Melissa Bravo

December 1, 2022 Melissa Bravo

December 8th Webinar with NJ Veterinary Services to Discuss Hipath Avian Influenza

Announcement Date: December 1, 2022

On behalf of the South Jersey Poultry Association and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Salem County, Ag Agent, Melissa Bravo, we invite anyone with poultry in New Jersey to attend a webinar on:

How the Hipath Avian Influenza Outbreak relates to and impacts my poultry flock.

Have questions? Get answers. December 8, 6:00 pm. EST. Virtual

Back yard poultry
Pastured meat birds going into on farm sales
Egg layers selling eggs on home farm sales or to CSA’s
Selling birds at livestock auction
Selling birds at live bird market
Any permits required for importing chickens, manure, selling eggs, birds if applicable when a control zone is in force.

Speakers

Sandy Strilec, DVM, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health, Veterinarian

Lisa De lambert, NJ Veterinary Services, Senior Animal Health Technician and NPIP Administrator for National Poultry Improvement Plan Administrator in New Jersey. General information about The Plan can be found at http://www.poultryimprovement.org/

Pre-registration is required. Please send an email to chelsey.fitton@salemcountynj.gov. We will send you the zoom link the day of the meeting. Or call (856) 769-0090 and ask for Chelsey.

Pre-registration closes at 4:00 pm, December 8th.

For additional information, please call Melissa Bravo at 856-340-6582.

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Uncategorized

November 29, 2022 Melissa Bravo

Nematode Webinar for Soybean Producers

Nematodes in Atlantic Soybean Production Webinar

December 5 from 1:00-3:00 PM. Virtual.

This webinar will include results from Soybean Cyst Nematode seed treatment trials, Root-Knot Nematode on-farm trials, emerging management strategies, and feature a panel discussion on needs to improve nematode management in the region. The webinar is free, but registration is needed for access to the zoom link.

Registration information can be found at https://www.pcsreg.com/2022-nematodes-in-atlantic-soybean-production-webinar.

Please email Alyssa Koehler akoehler@udel.edu with any questions.

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops

November 22, 2022 Melissa Bravo

New Director of NJ State Animal Health Division

Dr. Amar Patil Named Director Of NJDA’s Division Of Animal Health

November 21, 2022
“(TRENTON) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher today announced the appointment of Dr. Amar Patil as Director of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health. The appointment was approved by the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture at its monthly meeting last week.

Dr. Patil has been the Director of the NJDA’s Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory (AHDL) since July 2021, and before that was the lab’s Assistant Director from November 2011 to July 2021. He started with the NJDA as a Research Scientist in the Division of Animal Health in October 2007.

“Dr. Patil has been a key part in the success of both the AHDL and the overall operations of the Division of Animal Health, and he is certain to continue and expand his fine work in this new Division Director position,” Secretary Fisher said. “He has all the qualities to be an effective director and will ensure the continuity of the division and laboratory working cohesively.”

During Dr. Patil’s work with the laboratory, the AHDL received ISO 17025:2005 accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation, making it one of approximately two dozen such labs in the United States and the only one in New Jersey, that offers veterinary diagnostic testing.

With that accreditation, the AHDL is able to conduct more types of tests and significantly reduce the time it takes for results to become official, especially important when responding to disease outbreaks and other emergency situations, such as the recent detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in New Jersey.

Animal Health is one of five primary divisions that make up the Department of Agriculture, along with the in-but-not-of State Agriculture Development Committee. The Division protects and monitors livestock for disease and other threats and administers the Humane Standards for the Care and Keeping of Livestock, which govern the minimum standards of humane care for livestock animals in New Jersey.

Dr. Patil succeeds Dr. Manoel Tamassia as the division director. Dr. Tamassia left the post in August for a position with the World Organization for Animal Health. “- Jeff Wolfe, NJ Dept. Agric.

Filed Under: Field, Forage & Livestock, Uncategorized

November 13, 2022 Melissa Bravo

Public Input on Draft Environmental Documents for Deregulation of American Chestnut Developed Using Genetic Engineering

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is inviting public comment on two draft documents involving a petition from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY) seeking deregulation of an American chestnut variety modified for tolerance to chestnut blight. The first document is a draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that examines the potential environmental impacts, and the second is a draft Plant Pest Risk Assessment (DPPRA) that considers potential plants pest risks.

