D2-Lancaster Farming Saturday, February 1,1986
PDA urges strict bio-security measures
HARRISBURG - State
Agriculture officials are urging
Pennsylvania’s $450 million
poultry industry to observe
biosecurity and continue strict
sanitation measures to avoid
unintentional spread of avian
influenza.
“Studies conducted by state and
federal epidemiologists indicate
that live bird haulers operating in
interstate commerce may have
been responsible for the rein
troduction of avian influenza into
Pennsylvania,” said state
Agriculture Secretary Richard E.
Grubb.
Dr. Van Buskrik, director of the
Toll-free flu hotline announced
HARRISBURG - State Agriculture Secretary Richard E. Grubb
has announced a toll-free number is available to address farmers’
concerns over the outbreak of avian influenza in central Penn
sylvania.
Farmers and processors requesting information may call 1-800-932-
0904. The number will be manned from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Information
concerning specific marketing questions for processors, buyers,
brokers and retailers will also be addressed.
“Use of this number can facilitate the efficient, timely flow of in
formation,” said Grubb. “We are committed to utilizing state
resources to quickly control the outbreak and to protect the state’s
poultry industry,” he added.
Delaware poultry auctions ordered
DOVER, Del. - Delaware
Agriculture Secretary William B.
Chandler, Jr. and State
Veterinarian Dr. H. Wesley
Towers, Jr. have ordered poultry
auctions in Delaware to cease
sales in light of recent avian in
fluenza (AI) outbreaks in Penn
sylvania.
In making the announcement,
Dr. Towers said the decision to
NPPC to survey pork producers
DES MOINES, lowa - The
National Pork Producers Council
has begun working with the USDA
Agricultural Marketing Service
(AMS) in formulating a final order
that will implement the new 100
percent Pork Producer Investment
Plan recently signed into law by
President Reagan.
A time table for implementation
of the plan is under discussion, and
the AMS staff has expressed its
intent to respond as nearly as
possible to producer desires within
tiie framework of the new law. The
best present estimate is that the
new checkoff plan will be im
plemented in late 1966.
NPPC has launched an extensive
effort to make the nation’s pork
producers, whether or not they are
members of NPPC, aware of the
new checkoff plan and its contents.
All U.S. pork producers will
participate in the 100 percent
checkoff, along with all importers
of foreign hogs and pork products.
NPPC is urging all pork
producers to take part in a survey
to determine how they would like
to see the new checkoff funds in
vested. Results of the survey will
be an important consideration for
LIVESTOCK
LATEST «
Lvu
Bureau ot Animal Industry, told
the poultry industry, “It is im
perative that proper sanitary
procedures be adopted to prevent
the introduction and spread of
contagious diseases in your in
dustry. It is equally important to
assure our neighbors that every
possible precaution is being taken
to protect them.
“We urge you to adopt strict
sanitary procedures for your
program. This must include
comprehensive measures to
assure that all poultry crates,
equipment and vehicles are
properly cleaned and disinfected
after each use. Shipments of live
to halt sales
cease poultry auctions is strictly a
precautionary measure designed
to keep the highly contagious AI
from spreading into Delaware’s
multi-million dollar poultry in
dustry.
The ban is effective at midnight
Jan. 24, and will be reevaluated in
30 days. Delaware’s three poultry
auctions affected are Wilson’s
Auction in Lincoln, Carroll’s Sales
checkoff plan
on
the eventual investment decisions
to be made by pork producer
leaders.
The producer survey will be
included in the February issue of
National Hog Farmer magazine,
and the February issue of NPPC’s
own monthly member publication,
Pork Report. The survey form is
also available from state pork
producer associations or NPPC
headquarters at P.O Box 10383,
CREAMERY A Southeast
Pennsylvania Sheep Producers
Meeting is scheduled for Tues.
Feb. 11, at the Meyers Family
Restaurant, Route 309 in
Quakertown.
The meeting will feature Clair
Engle, Extension animal scientist,
and Dr. Sid Bosworth, Extension
agronomist, both from the Penn
sylvania State University.
Registration and coffee will be
from 9:30-10 a.m. At 10 a.m. Engle
will begin the program with the
topic “Matching Nutrition to Ewe
' 1 ' f.
v./ i*v I
..u
Southeast Sheep Producers
Meeting scheduled
poultry and eggs in unsanitary
crates should be rejected. Wooden
and fiber crates and packing
materials should be replaced with
impervious materials (plastic or
metal) as soon as possible.
Provision should be made at or
near your facility to permit
cleaning and disinfection of crates,
equipment and vehicles im
mediately after unloading. Dead
birds, manure, bedding and other
waste materials must be disposed
of in a safe and environmentally
acceptable manner.
“Sanitary shipment of livestock
is not easy or cheap. Neither is
management of an outbreak of
contagious disease, Van Buskirk
said.
Van Buskirk said the Depart
ment is also advising poultry
producers and shippers to call
ahead if moving poultry products
to interstate markets.
“The Pennsylvania poultry
industry faces stringent con
straints on interstate and in
ternational movement of its
products,” Van Buskirk said.
“Prior permits will insure proper
delivery by meeting all
requirements established by other
states.
in Felton, and Spence’s in Dover.
Agricultural officials remind
poultry farmers and others that
avian influenza is easily spread
and urge Delawareans to avoid
any contact with infected areas.
