year-old son with cerebral palsy – FOX43.com

Lance was diagnosed with cerebral palsy a year ago. His family hopes non-FDA approved stem cell treatment for the disease can help him walk and talk.

CAMP HILL, Pa. A family in Cumberland County has turned to stem cells to treat their two-year-old son diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The only problem: stem cell treatment for the disease hasn't been approved by the FDA.

The day he was born, when he wheeled him down the hall and he was only a pound, and I started to cry and said, will he live? And he said, of course Hes only small," said Danielle Maxwell, Lance's mom.

The words, "he's only small," are what Lance's mom and father Rob have lived by since the day he was born. The preemie, born three months early, has been through several surgeries and complications along the way. But, Lance has always been a fighter.

Lance fought so hard just to survive the beginning of life, and come home with us," said Danielle. "And he is just so happy and loving and amazing.

About a year ago, Lance was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Doctors told his family, he will never walk, talk or take care of himself.

We just dont believe that," said Danielle. "We dont.

Lance receives a lot of different therapies but, his parents did not want to just stop there.

We both overwhelmingly feel, he never gave up, he never gave up on us, he never gave up on himself," said Rob. "So, we owe it to him to give him the opportunity. Its really that simple, he deserves the opportunity."

Danielle began researching stem cell therapies, even speaking to doctors in countries overseas where treatment with stem cells is more readily accessible than in the U.S. The FDA has approved stem cell treatments for some conditions but not cerebral palsy. However, trials to determine the effectiveness of stem cell treatment for the disease are underway.

What weve seen is a small but real appearing improvement in motor function," said Doctor Charles Cox with University of Texas Health in Houston, began a trial in 2013 on the safety and effectiveness of banked cord blood or bone marrow stem cells in children with cerebral palsy, and is now just wrapping up the results from the trial.

The overall results of this study depend if youre a glass half full or half empty kind of person," said Dr. Cox. "It is not a compelling miraculous result. Its not, Oh my God, this child was treated and look at this profound benefit.'"

Because stem cell treatment for cerebral palsy is still in trial phases, it's not approved treatment by the FDA. However, the Maxwells did find a doctor in Harrisburg willing to transfer stem cells from a full-term baby's umbilical cord to Lance. But, since it isn't FDA approved, we were not allowed to be there to show Lance receiving the stem cells. The Maxwells are hopeful following this procedure Lance may someday walk and more importantly be able to communicate with them.

He wants to be involved," said Rob. "You can tell hes trying to communicate he just cant get over that hump. We believe stem cells could be that bridge to help him move a little faster.

Danielle says, it will take about six months to see if the stem cells will have any definitive benefits for Lance. But, already says she's seeing progress. She says Lance is not able to stand on his own.

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Cumberland County family turns to non-FDA approved stem cell treatment to help two-year-old son with cerebral palsy - FOX43.com

34 years with a new heart and counting – MDJOnline.com

Whenever Harry Wuest has a doctors appointment in northern Atlantas hospital cluster dubbed Pill Hill, he makes sure to stop by the office of Dr. Douglas Doug Murphy for a quick chat.

And Murphy, unless hes tied up in the operating room, always takes a few minutes to say hello to his former patient. Remember when ... ? is how the conversation typically starts, and its always tinged with laughter, often joyful, sometimes bittersweet.

Its a reunion of two men who shaped a piece of Georgias medical history.

Almost 35 years ago, Murphy opened the chest of Wuest and sewed in a new heart, giving him a second shot at life. Wuest was the third heart transplant patient at Emory University Hospital.

Tall, lanky, with short curly hair and a quiet demeanor, Wuest is the longest-surviving heart transplant recipient in Georgia and one of the longest-surviving in the world. The 75-year-old accountant still plays golf twice a week and only recently went from working full-time to part-time. My heart is doing just fine, he says.

Murphy is now the chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory Saint Josephs Hospital and still in the operating room almost every day. He has moved on to become the worlds leading expert in robotically assisted heart surgery.

Harry Wuest is originally from Long Island, New York. After a stint in the Air Force, he moved to Florida to work and go to school. He wanted to become a physical education teacher. Then, in 1973, he fell ill. It started with some pain on his left side. He didnt think much of it, but when he got increasingly winded and fatigued, he went to see a doctor.

