In This Issue
State Veterinarian's Message
Preparing for Avian Influenza
Summer Sizzles for Winners
Lessons Learned in the
Woods
Equine Health Advisory
Fun at the Fair
A Square on the Trail
Celebrating Summer
Saturdays
Calendar
July 11, 18 & 25
Summer Saturdays
July 21
Tennessee 4-H Roundup
July 22
Coffee Co. SCD Field Day
July 30
TSU Small Farm Expo
August 4
Steak & Potatoes Field Day
August 7-8
Message from the
State Veterinarian
Fortunately, in
Tennessee we have
not detected the highly
pathogenic H5 strain of
avian influenza
currently affecting
other states. As
president of the
National Assembly of
State Animal Health
Officials, I have heard
firsthand accounts of
State Veterinarian Charles Hatcher and
the devastating
Commissioner Julius Johnson discuss HPAI
impacts of the disease
preparations.
on other poultry
producing states. It is
already the costliest animal disease incident in U.S. history.
While there is no known threat to public health or to the food supply, AI
does pose a serious risk to our one of our top industry sectors. We have
been working hard to prepare for the possible introduction of AI in
Tennessee as the migration of waterfowl increases the risk of exposure
this fall.
First, we have an emergency response plan that outlines coordination with
USDA and other federal, state, local and industry partners to limit the
spread of the disease. The plan covers quarantine, testing, disposal,
cleaning, disinfection and monitoring. Secondly, we regularly test our plan
and conduct extensive surveillance of both backyard and commercial
flocks. Additionally, we recently dispatched an animal health team to
Minnesota for real-life emergency training, and I have ordered robust
health requirements for birds that are brought into Tennessee.
As a poultry producer or enthusiast, there are some things you can do too,
like preventing contact with wild birds, limiting access to your farm and
flocks, practicing good biosecurity and reporting unusual bird sickness or
deaths. For a complete rundown of recommended practices, I encourage
you to visit USDA’s biosecurity website.
TN Poultry Association Annual
By being informed and taking proper precautions, we can all better protect
Meeting and Summer
bird health, our environment and our economy.
Getaway
Charles Hatcher, DVM
August 11-12
TN Farmers Co-op Farm Fest
August 25
Fall Gardeners' Festival
Tennessee
Prepares for
Avian Influenza
The recent high path
avian influenza (HPAI)
outbreak is now
considered one of the
most costly animal
health disasters in
American history.
Although HPAI has
not been detected in
Turkey barns in Minnesota affected by HPAI.
Tennessee, the
Tennessee
Department of
Agriculture is taking steps to prepare. Three staff members recently
returned from Minnesota where they used their skills to assist with the
efforts to stop the spread of the illness.
Veterinary medical officer Dr. Doug Balthaser and animal health
technicians Wes Montooth and Marshall LaFever spent three weeks in
Willmar, Minn. That location is central to an area coping with HPAI. The
three learned aspects of the logistical response and gained valuable
experience in the field.
Dr. Balthaser worked as a liaison between state and federal officials and
producers to complete inspections and assist with paperwork. “The
magnitude of this outbreak becomes clear when you consider the area
where the virus has spread,” Dr. Balthaser said. “You have cases 30 miles
south of Willmar all the way up to northern Minnesota.”
Montooth and LaFever collected samples from poultry in the affected
area. They covered thousands of miles to test multiple backyard flocks.
“They hit the ground running with backyard surveillance testing and really
did Tennessee proud,” Dr. Jacob Davis with USDA APHIS said. “They
became my ‘go-to’ team when something needed to be done. I would be
glad to work with them any time.”
Lessons learned in Minnesota will be critical in the event that HPAI is
reported in Tennessee. Officials believe water fowl migrating south from
Canada are the source for HPAI. This strain is not known to be
communicable to humans and is not posing a threat to the food supply.
