Volunteer Makes a Splash in Ecuador

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In July, Farmer to Farmer volunteer Chase McNulty journeyed to Ecuador to use his animal health expertise to assist local farmers with a host of issues. Mr. McNulty, making his second trip with the program,  focused on improving animal husbandry, milk production and sanitation. He also addressed a critical concern of local dairy farmers—the prevalence of mastitis and brucellosis among cattle. Mastitis is a disease of the mammary glands, while brucellosis decreases the reproductive abilities of infected cows and can also be transmitted to humans, causing further complications.


Mr. McNulty inspecting a cow with a fellow veterinarian.
Working with two veterinarians in Chaco and the Andean region of Ambato, Mr. McNulty went on farm calls, gave lectures to groups of small and large scale farmers and even made appearances on radio and television to promote proper dairy practices. Through hands-on instruction, Mr. McNulty trained farmers in brucellosis testing and management. He also tested 180 cows himself, with hopes of integrating the results into a multidisciplinary research project that would lay the groundwork for a permanent testing facility in Ecuador.
A group training session.
 Mr. McNulty is currently a veterinary medical student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has previously volunteered with Farmer to Farmer in Nicaragua and has also done volunteer work in Mexico.


Mr. McNulty giving a talk on a radio show in El Chaco.

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