Several months and numerous specialists later, he received the diagnosis: Cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle that can make the heart become enlarged, thick and rigid, preventing it from pumping enough blood through the body.

They didnt know how I got it, says Wuest, sitting back in a brown leather armchair in the dark, wood-paneled living room of his Stone Mountain home. Maybe it was a virus. And back then, there wasnt much they could do to treat it, except bed rest.

For the next 12 years, Wuest lived life as best as he could. He got a degree in accounting from the University of Central Florida and worked for a real estate developer. There were good days, but there were more bad days. He was often too weak to do anything, and his heart was getting bigger and bigger.

Emorys first transplant surgeon

The first successful human-to-human heart transplant was performed in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1967 a medical breakthrough that catapulted the surgeon, Dr. Christiaan Barnard, onto the cover of Life magazine and to overnight celebrity status.

This highly publicized event was followed by a brief surge in the procedure around the world, but overall, heart transplants had a rocky start. Most patients died shortly after the surgery, mainly due to organ rejection. Back then, immunosuppressive drugs, which can counteract rejection, were still in their infancy. Many hospitals stopped doing heart transplants in the 1970s.

That changed with the discovery of a highly effective immunosuppressive agent. Cyclosporine got FDA approval in 1983 and altered the world of organ transplants.

It was shortly thereafter when Emory University Hospital decided to launch a heart transplant program, but none of the senior surgeons wanted to do it. Even with the new drug, it was a risky surgery, and mortality was still high.

Its an all-or-nothing operation, Murphy says, as he sits down in his small office overlooking the grayish hospital compound. Hes wearing light blue scrubs from an early morning surgery. At 70, he still has boyish looks, with a lean build and an air of laid-back confidence. If you have a number of bad outcomes initially, it can be detrimental to your career as a surgeon, he says.

But Murphy didnt really have a choice. He remembers that during a meeting of Emorys cardiac surgeons in 1984, he was paged to check on a patient. When he returned, the physicians congratulated him on being appointed the head of the new heart transplant program. He was the youngest in the group and had been recruited from Harvards Massachusetts General Hospital just three years before.

Yeah, thats how I became Emorys first transplant surgeon, says Murphy.

He flew to California to shadow his colleagues at Stanford University Hospital, where most heart transplants were performed at the time. Back home at Emory, he put together a team and rigorously rehearsed the operation. The first transplant patient arrived in April 1985. The surgery was successful, as was the second operation less than a month later.

Around the same time, Harry Wuest wound up in a hospital in Orlando. He needed a transplant, but none of the medical centers in Florida offered the procedure. One of his doctors recommended Emory, and Wuest agreed. I knew I was dying. I could feel it. He was flown to Atlanta by air ambulance and spent several weeks in Emorys cardiac care unit until the evening of May 23, when Murphy walked into his room and said, Weve got a heart.

I could finally breathe again

The heart, as the patient later learned, came from a 19-year-old sophomore at Georgia Tech who had been killed in a car crash.

Organ transplants are a meticulously choreographed endeavor, where timing, coordination and logistics are key. While Murphy and his eight-member team were preparing for the surgery, Wuest was getting ready to say farewell to his family his wife and three teenage sons, and to thank the staff in the cardiac ward.

I was afraid, he recalls, especially of the anesthesia. It scared the heck out of me. He pauses during the reminiscence, choking briefly. I didnt know if I was going to wake up again.

The surgery took six hours. Transplants usually happen at night because the procurement team, the surgeons who retrieve different organs from the donor, only start working when regularly scheduled patients are out of the operating room.

Despite the cultural mystique surrounding the heart as the seat of life, Murphy says that during a transplant surgery, its not like the big spirit comes down to the operating room. Its very technical. As the team follows a precise routine, emotions are kept outside the door. We dont have time for that. Emotions come later.

Waking up from the anesthesia, Wuests first coherent memory was of Murphy entering the room and saying to a nurse, Lets turn on the TV, so Harry can watch some sports.

Wuest spent the next nine days in the ICU, and three more weeks in the hospital ward. In the beginning, he could barely stand up or walk, because he had been bedridden weeks before the surgery and had lost a lot of muscle. But his strength came back quickly. I could finally breathe again, he says. Before the surgery, he felt like he was sucking in air through a tiny straw. I cannot tell you what an amazing feeling that was to suddenly breathe so easily.

