The Iowa Department of Agriculture and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) this week confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The virus was found in a non-commercial, backyard poultry flock in Southwest Iowa. The state’s Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says, “We are working with USDA and other partners to implement our plans and protect the …
USDA/APHIS Finds Avian Influenza in Maine and Delaware
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, in a non-commercial backyard flock in Maine. Samples from the flock were tested at the Cornell University Animal Health Diagnostic Center, part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. …
Poultry Industry on High Alert for Avian Influenza
In the wake of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) being found in wild birds in the U.S., poultry producers here in the Southeast and across the country are asked to be on high alert. Gary Crawford has more details. HPAI is a serious disease and requires rapid response because it is highly contagious and often fatal to chickens. APHIS works with its federal, state, …
USDA Releases 2020 Sheep Death Loss Report
The USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has released the Sheep Death Loss 2020: Sheep and Lamb Predator and Non-predator Death Loss in the U.S. report. The study is a collaborative effort between USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service; USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services; and NAHMS. The iterations occur every five years along with NASS’s Sheep …
USDA Gathering Data on Feral Swine Damage to Livestock Operations
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has announced they will be conducting a Feral Swine Livestock Damage survey to measure the costs of feral swine damage to livestock operations. The survey is conducted in cooperation with the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Wildlife Services. Over 4,000 farms and ranches in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and …
Looking at the Integrated Livestock Protection
USDA researchers are studying how various non-lethal tools and strategies within an integrated approach can protect livestock from predator attack. Rod Bain has the story. Julie Young with USDA-APHIS Wildlife Services describes some of the strategies and tools, most non-lethal that make up an integrated livestock protection system against predators. Sponsored ContentCattle Producers Proud of Efforts Funded Through The Florida …
USDA Clarifies Rules Concerning Unsolicited Seed Packages
After a months-long investigation into thousands of reports from people who received unsolicited seed packages in the mail last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is providing additional guidance to help online buyers and sellers comply with U.S. laws when they import seeds and live plants for planting from other countries. APHIS …
Rules Clarified for Buying / Selling Seeds and Plants Online From Other Countries
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is providing additional guidance to help online buyers and sellers comply with U.S. laws when they import seeds and live plants from other countries. The information, available on the APHIS website, is essential to help protect critical U.S. agriculture infrastructure and natural resources from potential invasive pest and disease …
APHIS Posts New Release in Feral Swine Video Series
The newest video in the ongoing series, Feral Swine in America: Episode 3- Texas looks at the impacts feral swine have on cattle, sheep, and goat ranchers in Texas. APHIS is offering this video series, which chronicles the impact feral swine have on Americans’ livelihoods through damage to agricultural and natural resources, to increase public awareness. The National Feral Swine Damage Management Program was established …
Statement Regarding Seed Coat Fragments in Cotton Produced in the Southeast
(USDA/AMS) — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to collaborate with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to raise awareness and further examine the significant increase in seed coat fragments in cotton produced in the southeast region. Thus far in the 2020 cotton season, the AMS Macon, GA Classing …