USDA Study Provides Insight Into Causes Of Avian Flu

Jul 31, 2015

An updated study on how avian influenza is infiltrating turkey farms suggests equipment and age are probably playing a role.

Earlier this month USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, followed up an early June report identifying certain factors that might lead to flocks getting infected.

APHIS studied 81 turkey farms across the Midwestern United States and concluded that the farms typically followed biosecurity protocols, but vehicles, people and buildings could transmit the disease.

Preventative procedures used included spraying vehicle tires with disinfectant at the farm entrance, requiring visitors and employees to wear coveralls, disposable boot covers and rodent control.

The updated report, issued July 15th, also found that adult turkeys may be more susceptible to the virus. According to APHIS, more than fifty percent of the infected birds were at least halfway through their typical lifecycle of 12 to 22 weeks. APHIS says extra vigilance may be needed while birds are in the mid to latter part of life stage before going to market.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.