Joane Goodroe was the head nurse at Emorys cardiovascular post-op floor back then. When she first met Wuest before the surgery, she recalls him lying in bed and being very, very sick. When she and the other nurses finally saw him stand up and move around, he was a whole different person.

In the early days of Emorys heart transplant program, physicians, nurses and patients were a particularly close-knit group, remembers Goodroe, whos been a nurse for 42 years and now runs a health care consulting firm. There were a lot of firsts for all of us, and we all learned from each other, she said.

Wuest developed friendships with four other early transplant patients at Emory, and he has outlived them all.

When he left the hospital, equipped with a new heart and a fresh hunger for life, Wuest made some radical changes. He decided not to return to Florida but stay in Atlanta. Thats where he felt he got the best care, and where he had found a personal support network. And he got a divorce. Four months after the operation, he went back to working full-time: first in temporary jobs and eventually for a property management company.

After having been sick for 12 years, I was just so excited to be able to work for eight hours a day, he recalls. That was a big, big deal for me.

At 50, he went back to school to get his CPA license. He also found new love.

Martha was a head nurse in the open-heart unit and later ran the cardiac registry at Saint Josephs Hospital. Thats where Wuest received his follow-up care and where they met in 1987. Wuest says for him it was love at first sight, but it took another five years until she finally agreed to go out with him. Six months later, they were married.

Harry Wuest and his wife, Martha. She was a head nurse in the open-heart unit and later ran the cardiac registry at Saint Josephs Hospital. Thats where Wuest received his follow-up care and where they met in 1987. Wuest says for him it was love at first sight, but it took another five years until she finally agreed to go out with him. Six months later, they were married.

Having worked in the transplant office, I saw the good and the bad, Martha Wuest says. A petite woman with short, perfectly groomed silver hair, she sits up very straight on the couch, her small hands folded in her lap. Not every transplant patient did as well as Harry. And I had a lot of fear in the beginning. Now he may well outlive her, she says with a smile and a wink.

Wuests surgeon, meanwhile, went on to fight his own battles. Two and a half years into the program, Murphy was still the only transplant surgeon at Emory and on call to operate whenever a heart became available. Frustrated and exhausted, he quit his position at Emory and signed up with Saint Josephs (which at the time was not part of the Emory system) and started a heart transplant program there.

At St. Josephs, Murphy continued transplanting hearts until 2005. In total, he did more than 200 such surgeries.

Being a heart transplant surgeon is a grueling profession, he says, and very much a younger surgeons subspecialty.

He then shifted his focus and became a pioneer in robotically assisted heart surgery. He has done more than 3,000 operations with the robot, mostly mitral valve repairs and replacements more than any other cardiac surgeon in the world.

Heart transplants "remain the gold standard"

Since Murphy sewed a new heart into Wuest 35 years ago, there has been major progress in the field of heart transplants, but it has been uneven.

There is improved medication to prevent rejection of the donor heart, as well as new methods of preserving and transporting donor hearts.

Yet patients requiring late-stage heart failure therapy, including transplantation, still exceed the number of donor hearts available. In 2019, 3,551 hearts were transplanted in the United States, according to the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. But 700,000 people suffer from advanced heart failure, says the American Heart Association.

New technologies and continued research are providing hope to many of these patients. There has been significant progress in the development of partial artificial hearts, known as Left Ventricular Assist Devices, or LVADs. They can be used as bridge devices, to keep patients alive until donor hearts are available, or as destination therapy, maintaining patients for the remainder of their lives.

Also, total artificial hearts have come a long way since the first artificial pump was implanted in a patient in 1969. The technology is promising, says Dr. Mani Daneshmand, the director of Emorys Heart & Lung Transplantation Program. But its not perfect.

Long-term research continues into xenotransplantation, which involves transplanting animal cells, tissues and organs into human recipients.

Regenerative stem cell therapy is an experimental concept where stem cell injections stimulate the heart to replace the rigid scar tissue with tissue that resumes contraction, allowing for the damaged heart to heal itself after a heart attack or other cardiac disease. Certain stem cell therapies have shown to reverse the damage to the heart by 30 to 50 percent, says Dr. Joshua Hare, a heart transplant surgeon and the director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miamis Miller School of Medicine.

All of these ideas have potential, says Daneshmand. But none of them are ready to replace a human donor heart. A heart transplant remains the gold standard, because you cant accommodate the same success with a machine right now, he says.