However, it is deadly for domesticated fowl. HPAI has been reported in
21 states, affecting more than 48 million domesticated birds. Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Iowa have declared states of emergency. USDA response
efforts have costs more than $400 million. The cost of dead poultry stands
at $191 million and the total economic impact in Iowa alone is estimated
at $957 million.
The State Veterinarian and staff are focused on animal health and
disease prevention. Each year, the Kord Animal Health lab tests
approximately 22,000 samples from poultry for avian flu. This includes
routine surveillance and testing of commercial and backyard flocks and for
the National Poultry Improvement Plan program. Additionally, the U.S.
Wildlife Services conducts testing on waterfowl. We will continue
surveillance and will consider increasing monitoring and sampling as
required.
As a precaution, a State Veterinarian’s Order has been issued requiring
that effective August 1, all out of state birds transported to Tennessee
must have proof of a negative AI test within 21 days of movement or
National Poultry Improvement Plan AI Clean certification.
If avian flu is detected, Tennessee has prepared a multi-agency response
plan which includes quarantine, testing, disposal, cleaning, disinfection
and monitoring in affected areas.
Summer Sizzles for
Winners
Summer means sizzle and 12
lucky winners are filling their grill
with meat fresh from Tennessee
farms.
Pick Tennessee Products hosted
the Fill Your Grill Contest. More
than 4,500 people entered to win
a $200 gift certificate to a
Tennessee farm that features
farm-direct meats.
Beverly Wanless shows off her burger
cooked with beef from Cook's Ranch.
Several Tennessee associations
including the Tennessee Beef
Industry Council, the Tennessee
Pork Producers and the
Tennessee Sheep Producers
Association partnered with Pick
Tennessee to promote state meat
producers and help fund the
contest.
Chosen by random drawing, the following winners were able to select the
farm and the products of their choice:
Margaret Horton – Crum Farms
Sheila Humphries – Vaughn’s #1 Bermuda Grass-Fed Beef
Kenneth Johnson – Utopia Farm
Holly King – J & J Farms
Katie Peachey – Batey Farms
Joyce Porter – Vernon Farms
Linda Rushing – Angus Grass-Fed Beef of Tennessee
Kevin Smith – Parker Family Beef
Gyver Vick – 4 Corners Ranch Grass-Fed Longhorn Beef
Beverly Wanless - Cook’s Ranch
Susan Wasikowski – Tennessee Valley Farms
Jennifer Wright – Ans Farm
Pick Tennessee Products is the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s
statewide program to connect Tennessee farmers, farmers markets and
local food makers to consumers. The program is a free service to
Tennessee farmers and is available on the Web
at www.picktnproducts.org, via mobile app, and on Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter.
Lessons Learned
in the Woods
The 66th consecutive
Tennessee Forestry
Camp was another
great success, hosting
43 students who
represented 16 FFA
chapters from across
the state. Held at Fall
Creek Falls State Park
from May 31 through
June 5, the camp
Field lessons lead to knowledge at Forestry
introduced Future
Camp.
Farmers of America
students to the
multifaceted field of forestry and its practices through field lessons. Those
lessons included forest ecology, forest mensuration, tree identification,
forest protection from insects and disease, fire control and prescription,
forest management plan development, urban forestry, wildlife concepts
and core silvicultural methods.
The courses of study were taught by foresters from the Division of
Forestry, an industry forester from Domtar Paper Company, a private
consulting forester and a UT grad student. Career and technical education
teachers from across the state attended as counselors and learned a
thing or two to incorporate into their curricula. It was a great week of
conservation education, leadership building, and the formation of lifelong
friendships.
Making a special return this year was the Biltmore stick activity, where
students made a basic forestry tool used to measure tree diameter and
number of merchantable logs in a tree. Those two measurements
combined are then used to read a table, also printed on the tool, to
determine the volume of wood from the logs. Camp alumni often refer to
still having their personalized Biltmore stick while recollecting their fond
memories of camp. The activity was cut from the schedule several years
ago due to time constraints, but camp organizers were successful in
squeezing the activity back in this year, and it’s here to stay this time.
