Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016
By Nancy Allen
Ag officials still wary of neighborhood avian influenza outbreak
GREENVILLE – The threat of a neighborhood avian influenza outbreak, additionally known as bird flu, still exists and ag officials go on to strategy for such an event.
“If we would certainly experience an outbreak love in Iowa, it would certainly be very devastating due to the fact that our concentration of farms is so even more dense,” said Sam Custer, OSU Extension educator for Darke County throughout a recent Ag Outlook meeting in Greenville. “It would certainly be devastating even to those not in the poultry business, for those that grow corn and soybeans (for feed).”
Custer said if Mercer or Darke counties has actually an outbreak, layer hens that die from the disease or are euthanized to protect against its spread would certainly be taken to the landfill on U.S. 127 south of Celina. Turkeys would certainly be euthanized and composted in the barns that home them, he added.
Both counties are house to millions of turkeys and chickens.
“Two periods scare me,” Custer said. “Once the (wild, migratory) birds fly south and Once they fly north in concerning 6 weeks or so.”
The virus is carried by wild waterfowl Once they migrate and transmitted to domestic birds via their droppings. People and vehicles can easily transmit the health problem to domestic flocks Once they walk or drive through droppings. Last year the outbreak killed almost 50 million domestic turkeys and chickens and cost $3.3 billion, testified Dr. John Clifford, federal Pet dog Plant Good health Inspection Service deputy administrator, throughout a Senate agriculture committee hearing last year.
In 2015, outbreaks were recorded in 15 states, along with Iowa strike the hardest. So far this year, one U.S. case was reported Jan. 15 in southern Indiana. No cases have actually been confirmed in domestic poultry in the Buckeye state. The virus poses no threat to meals safety, officials say.
The industry has actually improved its response to the disease, said Mohamed El-Gazzar, an OSU Extension poultry veterinarian, that additionally spoke at the meeting.
“In my thoughts in 2015 we type of failed to manage the outbreak yet summer temperatures flower up and helped us,” he said. “There have actually been no brand-new cases in Indiana and this case is on its method to being controlled. The USDA, state and industry response has actually been a lot much better this year.
A big problem in 2015 was that officials could not maintain up in eliminating infected layer hen populations, El-Gazzar said. He advised versus vaccinating domestic poultry, saying it is “not efficient and not enough protection.”
Farmers must expect lesser electricity costs this year because of a decreased requirement for propane because of a mild winter and a reasonable requirement for seed drying. This will certainly be a slight advantage, as grain market prices have actually dropped significantly the last two years. Between 2006-2013, U.S. farmers suffered tape-record crop prices, yields and profits.
“go on to re-evaluate and think about your returns on Every one of input costs,” said Barry Ward of the OSU Extension Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Improvement Economics. “Re-evaluate P and K (phosphorous and potassium) application and seed technology.”
Overall, input costs are up dramatically from earlier years, though, they have actually flattened in the last couple of years, he said. The per acre seed cost in Ohio in 2005 was approximately $40 to $50. This year it will certainly range from $110 to $120, he said.
Ward said numerous farmers could turn to non-GMO seeds to lesser planting costs.
“along with some excellent management, we can easily survive,” he said.
He additionally suggested renegotiating cash-lease agreements on cropland and bringing some labor spine in home to save money.
Ward predicted cropland values will certainly be flat to slightly better this year over 2015, while your hard earned cash land rental rates are expected to raise as farmers most likely will certainly attempt to recoup losses from lesser grain market prices.
Farmers could make much more your hard earned cash if they store their grain and wait until fall to sell it, said Matt Roberts, an OSU agricultural economist.
“Heading toward fall you could have actually much better pricing for corn, so for old crop, store it,” he said.
He urged farmers to study exactly how elevators, which make their your hard earned cash storing and selling grain, conduct their business. An excellent resource is the timetable “The Art of Grain Merchandising,” he said.
Additional online stories for this date
Print edition only stories for this date
• Increases backed for employees
• St. Marys OKs contract along with union
• Unfair labor method charge dismissed
• Council approves spending $79,500 for pool liner, labor
• Celina man indicted for pandering obscenity
• County ESC plans occupation forum at Lake Campus
• Council OKs using rate trailer
• Conservation funds available to neighborhood farmers
• Bulldog relay bunch prepared for shot
• 6 location divers to compete at state
from Influenza – NewsBlog http://ift.tt/1LFEdTS
