VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
UNION DEPOSIT (Dauphin
Co.) The first Pennsylvania
avian health symposium, held
Thursday at the Sheraton East Ha
rrisburg, was hailed as a landmark
event for ail segments of the multi
faceted avian industry.
The entire “avian” industry was
considered not just the “poul
try" industry.
Whereas the definition of poul
try, and its practical use, limits it to
the scope of domestic birds raised
for meat (Or eggs, there are many
other people raising and selling
birds for many other reasons, and
they must be included in concerns
about avian health.
Almost all segments of the
entire world of Pennsylvania’s
broad avian agriculture communi
ty were represented in some
manner.
Either through a direct spokes
person, or some other form, rep
resentation at the symposium
included that for the small family
operation and the large production
integrators raising and marketing
broilers, or layers for eggs; the pro
ducers of various specific breeds
and fowl for the live bird markets,
and the backyard breeder of fancy
fowl; as well as the small and large
producers of waterfowl, game
birds and exotic fowl.
After the day-long symposium,
the general consensus seemed to
be that the symposium has been
long desired and needed, as the
entire industry faces the hard fact
that biosecurity and disease con
trol must be considerations for the
entire industry, not just the high
Lebanon County
Plans Dairy Day Event
NORTH CORNWALL (Leba
non Co.) Lebanon County
Extension dairy and livestock
agent Galen Kopp has announced
some details for a Feb. 25 daily
day event scheduled to be held
from 9 a.m. to 3 pm. at the Mycr
stown Church of the Brethren.
The cost of the event is $5,
which buys a lunch ticket. Dead
line for ticket purchases is Feb. 11.
Mail a check, payable to the
“Extension Special Fund,” to:
Galen Kopp, Lebanon County
Extension Office, 2120 Comwll
road. Suite 1, Lebanon PA 17042.
The lunch tickets will not be
mailed, they are to be picked up at
the event during registration.
The annual dairy day event is to
begin with registration, coffee and
donuts and time to visit commer
cial exhibits from 9 a.m. to 9:30
a.m.
Introductions are to be made
from 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., fol
lowed by the first speaker, family
counselor and motivational speak
er, Jerry Shenk, who is to speak on,
“Seeing through change."
From 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.,
Dr. James Ferguses], a researcher
with the University of Pennsylva
nia School of Veterinary Medicine
New Bolton Center, is to discuss
HBH
BUILDINGIHE FUTURE
Avian Health
production commercial segment.
Several speakers alluded to two
widely held, though not necessari
ly accurate, perceptions within the
poultry industry that have caused
some polarity:
• That it’s mostly non
mainstream commercial breeders
and dealers, especially those who
supply the live-bird markets, who
are posing the greatest danger and
an unacceptable risk in spreading
disease, such as avian influenza.
• That the megaproduction con
finement facility industry with
its particular emphases in breeding
goals, and production
techniques is responsible for
creating or enhancing dangerous
diseases.
It was also expressed that the
different types of producers have
become “enemies.”
By the end of the symposium, it
became apparent that the entire
avian industry (including those not
present, such as those who deal
with wildlife) must come together
and become complementary, if not
cohesive, forces in order to battle
disease and its spread.
While there were several who
expressed a desire to return to a
time when it was easy to have fun
with unfettered backyard poultry
hobbies or sideline businesses, it
also became very apparent that
because of the way the Pennsylva
nia agribusiness and residential
community has developed, that
some of those niceties have had to
be sacrificed, at least for now.
hi broader scope, the sympo
sium was precipitated by the fact
that the human population is
becoming greater and living in
closer proximity to an ever-
testing for milk urea nitrogen, and
its applicability as an indicator of
feeding efficiency in a dairy herd,
as well as potentially providing
some indication of animal health,
and ultimately as a tool to help
farm profitability.
From 11:30 a.m. to 11:4S am.,
Jennifer Hetshey, county execu
tive director of the USDA Farm
Service Agency, is to provide an
update on programs and changes
through the agency; while Charles
Wertz, director of the Lebanon
County Conservation District, is to
also provide a quick update on
activities, opportunities and con
cerns of the county district.
After lunch, from noon through
1:15 p.m., Dan McFarland, multi
county agricultural engineer with
an office in York County, is to dis
cuss heifer and dry cow manage
ment from 1:15 p.m. until 2 p.m.
From 2 p.m. to 2:20 p.m., Del
Voight, county agronomy agent, is
to discuss the use of 15-inch nar
row com rows.
Kopp is scheduled to talk about
forage management and custom
harvesting from 2:20 p.m. to 2:45
p.m., followed by a question and
answer session.
For more information, contact
Kopp at (717) 270-4391.
Symposium Landmark Event
increasing population of domestic
animals; that domestic poultry is
generally grouped together in large
numbers in confinement housing;
that the locations of the poultry
houses arc closer together, and the
overall population of domestic
poultry has increased dramatical
ly; that transportation abilities can
move diseases via animals or con
taminated materials much faster
than government measures can
detect and react to stop its spread;
and that man’s knowledge of dis
eases, especially viruses, is slight,
though growing.
This has been discussed among
state scientific and agricultural
leaders for some time and is a
major part of the reason that the
state Legislature and the past two
administrations recognized the
importance of upgrading the
state’s diagnostic laboratory sys
tem to the degree of regaining
accreditation.