Middle Tennessee Lumber Company graciously supplied the wooden
blanks made of Tennessee grown northern red oak.
Tennessee Forestry Camp is sponsored by the State of Tennessee
Department of Agriculture Division of Forestry, Tennessee Association
Future Farmers of America, Tennessee Forestry Association, Domtar
Paper Company, University of Tennessee Department of Forestry, Wildlife
& Fisheries and Middle Tennessee Lumber Company.
To get a glimpse of camp, visit the Division of Forestry’s YouTube
channelfor a week-in-review slideshow video.
Equine Health
Advisory
A total of six equines have been diagnosed
with EIA.
The state veterinarian
is advising horse
owners of two more
confirmed cases of
equine infectious
anemia (EIA) in West
Tennessee. In late
May, a horse stabled
in Gibson County
tested positive for EIA.
A horse in Henderson
County was also
confirmed as positive
for EIA. Veterinarians
are testing additional
horses that were
stabled with or near the infected animals.
With these latest cases, a total of six equines have been diagnosed with
EIA in Tennessee in 2015. Four were euthanized. Two EIA-positive mules
from Henderson County have joined a research herd at the National
Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa. Although they must remain in
permanent quarantine with other EIA-positive equines, they will live an
otherwise normal life and receive excellent care. As part of the research
herd, they will contribute blood samples to be used in efforts to develop
additional testing materials for EIA.
EIA is a viral disease most commonly transmitted by biting insects.
Although an infected horse can run a low-grade fever or become lethargic,
often there are no clinical signs. A horse remains infected throughout its
lifetime and can pass the disease to other horses. Owners of EIA-positive
horses have two options: lifetime quarantine of the animal or euthanasia.
A yearly Coggins test will screen for antibodies that are indicative of the
presence of EIA. State law requires a negative Coggins test for any horse
that is transported from its home farm to any event or other location.
To ensure the safety of your horse, make sure its Coggins test is current
and that your animal does not have close contact with any horses that are
not up-to-date. Cleanliness in and around your barn and a manure
management plan can also help reduce the fly population.
Tennessee normally experiences a few cases of EIA each year. For more
information, contact your local veterinarian or the state veterinarian's
office at 615-837-5120.
Are you 1 in 3
Million?
It’s fair time in
Tennessee. With 62
fairs that stretch
across the beautiful
state, will you be one
of the three million
people to attend the
extravaganza near
your hometown? From
carnival rides, to
exhibits, to delicious
food, it is a time that
you don’t want to
miss.
Local fairs celebrate our rural heritage.
The fair season is more than just fun, food, and games. It’s educational
too. “I am so pleased that we have so many fairs across this great state
that strive to educate an upcoming generation,” Fair Association President
Ruthie Jeans said. “They might never understand, might never know
about gardening, dairy goats, beef and sheep if it were not for the wide
variety of agricultural education that is taking place.”
Several fairs are offering brand new activities. This year, the Hamilton
County Fair will have Ag-Ventures, which is a rotation through stations to
learn more about agriculture in today’s society. And you will not want to
miss the tractor parade held at the Franklin County Fair that includes
more than 100 tractors, ranging from the antique to the modern-day. With
the theme “Red, White, and You” the Tennessee State Fair will bring in an
interactive traveling exhibit from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation called
“9/11 Never Forget.” This exhibit displays artifacts and documentaries on
the lives that were lost during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
You’ll hear the cries of the carnival rides, the crackling of the popcorn, and
the mooing of the calves when you visit your local county fair. It is sure to
be a fun and educational time with friends and family that you definitely
will not want to miss. Click here to find a fair near you.
A Square on the
Trail
The Tennessee
Agricultural Museum
at Ellington
Agricultural Center
has joined
Tennessee’s Quilt
Trail.
The Tennessee Agricultural Museum joins the
Quilt Trail.