Efforts around expanding the donor pool are really the best way to address this problem, while we wait for technology to catch up, he adds.

Besides Emory, other health care systems in Georgia that currently have a heart transplant program are Piedmont Healthcare, Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta and Augusta University Health.

Organ rejection remains a major issue, and long-term survival rates have not improved dramatically over the past 35 years. The 10-year survival is currently around 55 percent of patients, which makes long-term survivors like Harry Wuest rare in the world of heart transplants.

The United Network of Organ Sharing, or UNOS, which allocates donor hearts in the United States, doesnt have comprehensive data prior to 1987. An informal survey of the 20 highest-volume hospitals for heart transplants in the 1980s found only a scattering of long-term survivors.

In for the long haul

Being one of the longest-living heart transplant recipients is something that Wuest sees as a responsibility to other transplant patients, but also to the donors family, which hes never met. If you as a transplant recipient reject that heart, thats like a second loss for that family.

Part of this responsibility is living a full and active life. Both he and Martha have three children from their previous marriages and combined they have 15 grandchildren. Most of their families live in Florida, so they travel back and forth frequently. Wuest still works as a CPA during tax season, and he does advocacy for the Georgia Transplant Foundation. In addition to golf, he enjoys lifting weights and riding his bike.

Hes had some health scares over the years. In 2013, he was diagnosed with stage 1 kidney cancer, which is in remission. Also, he crossed paths with his former surgeon, and not just socially. In 2014, Murphy replaced a damaged tricuspid valve in Wuests new heart. That operation went well, too.

Murphy says there are several reasons why Wuest has survived so long. Obviously, his new heart was a very good match. But a patient can have the best heart and the best care and the best medicines and still die a few months or years after the transplantation, the surgeon says. Attitude plays a key role.

Wuest was psychologically stable and never suffered from depression or anxiety, Murphy says. Hes a numbers guy. He knew the transplant was his only chance, and he was set to pursue it.

Wuest attributes his longevity to a good strong heart from his donor; good genetics; great doctors and nurses; and a life that he loves. Im just happy to be here, he says.

Quoting his former surgeon and friend, he adds: Doug always said, Having a transplant is like running a marathon. And Im in for the long haul.

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34 years with a new heart and counting - MDJOnline.com

Lil Nas X surprises the kids at Berts Big Adventure 2020 – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Atlantas Lil Nas X joined Berts Big Adventure Saturday night to sing and entertain the 13 chronic and terminally ill kids at a Disney hotel Saturday night.

TheOld Town Road singer also popped into a wedding in the same hotel and got some TMZ love.

Wouldnt ya know thats the thing that gets publicity, mused Bert Weiss by text Sunday morning.Lol. He was actually in our green room ready to perform for the kids. He had a few extra minutes and popped into their wedding before he performed.

Weiss said his group simply asked Lil Nas X for his availability and was pleasantly surprised he said yes.

The Berts Big Adventure social media team wrote:Lil Nas X surprised us at our dance party! The kiddos promptly lost their minds, and everyone was on their feet and singing along while the rapper performed his record-breaking hit, Old Town Road. He was so kind and thoughtful arriving with an autographed hat for each kiddo to wear during his performance. In addition, he graciously posed for so many photos and commemorated the evening by having the Berts Big Adventure kiddos and siblings sign his hat too! It was an experience to last a lifetime!

This is just one more feather in the cap for Weiss organization, which he started soon after he joined Q100 in 2001.

Inspired by his mentorKidd Kraddock, the morning radio host brings the kids to Disney World for a whirlwind trip. This year, he was able to bring in 13 families from around the country.

It changes every year because the families are different, Weiss said.

Some received bonus gifts as well. BBA is paying for a stepdad to adopt his four-year-old child. They are giving a child VIP treatment at a Falcons game in a $6,000 suite. They also introduced the stem cell donor who saved a kids life.

Bethany and George Van Winkle of Cumming have a nine-year-old Sam with Downs Syndrome and a congenital heart defect. Sam has had two surgeries and appears to be on his way to a healthy life.

The family was saving money for a Disney trip but then Bethany had breast cancer and all the savings disappeared. (She is in remission). Berts Big Adventure solved that problem and gave Bethany and George a bonus trip to the Bahamas as well.

This Disney trip will enable us to be present, Bethany said.We are always worrying about hours ahead, weeks ahead, about money. Now we have a place to stay, the itinerary isset up for us. There are two doctors on call and a wheelchair for him if he needs it.

