WASHINGTON, Mar. 6, 2017 - Bird flu detection rattles poultry sector * Peterson joins fight for more E15 * Record snows in Sierra Mountains
The USDA’s announcement Sunday that highly pathogenic avian influenza was discovered in a Tennessee broiler-breeding flock rattled the poultry sector, but officials say that farmers are better prepared now than during the devastating 2015 outbreak.
“Clearly, this is of great concern to egg farmers, who recognize the seriousness of this finding and its potential impact on their flocks and on the egg industry,” Chad Gregory, president, United Egg Producers, said in a statement. “It is a critical reminder that this disease is still a significant risk, and that egg farmers must be vigilant in maintaining strict biosecurity on their farms. Since the 2015 AI outbreak, U.S. egg farmers have made significant increases to biosecurity measures on their farms to protect their flocks.”
The Tennessee outbreak didn’t directly affect egg-laying operations, but industry representatives know that bird flu can be devastating. The H5N2 and H5N8 strains of the virus – carried by wild birds in the Mississippi and Pacific flyways - spread through 15 states in 2015. Tens of millions of egg-laying hens and turkeys had to be euthanized. The new bird flu detection in a flock of 73,500 birds was a result of wild birds traveling the Mississippi flyway.
The industry is prepared though, said National Chicken Council Senior Vice President Ashley Peterson. “The U.S. has the most robust monitoring and surveillance programs in the world and detailed plans are in place and being executed at the federal and state level to control spreading among flocks and eliminate the virus completely,” Peterson said.
Meanwhile, international reaction could be vexing. The U.S. managed to keep much of its chicken, egg and turkey exports flowing during the 2015 outbreak, but it wasn’t easy. Some countries like Mexico and Canada agreed to place only regional bans. Other countries like South Korea and China erected blanket bans on all U.S. chicken, turkey and eggs.
It wasn’t until July of 2016 that South Korea, which buys about $100 million of poultry per year from the U.S., lifted its ban. The Chinese ban is still in place.
Former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters repeatedly last year that he and his staff spent a lot of time talking to their counterparts to try to prevent nationwide bans in the event of future bird flu outbreaks.
NCC’s Peterson said the group is working to prevent those bans.
“NCC is encouraging our members to maintain heightened biosecurity protocols,” she said. “We will also be working with our government and trading partners to minimize any potential disruptions to our export markets.”
Minnesota lawmaker joins the fight for more E15 gasoline. The movement in the House to increase ethanol blending gained more steam late last week after Rep. Collin Peterson announced he’s throwing his weight behind a bill to lift the summertime ban on E15 gasoline.
Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act on Thursday and they already have seven other lawmakers – Democrats and Republicans - who have signed on in support.
“This bill is about reducing confusion for retailers and providing more fuel choices for consumers,” said Peterson, who is the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee.
And the bill has the support of Growth Energy, a major group representing ethanol producers. CEO Emily Skor said: “The introduction of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act is the first step toward eradicating an unnecessary EPA restriction that limits consumer choice at the pump during the peak time of the year when Americans are on the road.”
House Ag Approps prepares for the year ahead. Any Representative who has something to say about how the taxpayers’ money is spent on the USDA and the FDA will have the chance to address appropriators in a public forum on Thursday. That’s because its “Members Day” for the
Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and all House members are welcome to speak up.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen announced his plans last month for 12 separate “Members Day” hearings – one for each subcommittee – and on Thursday its agriculture’s turn.
“The Appropriations Committee values the input and perspective of every Member of Congress and the people they represent,” Frelinghuysen said in a statement. “It is my goal to involve all Members in the appropriations process from the outset.”
Every lawmaker who wants to testify will get a maximum of five minutes to speak and will be allowed to submit five pages of written testimony.
Record snows in Sierra Mountains. Just how deep is the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range around California? That’s still unclear – but it’s very deep and it’s definitely a record, according to USDA meteorologists.
“The measurement tools are not long enough to reach the base of the snowpack, so we just have to … guess an estimate at this point that we truly have a record snowpack,” USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey said in an audio posting.
Rain is usually much appreciated by drought-prone California farmers, but a strong snowpack assures that the state’s farms and ranches will have a steady water supply throughout the spring and summer months as the snow gradually melts and keeps reservoirs full.
California may handoff the precipitation for the Pacific Northwest. USDA meteorologists are expecting a shift in the Jetstream during March and April, pushing much of California’s precipitation into the Pacific Northwest. After floods in San Jose and elsewhere, that’s good news USDA’s Rippey said.
States like Washington, Oregon and Idaho could use the precipitation and California has had enough.
“Any more precipitation that falls in parts of California that have just been hammered could be more of a flood risk than drought-relief at this point,” Rippey said.
He said it: “He was an American. Now, he’s dead.” That was broadcaster Charles Kuralt in a stunning CBS documentary in 1968, Hunger in America, which opened with a baby boy who was dying of starvation. A year later, President Richard Nixon convened the first White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health, Philip Brasher reports in the latest installment of our new series, “The seven things you should know before you write the next farm bill.” Read part four by clicking here.
