Threat of ASF Prompts Pork Producers to Refocus on Biosecurity

Oct 11, 2021

The Chair of Swine Innovation Porc's Science Advisory Board says the threat of African Swine Fever has refocussed the attention of pork producers on biosecurity. Biosecurity has been identified by a Swine Innovation Porc Special Research Advisory group as one of six African Swine Fever research priorities.

Dr. Andrew Van Kessel, the Associate Director Research with VIDO-InterVac and the Chair of Swine Innovation Porc's Science Advisory Board, observes ASF has caused producers to re-think their biosecurity plans and confirm their practices will be effective and are being followed.

Clip-Dr. Andrew Van Kessel-VIDO-InterVac:

Reality is African Swine Fever has caused us to think more about feed ingredients, particularly the prevalence of this virus in Asia, the import of lots of feed ingredients from Asia. Those that are arriving from Asia are particularly of concerns and so producers are looking at the sources of feed ingredients, working with their suppliers to make sure they know where those feed ingredients are coming from and ensuring that there's a quarantine period so that the period of time after exposure will result will eventually result in death of the virus and minimise the risk.

The other one on the biosecurity side is the wild boar issue. We have a problem with wild boars an invasive species in North American and certainly in Canada.

Where wild boar are present, they can carry ASF and so there may be some attention for producers who operate facilities in those areas to ensure the grounds are excluding wild boar and the opportunity for transmission to a commercial herd.

Source : Farmscape

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.