Not only was accreditation and
upgrading and modernizing facili
ties necessary to perform testing to
help with fulfilling health require
ments for selling and transporting
livestock, but the tripartite Pen
nsylvania Animal Diagnostic
Laboratory System (PADLS) was
created, under the oversight of Dr.
Cy Card, now retired, in order to
quickly detect and respond to and
control animal diseases.
The PADLS system uses the
diagnostic and research capabili
ties of Penn State University, Uni
verity of Pennsylvania and the
state Department of Agriculture.
This was, and is, seen as neces-
sary to protect not just the multi
billion dollar poultry industry, but
the health of all of Pennsylvania’s
agricultural livestock, domestic
animals, wild life, and most impor
tantly, humans.
While the symposium was held
to address the wide world of avian
health, it can be assumed that
attendance was spurred because
there were several avian influenza
and poultry disease events,
believed to be related, that have
occured within the live bird mark
et, as well as within the meat and
egg commercial poultry industry.
There have been several out
breaks of avian influenza over the
past year and more, in the south
central region of the state. The out
breaks occurred in some commer
cial flocks as well as a dealer for
the live bird market.
The avian influenza is prevalent
in the New York and New Jersey
live bird markets, and new regula
tions have been issued by the state
of New York (effective Jan. 2) that
have apparently created a blockade
between Pennsylvania producers
for the live bud market and the
markets.
Further, the state Legislature
approved the allocation of $5 mil
A LESSON
WELL
LEARNED...
LANCASTER
FARMING’S
CLASSIFIED
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GET RESULTS!
lion last year to be used by the state
Department of Agriculture to help
reduce the financial losses for far
mers whose flockfs) had been
destroyed either voluntarily or
involuntarily because of positive
tests for a nonpathogcnic variety of
the H2N7 strain of avian influenza.
The Legislature included the
instruction that some research be
done, and that the department
report back on the situation. The
proceedings of the symposium,
scheduled to be prepared for the
Legislature by the end of March, is
to serve as that report.
Then, the findings of the sympo
sium will be widely disseminated,
according to state Deputy Secret
ary of Agriculture for Administra
tion Zoann Parker, who coordi
nated and moderated the
symposium.
Further, the state Senate
adopted a resolution that called for
the PDA to report back on the
effectiveness of biosecurity mea
sures, as well as to research ways
to make the industry less depen
dent upon emergency state funds
to shore it up in times of disease
outbreaks.
The scope of the symposium
touched upon each aspect
However, by the end, the con
sensus was that several immediate
actions have to be taken.
The Department of Agriculture
must request that New York state
relax some of its live-bird regula
tions, especially the requirement to
have a veterinarian draw blood
upon, test, inspect and certify the
health of a flock of birds intended
for market, within 10 days of being
sent to market.
That is a virtual impossibility,
not only in terms of the additional
cost of having a vet do farm visits
to pull blood, etc., but also because
mere are so few veterinarians
trained adequately to treat birds,
much less be able to recognize and
identify the various poultry specif
ic diseases.
All poultry producers should
keep accurate records and adopt
strictly followed biosecurity
measures.
Some of those biosecurity mea-
suits include:
• Do not allow anyone to enter
the farm, much less a poultry
house, without some inspection of
their vehicle and person.
•Do not allow a live-bird hauler
to enter the farm lane. It was
recommended that any hauler be
required to park at the end of the
farm lane, that the truck be
inspected for dirt and manure. A
suspicious vehicle or one with
some manure or dirt should be sent
on its way.
• Thoroughly clean and disin
fect crates used to transport birds.
• Use only the farm crew, wear
ing “clean" (in terms of no organic
residues from other sources)
clothes, to load birds into crates,
and then haul them to the end of the
lane.
•Do one flock at a time. Do not
introduce birds into a flock.
The symposium provided a
great mote information, for con
sideration by those in the poultty
industry and those not directly
involved, such as consumers.
For example, it was stated that,
worldwide, science is still at a loss
to explain from where avian
influenza comes.
Science can not yet answer
where and how the disease gets its
start, or how it changes from a dis
ease that causes sickness and some
minor death in chickens to causing
large losses, much less quickly
identify and test for it.
For practical use, they did say
that it appears to remain mostly
active in manure, and in the birds.
Maintaining control of those, and
preventing contamination of
fields, vehicles, and clothes, and
taking precautions to not be care
less in any aspect of control is
urged.
Rodent control and wild bin)
control is also strongly urged.
There are many questions about
all aspects of avian health, that
leaders and officials said may nev
er all be answered, but for the first
time, the entire industry has gotten
a step in the right direction to deal
with the issues.
(Continued next week.)
■I FARM
HH EQUIPMENT
Calumet 2250 Gal Liquid Spreader,
Houle Manure Pump 10’ Vertical
2 Yrs. Old
Jamesway Bam Cleaner, Super 300, 2 Yrs. Old,
235' of Hook & Eye Cham $4,500
Badger Silo Unloaders, 20’, 1-pack drive, 1-Ring Drive
50 Loop Free Stall .. . .$2O each
7 Calf Hutches . $l5O each
Westfaha, Codatron Computer Feeder, 3-Stalls,
60 Collars
250 Ton Alfalfa Haylage
Cornell Bunk Feeder, Chain Type, 240’
Union County, (717) 524-9754
$4,000
$5,000