APHIS published SUNY’s petition on August 19, 2020, and solicited public comments for 60 days to aid the Agency in defining the scope and appropriate environmental documents. Following this, APHIS prepared an environmental impact statement to assess the potential impacts to the environment from deregulating the modified American chestnut variety. APHIS published a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS on August 6, 2021, and solicited comments for 30 days to further define the scope of the alternatives and environmental and interrelated economic issues and impacts for consideration in the DEIS.

APHIS is now seeking public comments on the DEIS and DPPRA for 45 days so the public may review our preliminary evaluation of potential impacts on the environment in consideration of the SUNY petition. You can view the Federal Register notice, DEIS, DPPRA, and supporting documents on the APHIS website. Beginning November 10, 2022, members of the public can submit comments through December 27, 2022, by going to www.regulations.gov and entering “APHIS-2020-0030” into the Search field.”- November, 9. APHIS PPQ Press Release

For more information go to: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/newsroom/stakeholder-info/sa_by_date/sa-2022/american-chestnut-ge

Filed Under: Christmas Trees, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf

November 4, 2022 Melissa Bravo

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in NJ

New HPAI case in New Jersey, November 3, 2022

(TRENTON) – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) has confirmed a new Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) case in a Bergen County backyard flock (non-poultry) as classified by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The disease response is being coordinated between state and federal partners. – Jeff Wolfe, NJ Ag.

For the full press release please go to:

https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/press/2022/approved/press221103.html

New HPAI case in New Jersey – October 22, 2022.

(TRENTON) – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) has confirmed a new Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) case in an Ocean County backyard flock (non-poultry) as classified by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The disease response is being coordinated between state and federal partners. – Jeff Wolfe, NJ Ag.

For additional information see: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/news/press/2022/approved/press221022.html

“Second 2022 HPAI case in New Jersey” – Jeff Wolfe

October 14, 2022. (TRENTON) – The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) confirmed the state’s second Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) case in 2022 in a Warren County non-commercial backyard flock (non-poultry). The disease response is being coordinated between state and federal partners.

The test samples were collected from ducks in Warren County and were tested at the New Jersey Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory. The duck flock had experienced high mortality, and some displayed neurologic signs before succumbing to the disease. Congruent testing was completed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, which confirmed detection of the disease on October 13, 2022. The virus is believed to have spread through wild birds, which were found deceased on the property and tested positive for HPAI.

State and federal personnel are following the appropriate response plan, including implementing site quarantine, proper biosecurity measures, and depopulation of poultry on the premises. Additionally, outreach to poultry owners, live bird markets, and the general public at www.nj.gov/agriculture has been completed to provide recommendations on poultry management and measures to ensure the maintenance of a healthy flock.

HPAI is highly contagious and often fatal in domestic poultry species. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern. As a reminder, poultry and eggs’ proper handling and cooking to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F kill bacteria and viruses.

Signs of HPAI in poultry can include:

Sudden death
Decrease in feed or water consumption
Respiratory signs such as coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge
Swelling around the eyes
Open-mouth breathing
Darkening of the comb/wattles
Reddening of the shanks or feet
Decreased egg production
Lethargy

HPAI spreads through contact with bodily secretions, including feces, ocular, nasal, or oral secretions from infected birds. The virus can spread on vehicles, equipment, shoes, etc. Practicing good biosecurity can help prevent the spread of HPAI onto a farm.

Those biosecurity practices include:

Eliminating exposure of domestic birds to wild birds. Minimizing standing water and extra feed in the environment that might attract wild birds.
Avoiding contact with other poultry.
Keeping a specific set of shoes and clothing for tending to poultry. Disposable boot covers or a foot bath that is changed regularly are other measures that can be used.
Minimizing the number of people who visit the birds.
Avoiding sharing equipment with other flocks and using appropriate disinfectants for equipment that must come onto a farm.

HPAI is a reportable disease. Any individual who shall gain knowledge or suspect the existence of the disease shall notify this office without delay. Deceased birds suspected of having Avian Influenza should be double-bagged and stored appropriately for testing. Do not expose dead poultry to the environment, other poultry, or wildlife/wild birds. Wash your hands after handling sick or dead birds.

If you suspect HPAI, please alert the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health at 609-671-6400.

For additional information about the disease and outreach materials, go to:

###” – Press release from the NJ Department of Agriculture.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock

November 1, 2022 Melissa Bravo