UVM Blogs

Think your insurance carrier covers foot-and-mouth disease? Think again! When is the last time you reviewed your farm insurance coverage really closely? Reading your policy at bedtime may take care of insomnia, but will it ensure your policy meets your needs? I recently sat down with a farm insurance carrier in Vermont, which does not [...]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule on August 11 to establish general regulations for improving the traceability of U.S. livestock moving interstate if an animal disease event takes place. Under the proposed rule, livestock moving interstate would have to be officially…[Read more]

On May 13 & 14, 2011, UVM Extension held a Strengthening Community Agrosecurity Planning (S-CAP) workshop in Rutland, VT to address agricultural gaps in Vermont’s local and state emergency operations plans.  The S-CAP program is sponsored by the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) with funding from the Agriculture and Food Research…[Read more]

The worst case:  2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom It hard to argue with 2 thousand cases, 10 thousand culled farms, and over 6 million animals slaughtered being a crisis of horrific proportions. Eight hundred forty-three cases were in the county of Cumbria alone.  The resilience of communities in this area was noted…[Read more]

Laboratory release leads to limited outbreak in England in 2007 Here is the play by play:  The first case was a beef herd in Surrey.  The diagnosis was confirmed August 3.  An immediate nationwide stop movement order on livestock went into effect.  A protection zone extending 3 km (a little less than 2 miles) and a 6.2 [...]

One case found in Northern Ireland Less than two weeks after the diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the United Kingdom in 2001, the slaughter of a herd of sheep was ordered in Northern Ireland.  Animals had been traced as dangerous contacts and were confirmed to have FMD.  Northern Ireland came under virtual “house arrest.” Not only [...]

Foot-and-mouth disease hoax in New Zealand In 2005 a letter was sent to New Zealand’s minister of agriculture (similar to our federal Secretary of Agriculture) claiming that foot-and-mouth disease had been released on Waiheke Island, a small island just north of Auckland (on the North Island).  While the possibility of the threat being a hoax was…[Read more]

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) has announced a public meeting of the Dairy Industry Advisory Committee (Dairy Committee) to review and approve the final recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on policy issues impacting the dairy industry. The meeting will be held via conference call on March 3, 2011, at 1 p.m. EST. You must [...]

The farmers I work with tend to be “hands-on” types and learn best by doing.  There is a lot to be said for experiential learning–but there are some lessons we are better off learning without doing.  When it comes to maintaining our health and safety and that of our livestock, it is better to learn from others’ [...]

Sometimes I am asked why we should worry about foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the US when we have been free of the disease since 1929.  News reports, feature articles, and press releases circulating in recent months provide ample justification. To illustrate, I have reprinted an abridged recent release from the Texas Animal Health Commission…[Read more]

This month marks the 10 th anniversary since the diagnosis of FMD in the United Kingdom in February 2001.  Several 10 th anniversary articles have been published recently.  Here is one that poignantly describes the pain and the resilience of those affected. <a …[Read more]

Those of us working to build preparedness among farmers and farm communities to withstand a highly contagious animal disease disaster like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) often get questions along the lines of these: “Don’t the veterinarians already have a plan in place to deal with such an outbreak?” “Doesn’t the state Agency of Agriculture and…[Read more]

South Korea was unable to shake off foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in 2010.  As the third outbreak of the year continues into 2011, the cull in South Korea has now surpassed the total of the 2002 outbreak (160,000) by 4-fold, reaching over 660,000 animals.  One report stated, “The animal disease has effectively spread across the country despite [...]

The livestock newswires are heating up about the recent release of a site-specific risk assessment and review of that assessment for the National Biosecurity and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) to be built in Manhattan, KS. This facility is intended to house research with foreign animal disease agents, currently conducted in aging facilities on Plum…[Read more]

On 9/11/2001 how many airlines switched to contingency plan “grounded”?  Airlines deal with contingencies every day.  Weather and other factors lead to delays or cancellations of flights on an unpredictable but expected basis.  Usually these factors impact flights over a limited portion of the country.  A notable exception was the nationwide…[Read more]

Two recent commentaries on the BP oil spill have indicated a major shift is needed in how the US responds to major disasters.  On September 9, I caught the end of an NPR interview with Thad Allen, retired U.S. Coast Guard Admiral.  He said, “You have to generate unity of effort.” He went on to say, “We [...]

“Every day, the lives of Americans are touched by the hard work and dedication of our Nation’s farmers, ranchers, and farmworkers.  The food they produce through their tireless efforts fuels our Nation, nourishes our bodies, and sustains millions at home and around the globe.”  With these words Barack Obama began his proclamation of the week [...]

What should you do if you want to know your family is safe after a weather, terror, or other emergency event?  Text first.  Talk second.  The Safe America Foundation has launched a “text first/talk second” campaign coinciding with the anniversary 9/11.  Think about it.  Texting “I M O K” takes less than 2 seconds and uses a [...]

Are you Ready? Do you have a family emergency plan? Would you be OK for 72 hours? Face it: No one wants to deal with an emergency or disaster.  But when seconds count and lives are on the line, knowing the right thing to do can make a difference in your life or the life of a loved one, [...]