The organization also holds events and programs year around for 200 alum families featuring reunion gatheringsand a Fairy Godmother program where volunteers visit kids who are in hospitals.

For many years, Weiss has had a salaried full-time executive director Molly Darby and a raft of loyal sponsors such as Carters, Moes and Jersey Mikes. Endeavor Air flies the kids gratis to Orlando.

The most recent 990 available on GuideStar for Berts Big Adventure shows his organization raised $935,661 in 2017, up from $811,469 a year earlier. Based on the financials, it appears to be a very healthy organization.

Here are some more photos from the kickoff party from both the Hilton Airport and the hangar where the Endeavor plane departed.

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Rodney Ho

Rodney Ho covers radio and television for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Lil Nas X surprises the kids at Berts Big Adventure 2020 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

The Top BioHealth Capital Region CEOs to Follow on Social Media – BioBuzz

The BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) is evolving quickly and it can be tough to keep pace with the latest news emerging from the host of biotech, medical device and cell, and gene therapy companies in the area. BioBuzz, when combined with some strategic social media follows, can help you stay on top of the latest developments, news and thought leadership coming out of the BHCR.

If youre reading this, you already know about and hopefully, follow us (@BioBuzzMaryland).

To add to your social media sources, weve handpicked several key industry CEOs, founders and thought leaders that are must follows to stay in the loop with all of the excitement, innovation, and milestones that are sure to come in 2020 and into the next decade of the regions evolution as a top global BioHealth cluster.

Jeff Galvin is the CEO of American Gene Technologies (AGT) (@americangene). AGT is a cell and gene therapy company that utilizes a proprietary lentiviral platform to develop potential treatments for HIV, liver cancer, Phenylketonuria (PKU) and inherited genetic disorders. In October 2019 the company announced it had submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) to the FDA for its HIV cure program, AGT103-T, which is expected to start clinical trials in 2020. Galvin is a dynamic presence on the BioHealth Capital Region speaking circuit and a leader in fostering a world-class community of cell and gene therapy companies here in Maryland that he sees becoming a future DNA Valley.

Galvin comes from the West coast where hewas a successful tech entrepreneur and executive. After living through theindustrial revolution first-hand in the microcomputer and software industry,Galvin is driven by his passion to see that the work they are doing in cell and gene therapy brings forth what hedescribes as, the software revolution for the next 100 years: reprogrammingDNA in cells to improve health. With nearly 1,900 followers on LinkedIn and350 followers on Twitter, keeping tabs on Galvins social media will help youkeep your finger on whats happening at AGT (@americangene)and the cell and gene therapy industry.

Greg Merril is the CEO of Adaptive Phage Therapeutics (APT), which is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded to provide an effective therapeutic response to the global rise of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogenic bacteria. This is an exciting company to follow with a remarkable founding story that is chronicled in the memoir, The Perfect Predator. Earlier this month APT was selected as one of the TOP 1% of startups at the 2020 Startup Grind Global Conference, making the cut to be one of just 54 companies selected from 4,000 total applicants from 133 countries. Merrill was also featured last week on NPRs On The Record podcast where you can learn more about their technology and story.

APTs core asset is a large and continually expanding phage library (PhageBank) deployed with a companion diagnostic to achieve a rapid response and cost-effective therapy for otherwise recalcitrant bacterial infections. Merril is very active on social media and has been a regular panelist and speaker on the regions event circuit. Join his more than 2,500 followers on LinkedIn and stay in the loop on the latest APT and BHCR happenings.

Jon Rowley is the founder of Frederick, Marylands RoosterBio and is the companys Chief Product Officer. RoosterBio is rapidly becoming Marylands most well-known stem cell company based on Rowleys vision for plug and play stem cell products and a culture that is attracting a flock of loyal employees (a.k.a. Roosters) and customers to them. The work that Rowley and his team do at The Roost is focused on developing products that help simplify the translating cell therapy and tissue engineering technologies into the clinic and onto the market. The company is at the leading edge of designing products that will accelerate research and development, which will create a sustainable regenerative medicine industry that can deliver more life-saving therapies to patients. Rowley founded the company in 2013 in the FITCI Incubator located in Frederick and is another thought leader who keeps his more than 2,800 LinkedIn and nearly 1,700 Twitter followers in the loop about the latest RoosterBio and bioscience news.

