As was noted in a story on the front page of today’s paper, it was 18 years ago this month that Bob Bender was appointed as the first bovine tuberculosis eradication coordinator. From today’s vantage point it was a daunting assignment; in the early days of battling the disease the task was monumental.

It was 22 years ago that the disease was found in a deer in Alpena County, followed the next year by a surveillance program that’s goal was to find out the prevalence of the disease in Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties. From there, it only got worse.

The disease was widespread, the effects of which can still be felt today. Farmers lost their herds and deer hunters started staying away. The local economy took a huge hit.

With it came the full spectrum of emotions – though mostly anger and frustration. It was a trying time for all involved and Bender was the person right in the middle of it. He was the man responsible for leading the efforts, and his efforts as the first eradication coordinator are a big reason we are in a better position today than we were 18 years ago.

Bovine TB has not been eradicated, as evidenced by the discovery of the Alpena County beef herd that tested positive late last year. It was the 28th herd in the county and 63rd in the state since 1998. It’s almost a certainty bovine TB will never be completely eliminated.

However, despite the remaining presence and the loss of livelihood that still remains, we are in a better position today to battle the disease than we were in the mid-1990s. That’s in part due to the groundwork laid by Bender and the rest of the team in the early days of the program, and the work that continues today.

The work on the eradication efforts has the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as the agency in charge now. MDARD will be holding a conference March 12 at the Hillman Community Center to inform the public, offer new information and discuss topics related to the disease.

In many ways it seems like 18 years ago was a long time ago. Yet, when discussing this subject, 18 years ago seems like only yesterday.