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WASHINGTON, Mar. 6, 2017 - Bird flu detection rattles poultry sector * Peterson joins fight for more E15 * Record snows in Sierra Mountains
The USDA’s announcement Sunday that highly pathogenic avian influenza was discovered in a Tennessee broiler-breeding flock rattled the poultry sector, but officials say that farmers are better prepared now than during the devastating 2015 outbreak.
“Clearly, this is of great concern to egg farmers, who recognize the seriousness of this finding and its potential impact on their flocks and on the egg industry,” Chad Gregory, president, United Egg Producers, said in a statement. “It is a critical reminder that this disease is still a significant risk, and that egg farmers must be vigilant in maintaining strict biosecurity on their farms. Since the 2015 AI outbreak, U.S. egg farmers have made significant increases to biosecurity measures on their farms to protect their flocks.”
The Tennessee outbreak didn’t directly affect egg-laying operations, but industry representatives know that bird flu can be devastating. The H5N2 and H5N8 strains of the virus – carried by wild birds in the Mississippi and Pacific flyways - spread through 15 states in 2015. Tens of millions of egg-laying hens and turkeys had to be euthanized. The new bird flu detection in a flock of 73,500 birds was a result of wild birds traveling the Mississippi flyway.
The industry is prepared though, said National Chicken Council Senior Vice President Ashley Peterson. “The U.S. has the most robust monitoring and surveillance programs in the world and detailed plans are in place and being executed at the federal and state level to control spreading among flocks and eliminate the virus completely,” Peterson said.
Meanwhile, international reaction could be vexing. The U.S. managed to keep much of its chicken, egg and turkey exports flowing during the 2015 outbreak, but it wasn’t easy. Some countries like Mexico and Canada agreed to place only regional bans. Other countries like South Korea and China erected blanket bans on all U.S. chicken, turkey and eggs.
It wasn’t until July of 2016 that South Korea, which buys about $100 million of poultry per year from the U.S., lifted its ban. The Chinese ban is still in place.
Former USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters repeatedly last year that he and his staff spent a lot of time talking to their counterparts to try to prevent nationwide bans in the event of future bird flu outbreaks.
NCC’s Peterson said the group is working to prevent those bans.
“NCC is encouraging our members to maintain heightened biosecurity protocols,” she said. “We will also be working with our government and trading partners to minimize any potential disruptions to our export markets.”
Minnesota lawmaker joins the fight for more E15 gasoline. The movement in the House to increase ethanol blending gained more steam late last week after Rep. Collin Peterson announced he’s throwing his weight behind a bill to lift the summertime ban on E15 gasoline.
Reps. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., and Dave Loebsack, D-Iowa, introduced the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act on Thursday and they already have seven other lawmakers – Democrats and Republicans - who have signed on in support.
“This bill is about reducing confusion for retailers and providing more fuel choices for consumers,” said Peterson, who is the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee.
And the bill has the support of Growth Energy, a major group representing ethanol producers. CEO Emily Skor said: “The introduction of the Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act is the first step toward eradicating an unnecessary EPA restriction that limits consumer choice at the pump during the peak time of the year when Americans are on the road.”
House Ag Approps prepares for the year ahead. Any Representative who has something to say about how the taxpayers’ money is spent on the USDA and the FDA will have the chance to address appropriators in a public forum on Thursday. That’s because its “Members Day” for the
Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and all House members are welcome to speak up.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen announced his plans last month for 12 separate “Members Day” hearings – one for each subcommittee – and on Thursday its agriculture’s turn.
“The Appropriations Committee values the input and perspective of every Member of Congress and the people they represent,” Frelinghuysen said in a statement. “It is my goal to involve all Members in the appropriations process from the outset.”
Every lawmaker who wants to testify will get a maximum of five minutes to speak and will be allowed to submit five pages of written testimony.
Record snows in Sierra Mountains. Just how deep is the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range around California? That’s still unclear – but it’s very deep and it’s definitely a record, according to USDA meteorologists.
“The measurement tools are not long enough to reach the base of the snowpack, so we just have to … guess an estimate at this point that we truly have a record snowpack,” USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey said in an audio posting.
Rain is usually much appreciated by drought-prone California farmers, but a strong snowpack assures that the state’s farms and ranches will have a steady water supply throughout the spring and summer months as the snow gradually melts and keeps reservoirs full.
California may handoff the precipitation for the Pacific Northwest. USDA meteorologists are expecting a shift in the Jetstream during March and April, pushing much of California’s precipitation into the Pacific Northwest. After floods in San Jose and elsewhere, that’s good news USDA’s Rippey said.
States like Washington, Oregon and Idaho could use the precipitation and California has had enough.
“Any more precipitation that falls in parts of California that have just been hammered could be more of a flood risk than drought-relief at this point,” Rippey said.
He said it: “He was an American. Now, he’s dead.” That was broadcaster Charles Kuralt in a stunning CBS documentary in 1968, Hunger in America, which opened with a baby boy who was dying of starvation. A year later, President Richard Nixon convened the first White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health, Philip Brasher reports in the latest installment of our new series, “The seven things you should know before you write the next farm bill.” Read part four by clicking here.
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