Crystal Icenhour leads Aperiomics, which is a biohealth data science company. The companys Xplore-BIOME bioinformatics algorithms and Deep Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing technology help physicians identify the causes of their patients infections which are traditionally not identifiable through other testing. Icenhour co-founded Aperiomics in 2014 and the company, with support from the National Science Foundation, identifies every known, sequenced bacteria, virus, fungus, and parasite through deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing, using its world-renown database containing over 37,000 microbes. Icenhour and her team are on a mission to revolutionize the way doctors around the world identify infections. Nearly 4,600 LinkedIn and almost 1,800 Twitter followers stay connected to Icenhour for the latest biohealth data science news and announcements from Aperiomics.

Robert Kramer is CEO of Emergent Biosolutions, a leading developer and manufacturer of medical countermeasures for public health threats like Anthrax or the Coronavirus. Kramer became CEO in April 2019 and has a long history with the company going back to 1999, holding positions that include CFO and most recently COO. With the disappearance of MedImmune last year, Emergent has taken the help as Marylands largest, home-grown biotech companies employing more than 1,300-employees globally and over 500 in Maryland between its headquarters and product development facility in Gaithersburg, two manufacturing facilities in Baltimore, and a manufacturing facility in Rockville.

Historically, Emergents leadership had been quite dormant on social media but Kramer seems to be taking a much more modern approach to communicate the great work that the company and its employees are doing, both with their public health portfolio of products as well as their volunteer work in the community. With more than 1,100 followers on LinkedIn, Kramer is a cant miss follow to keep track of whats going on at Emergent, the biodefense industry and within the biotech and pharma industry at large.

Steve has over 20 years experience in copywriting, developing brand messaging and creating marketing strategies across a wide range of industries, including the biopharmaceutical, senior living, commercial real estate, IT and renewable energy sectors, among others. He is currently the Principal/Owner of StoryCore, a Frederick, Maryland-based content creation and execution consultancy focused on telling the unique stories of Maryland organizations.

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The Top BioHealth Capital Region CEOs to Follow on Social Media - BioBuzz

Local News: Calculating the costs of beef production (2/19/20) – Monett Times

A panel of doctors of veterinary medicine attended the recent annual Beef Cattlemens Conference, hosted by the Monett Chamber of Commerce, the University of Missouri Extension and the Southwest Missouri Cattlemens Association, to discuss cattle health issues that can impact productivity and profit. From left, are: Dr. Ted Dahlstrom, of Monett; Dr. Darren Loula, of Clever; and Dr. Voyd Brown, of Cassville. Melonie Roberts/reporter@monett-times.com

The 51st annual Beef Cattlemens Conference, held Feb. 4 at the Monett National Guard Armory, posed some tough questions for producers attending the program.

One of the first topics, on calculating the cost of the operational costs for varying sizes of beef farms with a panel of successful producers, broke the costs of production down to a per cow basis.

Nathan Isakson, of Ash Grove, spoke of his beef cattle production at the 51st annual Beef Cattlemens Conference, hosted by the Monett Chamber of Commerce, the University of Missouri Extension and the Beef Cattlemens Association on Feb. 4, at the Monett National Guard Armory. Melonie Roberts/reporter@monett-times.com

Nathan Isakson, of Ash Grove, said he runs 2.5 head of cow-calf pair per acre on his farm, the majority of which is Show-Me Select, on a rotational basis.

We stockpile fescue for strip grazing from mid-November through the first week of February, Isakson said. We do feed hay in the event of snow or ice, because of trampling. We also feed hay through the month of September to allow the farm to rest for 30 days.

In lieu of building a barn, Isakson stores his tarped hay on a three-inch bed of gravel.

Cherry Warren, of Exeter, runs his Angus operation on 2,000 acres: 1,500 of which he owns and another 500 that he rents. Warren advised young producers to take care of the ground first, and the ground would, in turn, take care of the cattle. He also urged producers to precondition their cattle before taking them to the sale barn in January. Melonie Roberts/reporter@monett-times.com

Dont pay for a barn you never build, he said.

By using a scheduled plan of operation, grazing fertilized regrowth October through mid-November; feeding hay from February through April, Isakson said he has a higher percent of cows re-breeding faster, generating uniformity of calves at market time.

