This issue of Animal Health Research Reviews contains the Proceedings of the 2009 Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) Symposium, which was held on 5 and 6 August 2009 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Animal Health Research Reviews published a series of reviews on aspects of BRD in its December 2007 issue and this series of articles is a valuable complement to the previous publication. BRD continues to be a leading cause of illness, death and decreased productivity for cattle. Scientific developments over the past 40 years have significantly improved the understanding of veterinarians and animal producers regarding causes and control of BRD, but there is room for improvement in the effective field application of the knowledge gained. The 2009 BRD Symposium was held to allow veterinarians, scientists and policy-makers to come together to review the current state of BRD in North America; to hear presentations from specialists in various branches of research relevant to BRD; and to discuss ways to improve the application of scientific discoveries to limit the impact of BRD in the field. Symposium attendees included veterinary practitioners, researchers from academia and industry, and administrators from government and animal health industry entities. In addition to attending lectures, attendees participated in breakout sessions where they discussed current challenges related to the management of cattle in ways that limit disease; interactions between those who care for animals and a growing non-farm public; and the difficulties researchers face in finding funding to support cattle health research. Meeting attendance was strong and the Organizing Committee received many positive comments from attendees, suggesting that at least some of the objectives of the Symposium were met.

The Symposium was organized through the efforts of members of the USDA Multistate Research Project NC-1027, ‘An Integrated Approach to the Control of Bovine Respiratory Disease’. The Organizing Committee would like to acknowledge the Academy of Veterinary Consultants (AVC); the Symposium was held just before the Summer AVC meeting, and the AVC leadership was generous in sharing information and assistance during the planning of the Symposium. Many thanks go to Linda Hoffner and the staff at Cottonwood Travel of Greeley, Colorado; and Tracy Giese, Ashley Maxwell and Flint Buchanan of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. The Organizing Committee would also like to acknowledge the USDA National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program, which provided support through a conference grant, and sponsorship received from Pfizer Animal Health (Platinum Level), Bayer Healthcare LLC, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedic, Inc, and Elanco Animal Health (Gold level), Novartis Animal Health US, Inc. (Silver Level) and IDEXX Laboratories and Merial Ltd (Bronze Level).