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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is furthering its overall African Swine Fever (ASF) preparedness efforts with the implementation of a surveillance plan. As part of this plan, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will work with the swine industry, the states, and veterinary diagnostic laboratories to test for ASF. ASF is a highly contagious and deadly disease affecting both domestic and feral (wild) pigs. It does not affect human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. ASF has never been detected in the United States. Tell me more >>>

Avian Coryza is an emerging poultry respiratory disease in some regions of the United States. Severe facial edema is probably the most notorious clinical sign which couples with a sharp decrease in egg production in laying hens. Read more here >>> For Pennsylvania Department of Ag flock recommendation letter: Flock recommendation letter 4-4-19 Final For Pennsylvania Department of Ag biosecurity principles: StandardE-BiosecurityPrinciples 2019

No one is certain how much devastation the flooding and blizzard have caused in Nebraska, but total losses from livestock and crops could reach billions according to the “Omaha World-Herald”. Nebraska Farm Bureau established a Disaster Relief Fund at the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation to provide emergency aid to Nebraska farmers, ranchers, and rural communities affected by recent storms and flooding. Priority will be given to efforts to restore health and safety in rural communities and to farm and ranch households that have been damaged or displaced by the natural disaster. 100% of the donations will be distributed to Nebraska farmers, ranchers, and rural communities affected by the disasters. For information on how you can help >>>>

Today’s large grain augers can transfer from two to four times as much grain as augers of the past. Your body can become completely submerged in about 8 seconds, leaving you helpless. Crusted, spoiled and wet grain associated with wet harvest (as well as remaining grain from last year’s wetter harvest) can also contribute to grain bin suffocation. As grain is removed from the bin it can bridge and form a cavity under the crusted surface. There’s little chance of survival if you are walking on the surface when the crust breaks and you plunge into flowing or hot grain. Read the safety tips here >>>

Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is urging the Food and Drug Administration to vigorously enforce food standards regarding the labeling of dairy products and prohibit the misleading labeling of nut-based and plant-based food products as “milk.” “Products identified as almond milk, soy milk and similar items are not being held to the same FDA standards as milk and dairy products that come from healthy cows, yet they still benefit by using the term ‘milk’ on their packaging,” said PFB President Rick Ebert. “Through their packaging, labeling and location in the refrigerated dairy section, these imitation products directly compete with and are marketed as substitutes for beverage milk products. It’s time for FDA to enforce its existing rule and forbid imitation nut and …