If we were able to graze through December without stockpiled forage, we would spend an additional $5,463 to provide the nutritional requirements of the herd, assuming a 750-pound [round] bale is valued at $40, he said. However, there is a difference in quality between lush fescue and baled hay.

Weaver Forest, of rural Verona, discussed how his Oleo Ranch because its one of the cheaper spreads, runs on a rotational grazing system. With 750 acres, Forest has practiced rotational grazing since 1966, and his advice to young farmers attending the 51st annual Beef Cattlemens Conference in Monett was, to have a supportive wife with a job off-farm, a good CPA, a good banker, and a good salesman. Mentor with other successful producers and learn what works for them. Melonie Roberts/reporter@monett-times.com

Isakson also advocates for soil testing, and fertilizes his fields based upon those test results.

Im a firm believer in dont guess, soil test, he said.

In accounting for the cost of feed, veterinary supplies, chemicals, veterinary labor, farm services, pasture rent, marketing fees and other expenses, Isakson said it costs him $589 per year per cow.

Weaver Forest, of rural Verona, said he follows a rotational grazing system on his 750-acre farm, and has since he started in the cattle business in 1966.

Ive used a number of different protocols, he said. Sometimes, you win. Sometimes, you lose. Thats the cattle business.

Forest said he had purchased most of his land since 1980.

But, I use pasture rent as an opportunity cost, he said.

Forest said he fertilizes his fields with chicken litter, but cautions young farmers.

Keep cattle off of mature fescue, he said.

Forest uses another practice that is not typically mentioned.

I have the vet pelvic measure every cow on the place, he said. Believe me, thats the cheapest $5 youll ever spend.

At the end of the season, when Forest calculates his operating costs, he estimates he invests $900 in each calf before it goes to market.

There are several things youll need to succeed in this business, he said. A supportive wife with a job off-farm, a good CPA, a good banker, and a good salesman. Mentor with other successful producers and learn what works for them.

The third panel member, Cherry Warren, of Exeter, said he operates his rotational grazing operation on 2,000 acres, 1,500 of which he owns and the remainder of which is leased.

I rotate the cows every two to three weeks, he said. It helps prevent fescue foot.

We calve both in the spring and in the fall. We background all calves. I keep about 100 heifers a year for replacements.

Warren attributed his success in his Angus cattle operation to his off-farm job of 18 years in the banking industry.

Thats where I learned about farming, he said. I talked with successful operators and learned from them.

Warren uses both chicken and turkey litter to fertilize his acreages.

Last summer, I couldnt put enough cattle on to eat the crab grass, he said. I do plant wheat as a cover crop, but fescue is still the main base.

In addition to making sure his cattle has plenty of lush fescue on which to graze, Warren also uses DNA testing results before buying a bull.

Those tests are more accurate, he said.

Upon calculating his annual costs of insurance, feed, fertilizer, vet costs, chemicals, wages, taxes fuel, utilities and supplies, Warren broke down his operational costs, based on a 90 percent calf crop, to $725 per calf.

Summing it up, Warren told younger producers why he doesnt mind aiding a laboring cow in the middle of a cold winter night.

We start calving in the fall and continue through January, he said. I dont mind it at all if I need to be out at midnight with a cow about to calve. I have a passion for cattle. Thats why I do this.

The next topic, the alternative protein market, was addressed by Dr. Byron Wiegand, a professor of animal science at University of Missouri in Columbia.

Wiegand noted there are a number of vegetable sources in todays marketplace by which people can meet their protein needs. However, there are some that are utilizing stem cells from inside a cows mouth, animal blood product, which is collected from a slaughterhouse, and grown in a lab.

They take satellite cells from a living animal and the product is proliferated in strips, to mimic skeletal muscle, he said. Its grown on a scaffold, instead of a skeletal structure, fed a nutrient-rich medium and then stretched for exercise, to achieve the texture of a meat product.

The product takes 21 days to mature in a bio-reactor, and there are guestimates that predict it will hit retail shelves by 2021.

The upside for local producers so far?

It costs $18,000 a pound to reproduce beef, he said. But [beef producers] will have competition when the technology catches up. What we dont know is if the marketing can catch up.

For those who believe that cultured meats will save the planet, Wiegand posed a reality check.

