THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE ALABAMA POULTRY & EGG ...

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GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS � Boaz to get state veterinary laboratory The Sand Mountain Reporter By Jan McDaniel Published November 2, 2006 A new state livestock and poultry diagnostic laboratory could make Alabama the No. 1 state in the poultry industry. That's according to Ron Sparks, the state's agriculture and industries commissioner. Sparks joined other dignitaries at 1833 Industrial Blvd., where the state's fourth such lab will be built. Auburn, Elba and Hanceville already have laboratories. Guy Hall, director of the poultry division, Alabama Farmers Federation, said more than a billion chickens are raised each year in Alabama, which is third in the nation in the poultry industry. "We are here in the heart of the poultry region," he said, "and that's why it is so important to have a lab located near that. With over $2.4 billion, it is critical to our state's economic growth that we safeguard the future of the poultry industry. That's why Alabama Farmers Federation and other agriculture groups have supported Commissioner Sparks in his efforts to establish this new diagnostic lab here in Boaz. "This new state-of-the art facility will not only provide great convenience for Alabama farmers and poultry companies but will provide rapid response in the event of a poultry disease outbreak. Thanks to this facility, problems can be diagnosed here in the field, rapidly, and then they will begin treatment or containment of the problem." Dr. Fred Hoerr, director of the Alabama Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories whose expertise is sought worldwide, said the new Boaz facility would be full-service, with a necropsy room with large animal capabilities and the latest in carcass management technology. With 1.5 million head of cattle, Alabama is 14th in the nation in cattle numbers, he said. USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) reports that an on-going long term study supports the use of alum (aluminum sulfate) to reduce phosphorus runoff and to reduce ammonia emissions in poultry houses. The 20-year study, which started in the mid-1990s, is being conducted by ARS scien- 10 Alabama Poultry November/December 2006 Dr. Tami Kelly, head of the local lab currently in operation on the Snead State Community College campus, said her facility performed 209,000 diagnostic tests and 7,000 necropsy lab tests during 2006. She said while poultry, other avian species and cattle make up the bulk of the work at the lab, other animals must be tested and work done for local veterinarians, wildlife and law enforcement agencies. "We all know there are emerging, lifechanging diseases coming down the pike everyday," Sparks said. "We can't just figure it out once it happens; we've got to figure it out before it happens. We've got to have a plan in place because that's what the people expect of us. We can't work on 99 percent accuracy; we have to work on 100 percent accuracy." tist Philip Moore and University of Kentucky-Lexington agricultural engineer Dwayne Edwards and was initiated to evaluate the effects of alum. Results from the first 10 years of the study are better than anticipated, according to ARS. Applying alum treated litter reduced phos- He credited the teamwork of his staff and the support of city, county and state officials with the department's success. State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Frazier said the animal health infrastructure was experiencing unprecedented expansion. "The key issue for us is to detect these diseases rapidly in real time," he said. "The market demands it. Exporting products to a global market and reassuring consumers can't be done without partnerships." Avian influenza (bird flu) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), rabies, and West Nile virus are a few of the serious problems that keep the diagnostic labs on alert. Bids for construction of the new facility will go out this month. Reviewing the plans for the new state diagnostic lab in Boaz are (left to right) Wendell Shelton, Gold Kist, Boaz; Rep. Frank McDaniel; Commissioner of Agriculture Ron Sparks; AP&EA President Ricky Walker, Tyson Foods, Snead; and Sen. Hinton Mitchem. Long term study confirms benefits of alum phorus runoff by 75 percent at the watershed scale and as much as 87 percent from the small plots. In addition, alum reduced the ammonia levels in poultry houses by about 70 percent in field trials.
Anger builds in litter suit By Rod Smith Feedstuffs Nov. 6, 2006 The antagonism generated by Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson's lawsuit charging 13 Arkansas poultry companies with polluting the watershed in eastern Oklahoma became even more antagonistic two weeks ago, when Edmondson burst in on a news conference being conducted by the poultry companies and seized the podium. The news conference had been called for the poultry companies to counter an Edmondson radio and television campaign advertisement comparing the Illinois Watershed to "raw sewage" because "millions of pounds of waste" contract growers produce each year for the companies in Oklahoma are being "dumped" into the Oklahoma rivers. Edmondson, who is seeking his fourth term as attorney general, acknowledged that the manure is not being directly dumped into the rivers but is being spread at rates far over plant phosphorus requirements and running off into the rivers that empty into the watershed. The companies have said the allegations are "beyond reason" and defy logic and truth. They had been running their own ad disputing the charges but withdrew if as a courtesy during Edmondson's re-election campaign. Edmondson then launched his "raw sewage" ad. Edmondson filed his lawsuit two years ago, charging that the companies are in violation of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act, better known as the "superfund" law, on the grounds that poultry manure should be considered a hazardous substance under the law, which currently exempts agricultural waste. The lawsuit is pending in the U.S. court in Tulsa, Okla., but is not likely to go to trial until 2008. Calendar of Events Allied Bass Tournament May 11, 2007 Lake Guntersville GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS �� AP&EA "Evening of Fun" June 9, 2007 BJCC, Birmingham AP&EA Annual Meeting July 23-24, 2007 Destin, Fla. Alabama Poultry November/December 2006 11
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Page 4 and 5: ASSOCIATION NEWS Alabama turkey pro
Page 6 and 7: ASSOCIATION NEWS Fall workshops inf
Page 9: ASSOCIATIONNEWS 10th annual AP&EA r
Page 13 and 14: Driven�� DDri
Page 15 and 16: MEMBERSHIP NEWS Poultry giants shar
Page 17 and 18: AP&EA: Where did you grow up? Dr. B
Page 19 and 20: We celebrate the holidays with grea
Page 21 and 22: TENANCE PRIORITIES Rusted pulleys o
Page 23 and 24: PRACTICALAPPLICATIONS Rodent contro

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