More than 7,000 quilt
squares are featured
on barns and buildings
in more than 40
states. The squares
celebrate the
traditional craft of
quilting and what the
craft represents—
recognition of rural
life, family history and
tradition.
“Quilt Trails connect us back to our local farms and they support the
state’s diverse communities,” Department of Agriculture Commissioner
Julius Johnson said. “As people follow these trails along our state’s rural
routes, they rediscover pieces of our heritage in a colorful and historical
way.”
The Tennessee Agricultural Museum educates visitors through its
collection, programming and events focused on Tennessee’s agricultural
and rural heritage. Adding a quilt square to the show and horse barns next
to the museum is a natural tie to the museum’s purpose and recognizes
the history of the Ellington Agricultural Center, which was named for
former Agriculture Commissioner and Governor Buford Ellington.
Commonly called a Dresden Plate, the original quilt square used for the
design was sewn by Catherine Cheek Ellington, First Lady of Tennessee
(1959-1963 and 1967-1971), and her mother Fannie Belle Cheek, at the
family’s home in Verona, Tenn.
The museum and the Oscar L. Farris Agricultural Museum Association
thank the Five Rivers Resource, Conservation & Development Council for
partnership on this project and for providing a grant toward the production
of the quilt squares.
OLFAMA board member Carol Edwards explained that the popularity of a
barn quilt square often originates with its association to the history of a
property. “Mrs. Ellington’s square design certainly is a worthy link to a
piece of Tennessee’s agricultural past and a celebration of the continuing
work being done by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture,” Edwards
said.
Ann Ellington-Wagner, daughter of Governor and Mrs. Ellington, agreed.
“The success of our state’s farmers and agricultural industry was at the
very heart of my parents’ lives. That the work began in the late 1950s on
the grounds of this center, and that the museum continues with such
dedication and determination, would make them both very proud.”
Ellington-Wagner continued that the very image of a quilt brings to mind,
“a more pastoral way of life, of warmth and comfort, of family lineage and
community, and of the care and time purposefully taken to create a
treasured heirloom by hand.”
Contact Five Rivers RC&D Council to learn more about the quilt squares
in their area.
To see the Tennessee Agricultural Museum barn quilt square, visit
Ellington Agricultural Center located at 440 Hogan Road in Nashville.
Family Fun Every
Weekend in July
If you are looking for
weekend fun, the
Tennessee
Agricultural Museum
has a great option.
Summer Saturdays in
July offer free handson activities and
education for all ages.
Every Saturday during
the month of July,
from 9 a.m. until 2
Summer Saturdays are celebrated at Ellington
p.m. the Tennessee
Agricultural Center.
Agricultural Museum
will spotlight
Tennessee farm life and agriculture. The schedule includes a wide variety
of activities ranging from gardening to spinning, to blacksmithing to sheep
shearing, and plenty of farm animals, contests, and opportunities to learn.
Saturday, July 11 was a great time to Horse Around. Visitors petted the
horses on display and watched as the Metro Police Department Mounted
Patrol demonstrated their skills. The sweet sounds of the Grand Old
Dulcimer Club filled the air as all enjoyed a wagon ride and competed in a
stick horse race.
On July 18, visit Old MacDonald’s Farm. Kids will have the opportunity to
ride a miniature donkey and feed and groom farm animals. After you test
your skills on the weaving loom, the sound of buzzing bees will lead you
to a lesson about how honey is made. You also might want to stop by the
gristmill to take home some freshly ground cornmeal.
July 25 is Goats Galore Saturday. All are welcome to pet and help milk
and feed the goats. While parents check out the soaps and lotions made
from goat’s milk, children will be able to participate in an adventurous
scavenger hunt and watch the sheep shearing under the shade tree.
These fun-filled Saturdays are free of charge for the young and the young
at heart. For more information, please check out the Tennessee
Agricultural Museum’s link to Summer Saturdays.
Ellington Agricultural Center / 440 Hogan Road / Nashville, TN 37220
www.TN.gov/agriculture