Cultured products are highly processed, which goes against the whole concept of clean labels and simple labels, he said. For example, the Impossible Burger, sold by Burger King, contains 19 ingredients to make it taste like meat. Meat only has one. And the Impossible Burger is $1 more expensive than the Whopper.

Weigand said many food processors, including Tyson Foods, Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland, have invested in the alternative meat industry.

Why? he asked. Because they want diversified portfolios; first-hand knowledge of the technology; secondary pick-up of brand loyalty; and millions in short-term revenue.

During his travels, Weigand ran into at least one individual who expressed his irritation with those trying to replicate a meat-flavored product to attract the vegetarian and vegan markets.

The man said he was aggravated that companies were doing this, he said. The guy told me he had willingly given up [meat], and did not see any reason behind companies trying to mimic a plant-based product targeted toward those who had made that choice.

Finally, Weigand questioned what agency or entity was going to be required to oversee the food safety aspect of cultured meat products.

Who is going to be responsible for ensuring the consumer is protected? he asked. That has not yet been determined.

Those issues, along with legislation that has not caught up with the technology, truth-in-labeling and other issues are currently working with local producers.

Right now, the motivation for companies is to make money from this process, Weigand said. That will take awhile.

Three doctors of veterinary medicine, Dr. Darren Loula, Dr. Ted Dahlstrom and Dr. Voyd Brown, rounded out the evenings presentation with a discussion on herd health.

Loula, of Clever, reported an increase in pink eye infection in cattle, citing flies, lack of shade and other contributors to the disease.

We now use a combination vaccinations, as well as talk to producers about other ways to reduce the potential for cattle to develop pink eye, he said.

Dahlstrom, Monett, spoke of the many benefits of using multi-strain vaccinations for herd health.

You have to give a booster after the initial0 pink eye vaccination, he said. It boosts protection from 65 to 95 percent. There is also a pink eye impact that contains the initial dose as well as the booster. It is highly successful, but a little inconvenient. You still have to use fly control. But we have the tools to enhance pink eye protection.

Loula also recommended producers take an hour to sit down with their veterinarian and develop a herd health plan.

Customers should tell their vet what they have been battling for the past couple of years, he said. We take that information and make a plan that works for you.

There has also been an increase in hairy heel warts in beef cattle.

Traditionally, this is more common to dairy herds, Loula said. However, our practice has a seen more cases in beef herds in the last few years.

The bacteria results in painful ulcerations and erosion of the heel of the foot, along with significant lameness.

Topical treatment is most effective, but keeping a clean environment and promoting a strong immune function in your herd is the best practice, he added.

Other suggestions included moving bale rings when the ground around them becomes muddy from weather and feces. The bacteria, which is highly contagious, thrives in damp dirty conditions, so keeping fields clean and minimizing cow contact with slurry reduces the risk of infection.

Dahlstrom said mycoplasma is not getting enough attention for current preventive practice strategies.

The bacteria is constantly mutating and changing, he said. It is an untreatable disease. Commonly used antibiotics do not work. They are a waste of time.

Mycoplasma has been classed as a highly contagious disease. The bacteria can cause a number of ailments to cattle, including mastitis in dairy cows, arthritis in cows and calves, pneumonia in calves, and various other diseases likely including late-term abortion.

The best thing you can do is take a bunch of calves to the back 40 and go back a couple of weeks later and pick up the live ones, he said. If your calves are sick, its already too late. There is no way to get them healthy.

Concerning open cows that did not become pregnant through natural methods or artificial insemination, Brown indicated economically, they are best culled from the herd.

She has to earn her spot on the farm, he said. If she has been a slow breeder the first time, shell be a slow breeder afterward.

When I am culling, if a cow has not produced that year, I get rid of her, Dahlstrom agreed. My wife will say, shes been a good cow, and has been is the key phrase. When you, the producer, are paying us to pregnancy check your cows, and one comes up open, they need a bus ticket. That is the way to stay ahead in the game.

Dahlstrom also noted that his practice also does vaccine compounding, using the right quantities of medications after cell culturing in his lab in Monett.

With the vaccinations we have made, we have identified 21 different strains of mycoplasma organisms, cultured from local farms, he said. The only way to know if your cattle have the same strain as your neighbors is to have them swabbed. These bugs mutate. They find a way to adapt to the environment and survive.

We have the tools you need, Brown said. You just have to implement and utilize those tools at the proper time in production.

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Local News: Calculating the costs of beef production (2/19/20) - Monett Times