Avian influenza, although deadly
to chickens and turkeys, is ab
solutely no risk to human health
through direct contact or by
consumption of poultry and eggs.
Des Moines, IA 50306.
Pork Producers are urged to call
a special toll-free phone number at
NPPC in Des Moines if they have
any questions about the 100 percent
plan or any NPPC program or
project. The toll-free number may
be reached by dialing 1-800-255-
2255, code, 7675, between 8 a.m.
and 5 p.m. Central time, Monday
through Friday.
Production”, followed by Dr.
Bosworth with “Developing a
Pasture and Forage Program”
which will include information on
how to utilize forages in your
feeding program, grasses and
alternate crops to consider, and
the use of brassicas.
From 12 noon to 1 p.m. will be a
lunch break and the opportunity to
meet other producers. At 1 p.m.
Mr. Engle will continue with
“Feeding for Market Lamb
Production” which will include
birth through market weight, ideas
on additives, and marketing
concerns. He will also touch on
informatiqn about the Rocco Foods
contract sheep production and how
it might be of interest to local
producers. The final topic will be
“Pasture and .Main
tenance” by Dr. Bosworth'who will
discuss the basics of soil fertility,
establishing a pasture and the
cutting and grazing management
of pastures.
The Feedlot Environment
We know feedlot cattle are fed
under many different conditions
from the opeixlots of the southwest
U.S. to the tightly enclosed bams
of southeastern Pennsylvania. But
under what set of conditions will
growth and feed efficiency be
optimized? The results of a series
of trials from 1979 to 1984 in lowa
were recently summarized in the
1986 lowa Beef Cattle Research
Report.
Environmental conditions were
either in an open lot, an open lot
with a three-sided shelter or in a
confinement building with one side
open. Cattle weighing about 700
pounds at the start were used in all
trials and they were all fed a high
energy ration. Cattle were started
at 60-day intervals to study the
effects of season of the year on
cattle performance. Results are
shown in tables 1 and 2.
This series of feeding trials can
cause us to speculate about a lot of
commonly accepted beliefs. How
much environmental control can
we afford? When should we be
feeding cattle? With the justifiable
concern about water quality and
pollution control how should we
design our feedlots? Taken over all
months of starting on feed, the
cattle that could chose their own
environment (shelter) gained
faster and had more desirable feed
conversions thaneither of the other
groups. The confinement cattle did
not out perform the shelterless
cattle in any month for rate of
gain. However the lowa open lots
may have been better designed
and managed than many in
Pennsylvania. They did have
slightly improved feed conversions
for November and March started
cattle but these differences were
not significant.
We should keep in mind that
southeastern' Pennsylvania
averages about five inches of
rainfall per year than lowa. That
increases the problems associated
with runoff and pollution. With our
Table 1 Average Daily Gam (Lb )by
Housing and Month Started
Started
on test
November
January
March
May
July
September
Average
Shelter Shelterless
2 40 2 17
2 72 2 42
3 03 2 96
3 23 3 10
3 07 2 92
2 58 2 42
2 84 2 66
Table 2 Feed Efficiency by Housing and Month
Started on Test*
Started
on Test
November
January
March
May
July
September
Average
Shelter Shelterless Confinement
6 77 7 34 7 23
6 37 6 79 6 99
5 80 5 90 5 77
5 63 5 60 5 94
5 62 5 67 5 70
6 69 7 26 7 29
6 15 6 42 6 49
* Pounds of dry matter per pound of gam
. „„ a must and should be done by Feb.
Cost for the seminar is $5.50 per 5
person wWch includes registration In case o{ snow on that day
fee, written materials, lunch, please contact the office at 489-4315
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register, contact your local Ex- there is any question of having the
tension Service. Pre-registration is —♦
Beef
Briefs
by
Dr. Lester Burdette
Penn State Extension Beef Specialist
population, pollution and water
quality problems it is doubtful we
can ever justify open lot cattle
feedlots in Pennsylvania. The
predictable pollution and runoff
problems will not be tolerated in
the future.
The results of these trials in
dicate that in many of our con
finement and semiconfinement
situations we should pay a lot more
attention to ventilation and cattle
comfort. Too many times the
environment we design is for the
comfort of the cattle feeder rather
than the cattle. They need
protection from cold rains and
winds and may benefit from shade
in the summer. But we should
remember that the thermoneutral
temperature for cattle is about 50
degrees F., rather than the 70-plus
degrees where we are most
comfortable. Therefore, we
probably over design cattle
housing for feedlot cattle. Opening
up the ridge, eyes and side walls in
the summer will improve cattle
performance.
The differences observed ac
cording to when cattle were
started on feed are interesting but
may not have practical ap
plication. We have to consider
-when our feeds and labor are
available as well as when suf
ficient numbers of feeder cattle
can be purchased. The other im
portant variable is seasonality of
prices. Cattle started on feed in the
spring to to market in the fall and
compete with grass cattle and the
heavy runs of cull cows. These
trials were with yearling type
cattle. The results could be dif
ferent for calves as far as the ef
fects of shelter were concerned.
This data does indicate that
cattle can select the environment
where they will optimize per
formance. Maybe we can’t give
them the chance under all con
ditions, but we can make an at
tempt to improve ventilation and
environmental conditions.
Confinement Average
2 02 2 20
2 21 2 45
2 64 2 88
2 73 '3 02
2 72 2 91
2 12 2 37
2 41
Average
7 12
6 72
5 82
5 72
J 5 66
7 08