In June 2023, a local farmer out of Eubank, KY contacted the laboratory when mass mortality occured at his fish farm. Initially the diagnosis was poor water quality due to high ammonia, but opportunistic pathogens, Edwardisella tarda, had also infected the fish. The first step was to improve water quality at the farm to decrease stress of the fish and help the fish respirate. Increased aeration was added and the farmer ceased feeding to decrease stress and provide more oxygen to the fish. Once water quality had improved, the high mortality persisted, so a medicated feed treatment, using Aquaflor medicated feed from Skretting Feed Mill located in Utah, was recommended. During Tifani McKay's thesis, the conclusion was that it took between 10-15 days for medicated feed to arrive, but luckily for the farmer, a pallet of medicated feed was en route to KSU ARC and he was able to treat a few days after diagnosis. Dr. Robert Durborow, Tifani McKay, Vincent Teye, and Tola Ogundipe packed the medicated feed into the back of a KSU truck and delivered it to the farmer. 

Tola Ogundipe's thesis is looking to find if fish farmers in rural areas or areas that do not have an established aquaculture infrastructure (feed mills, etc.) will use medicated feed as a treatment if it is readily available. Since the KSU ARC is now a VFD Distributor, the fish farmer is able to decrease the wait time and begin treating with medicated feed sooner than before. Tola will administer a survey after each case to find if these fish farmers are willing to pay for medicated feed now that it is being provided at KSU.