University Regents Sue High-Profile Veterinarian

Nov 25, 2014

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis), Board of Regents has filed a $1 million lawsuit against Jack Snyder, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, for allegedly failing to contribute to a university-sponsored profit-sharing plan that would benefit research and other projects at the school.

Now retired from his UC Davis post, Snyder served on the university's College of Veterinary Medicine faculty for some 30 years. A biography posted on the Circle Oak Equine website—the Petaluma, California, clinic where Snyder now practices—states that he also served as head equine surgeon for the Seoul Olympic games, and served at both the 2011 Pan American Games in Mexico and the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

“There's no doubt about it, he was the expert in horse lameness and surgery,” said Parker White, the board of regents' attorney.

White said the regents' lawsuit seeks $1 million that board alleges Snyder should have contributed to a fund intended to support grants, research, and other projects at the school. The lawsuit alleges Snyder was to contribute revenue that he gleaned as a consultant and from other paid work at clinics and other venues located outside the school while he was employed by the university.

Source: TheHorse

Video: How farmers are protecting the soil and our food security | DW Documentary

For a long time, soil was all but ignored. But for years, the valuable humus layer has been thinning. Farmers in Brandenburg are clearly feeling the effects of this on their sandy fields. Many are now taking steps to prepare their farms for the future.

Years of drought, record rainfall and failed harvests: we are becoming increasingly aware of how sensitively our environment reacts to extreme weather conditions. Farmers' livelihoods are at stake. So is the ability of consumers to afford food.

For a few years now, agriculture that focuses solely on maximum yields has been regarded with increasing skepticism. It is becoming more and more clear just how dependent we are on healthy soils.

Brandenburg is the federal state with the worst soil quality in Germany. The already thin, fertile humus layer has been shrinking for decades. Researchers and farmers who are keen to experiment are combating these developments and looking for solutions. Priority is being given to building up the humus layer, which consists of microorganisms and fungi, as well as springtails, small worms and centipedes.

For Lena and Philipp Adler, two young vegetable farmers, the tiny soil creatures are invaluable helpers. On their three-hectare organic farm, they rely on simple, mechanical weed control, fallow areas where the soil can recover, and diversity. Conventional farmer Mark Dümichen also does everything he can to protect soil life on his land. For years, he has not tilled the soil after the harvest and sows directly into the field. His yields have stabilized since he began to work this way.

Isabella Krause from Regionalwert AG Berlin-Brandenburg is convinced after the experiences of the last hot summers that new crops will thrive on Brandenburg's fields in the long term. She has founded a network of farmers who are promoting the cultivation of chickpeas with support from the scientific community.