Defense attacks animal disease

Rafael Garcia Kansas State University

Every spring, John Irvine and his ranch hands line up 300 head of cattle to make one of the biggest investments they can in the future of the seventh-generation Kansas ranch -- they collect a few vials of blood to send to the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

Irvine doesn't wait for signs of illness. In his business, one sickened cow or bull, if not caught in time, could mean a devastating blow to the entire herd.

But through the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, or KVDL, Irvine and ranchers across the state and nation have access to a whole battery of diagnostic tests that keep their animals healthy and the state's farms, communities and economy safe.

"Because of the KVDL's services, we know that we're giving our customers clean healthy bulls," said Irvine, a sixth-generation operator of Irvine Ranch in northeastern Kansas. "The lab is a great partner for us, and they enable us to do what we do well."

When diseases can cross cattle pens and county, state and national lines in just a few hours, having a robust disease testing system and provider is crucial, and the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, housed at Kansas State University, has served that role well for the state for several decades.

As the only state-run animal disease laboratory in Kansas, the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory provides critical diagnostic services that support animal health, public safety and the state’s livestock industry, said Jamie Retallick, director of the lab.

Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory conducts testing for disease detection, surveillance and outbreak response, serving veterinarians, producers and public agencies across Kansas and beyond.

During a regular year, the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory's services add more than $2.5 billion to the state economy, according to a 2024 economic impact report, supporting $5.7 billion in direct livestock industries output and $8.7 billion in total output. In the event of a catastrophic outbreak or disease crisis, the value of the lab's services would balloon to $4.9 billion.

The lab also generates $125.7 million in state sales tax from its testing services, with much of that revenue coming from out-of-state clients.

All told, Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory's economic impact to operating cost ratio is 113-to-1.

Retallick said, "The economic impact of livestock production and food safety in Kansas is undeniable. Ensuring the health of companion animals and wildlife resources is imperative. Protecting Kansans that interact with domestic animals and wildlife is paramount. In addition to service, KVDL faculty and staff provide critical support for a wide range of biologic researchers and train the veterinarians, researchers and diagnosticians of tomorrow."

While much of the laboratory's work supports Kansas' agriculture and livestock animal industry, Retallick emphasized that the lab's work touches the lives of every Kansan.

House pets need biopsies, zoo animals need diagnostics and wildlife animals need monitoring.

Animal health is everyone's health, she said.

"Everyone is connected to animal health in some form," Retallick said. "Whether it's a pet that's a family member or an animal in livestock production, there's an animal connection for everyone. Not many organizations can claim that they're such a critical part of so many industries and areas of society, but we can, and we're proud to continue serving this role for Kansas."

Despite its extensive diagnostic work and economic impact, the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has long kept a low profile on Kansas State University's campus, with its testing and workspaces spread across three buildings on the northern edge of campus.

But the lab will soon get a major upgrade that will better reflect and support its value to the state and region. The Kansas Legislature earlier this spring appropriated $128 million to build a new state-of-the-art facility that will both expand and strengthen the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory's output and economic impact.

Richard Linton, Kansas State University president, said, "This investment from the Kansas Legislature represents far more than just a building. It reinforces Kansas’s position as a national leader in animal health and disease prevention by supporting a vital service that protects our state and beyond."

Kansas Sen. Brad Starnes, who championed the lab during the legislative session, said he was proud to support a laboratory that is so critical to the state's well-being.

Between 60 percent to 75 percent of emerging human diseases have animal origins, and as Kansas' early warning system for animal diseases, the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is crucial for the long-term preparedness, health and safety of Kansas as a whole, Starnes said.

Starnes said, “From rural veterinarians to large-scale producers, the work the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory does every day touches every corner of the state. Supporting this new facility for the lab equips it with the tools and space to serve Kansas producers, veterinarians and communities for decades to come."

Jon Irvine, a rancher in jeans and a blue short-sleeve button-up, stands in a barn and watches as his cattle stand on special feeding scales and line up to eat from bunks.

Through its slate of diagnostic services, the Kansas Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is an invaluable resource for livestock operations like Irvine Ranch, a beef seedstock operation that sells cattle across dozens of states.

New KVDL building will be 'a crown jewel for Kansas'

The new lab facility will tentatively be built on campus grounds east of the current College of Veterinary Medicine complex. It will roughly double the 41,000 square feet of space the lab currently occupies across the north end of K-State's campus.

In addition to more efficient sample processing and capacity, the new facility will give the laboratory's staff some much-needed office space and work areas.

"We're going to be a lot more efficient," Retallick said. "By having a top-tier facility, we'll also be able to recruit and retain top-notch staff and faculty. We'll also be able to strengthen the great teamwork we already have when we can all work in the same building, instead of having to shuttle between spaces in three different campus buildings. Because of all that, we'll be able to better protect our state."

Plans for the building are still in preliminary stages, Retallick said, but construction could begin as soon as next summer, with facility completion three years later.

"Every test that ranchers send to the KVDL is a small investment to protect the larger investments we make in our cattle and operations."

— JOHN IRVINE

In the meantime, the lab is working with its partners and stakeholders to raise $2 million in private funding to support the facility's construction, in addition to the state's contributions.

But Retallick said even this early, those partners have been enthusiastic to invest in the new facility, since they and many other across Kansas have long benefitted from the laboratory's services and value.

"This will be a crown jewel for Kansans, and we're thankful and proud to have the Legislature's trust in our mission to protect the state from animal diseases," Retallick said. "We're going to continue giving this our all, doing our best for the state."

For John Irvine, the sixth-generation operator of Irvine Ranch, the state's investment in the facility is the same one he makes every spring.

Irvine said, "Every test that ranchers send to the KVDL is a small investment to protect the larger investments we make in our cattle and operations. If we can maintain a clean herd, we can prevent a lot of diseases from emerging in the first place. That's a huge economic benefit, and as new diseases emerge, we're lucky to have a resource like the KVDL that stays at the forefront of these threats."