Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair Requires New Avian Flu Testing

Poultry exhibitors will be paying higher fees to show this year because of the Avian Influenza outbreak. Exhibitors of the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair in Fort Smith will need their poultry tested for the disease and have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. 

 

 

With concerns over the cost of testing for 4-H and FFA members, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has developed a solution. Dr. Rod Hall, State Veterinarian of Oklahoma said the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission Laboratory have agreed to lower their Avian Influenza testing fee to $10 per test. The labs require at least a week for testing.

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.