For 2 days at the end of August, almost 200 state veterinarians and livestock industry representatives met in Denver to share suggestions for and concerns about the USDA’s traceability framework , announced in February of this year. The National Institute for Animal Agriculture and US Animal Health Association jointly sponsored this forum on…[Read more]

Today I visited Butterwick Farm, owned by John and Lisa Roberts, in West Cornwall, Vt, with Cheryl Dorschner, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Senior Communications Professional.  It turns out that the biosecurity project I am leading has been selected by the College to be featured in an upcoming publication.  Cheryl wanted to…[Read more]

This was a new holiday to me when I arrived in Vermont. I tried scheduling a project requiring assistance from Agency of Agriculture personnel one August 16 when I learned that this date was a state holiday. Interestingly enough, it turns out the battle was actually fought across the state line in New York. But [...]

Find out by watching Across the Fence just after the noon  news Tuesday July 13 on WCAX,  Channel 3.  Tim Bouton, Senior Planner with the Addison County Regional Planning Commission, and I discuss why we need to practice and how to exercise emergency plans.

Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. – Albert Einstein The UVM Extension reporting system, recently renamed the Logic Model Planning and Reporting System (lumpers?), is affectionately known as Albert—a reference to the above quote by Albert Einstein.  Today is the deadline for reporting…[Read more]

A month ago (8 June) at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, IA, more than 80 attendees representing production agriculture, law enforcement, media, and state and federal governments participated in a table-top exercise based on a simulated foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.  Some tabletop exercises merely involve sitting around a table; this one…[Read more]

Twenty years of safe deep water drilling did not excuse the oil industry for not being prepared for its recent disaster; 80 years without an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease does not let US livestock industries off the hook from having comprehensive response plans in place. Starting on the farm, what do we need to be ready to [...]

In Addison County, we identify and prioritize training and exercises during an annual training and exercise workshop. Emergency operations plans (EOP) must be “exercised” to make sure they are up-to-date and that everyone involved understands their role.  Think of “exercising” in this context like “practicing.”  Just like athletes practice…[Read more]

On June 15, Secretary Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security announced final standards for the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program (PS-Prep).  I don’t know the full details of how this certification of private sector entities is to be conducted.  However, I was intrigued by the full titles of…[Read more]

Photo by Louis Bedor III “That’s what a company is supposed to do is plan for a worst-case scenario,” Fearn-Banks said in an interview with Anne C. Mulkern of Greenwire for the New York Times , June 10, 2010. Kathleen Fearn-Banks is a communications professor at University of Washington and author of the book “Crisis Communication, A…[Read more]

I have started blogging about agricultural emergency preparedness, particularly aspects related to highly contagious disease emergencies.  This topic often goes under the radar in the popular press.  I hope to uncover aspects of emergency preparedness that are relevant to the dairy industry in Vermont and beyond and explain why it’s in everyone’s…[Read more]

On May 26 Vermont Edition broadcast an interview with me about the biosecurity projects I have been leading in Vermont with the support of farmers, agricultural industry personnel, and other community leaders.  Jane Lindholm did a nice job capturing the importance of this effort to protect our local agriculture and food systems. If you have [...]

Japan has intensified its campaign to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) by extending the zone in which livestock will be depopulated to 10 km (6.2 mi) from affected farms.  Countries that hope to regain international markets as quickly as possible must make difficult choices amidst uncertainty.  Strict movement controls, culling, and cleaning…[Read more]

CattleNetwork picked up this AP article on the 2010 outbreaks in Japan and South Korea. Interestingly, the AP reports that “ Since then, infections have spread to more than 110 facilities in Miyazaki, according to the prefectural government. Some 85,000 cows and pigs will be killed as a result.”  In all likelihood, most of these other farms [...]

May 14, 2010 Some acronyms are downright ugly.  GLEWS is shorthand for the Global Early Warning and Response System for Major Animal Diseases, Including Zoonoses.  GLEWS supports information sharing on disease alerts being tracked by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations ( FAO), World Health Organization ( WHO), and World…[Read more]

On March 23, it was reported that South Korea had not confirmed a new case of foot-and-mouth disease ( FMD) since the end of January.  On April 9, a beef farm was confirmed to have FMD.  By April 19, FMD had been confirmed in several cattle and swine herds and animals were being depopulated within 3 [...]

Foot-and-mouth disease ( FMD) was confirmed in Japan on April 20, 2010.  The OIE report offers a sobering reminder of the difficulty in rapidly detecting and properly diagnosing foreign animal diseases.  According to the report, the herd veterinarian first reported a suspicious case to the government veterinary service on April 9, but tests for…[Read more]

Being on the lookout for opportunities to mingle with other industry folks engaged in animal disease emergency preparedness, I recently joined the Animal Health Emergency Management Committee of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture ( NIAA).  Committee Co-chairs Patrick Webb of the National Pork Board and Leah Dorman of the Ohio Farm…[Read more]

March 16, 2010 One Health T he National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) featured “One Health: Implications for Animal Agriculture” as its conference theme this April. “One Health” is the phrase used to describe an approach to health that recognizes the interrelationships between human, animal, and environmental health. The global…[Read more]