Avian flu found at SW Missouri poultry farm

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State agriculture officials have quarantined a poultry farm in southwestern Missouri after a case of Avian flu was found.
The state agriculture department said in a news release March 30 that the farm in Polk County was quarantined after the viral disease was found during routine testing.

The department said it’s rare for humans to be affected by the strain of Avian flu found at the farm.

The birds affected are quarantined and flocks within six miles of the farm are being tested for the disease. State and federal agriculture officials are overseeing the care of the birds.

Biotech letter gets notice online for former Purdue prof

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A letter by a retired Purdue University professor who says he has linked genetically modified corn and soybeans to crop diseases and health problems in livestock is being met with skepticism among other scientists.

They say the claims haven’t been properly verified because professor emeritus Don Huber won’t provide evidence to back them up. Huber sent the letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in January, saying a new organism has been discovered in corn and soybeans modified to resist the weed killer Roundup. Huber said he thinks the issue needs the USDA’s immediate attention.
Purdue said the research was not done there. The USDA acknowledged receiving the letter, but it does not appear the agency is investigating.

Eastern Iowa man, 72, dies in farm accident
CLINTON, Iowa (AP) — An elderly eastern Iowa man has died in a farming accident. Authorities said 72-year-old Gary Feuss of rural Lost Nation died March 30 when he was pinned by an overturned farm vehicle.

Officials said their investigation indicates Feuss was operating a skid steer loader in a pasture two miles north of Lost Nation. They said Feuss was working on a hill when the machine rolled over and pinned him underneath.
The Clinton County Medical Examiner’s Office pronounced Feuss dead at the scene.

Appeals court upholds Michigan factory farms rule

MUSKEGON, Mich. (AP) — A judge’s decision that keeps in place a state rule intended to prevent large ”factory farm” from polluting surface waters has been upheld. The Michigan Court of Appeals on March 30 affirmed a January 2009 ruling by Newaygo County Circuit Judge Anthony Monton.

The Michigan Farm Bureau and other farm groups brought the case against the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. They challenged whether the agency could require all concentrated animal feeding operations to obtain pollution discharge permits. The permits regulate the amount of manure such farms can discharge into nearby waterways.

Farm Bureau officials said in a release that they respect the ruling but are disappointed and are evaluating their options. The director of the Sierra Club’s Michigan chapter told The Muskegon Chronicle she’s happy with the ruling.

DNR assists with collapsed chicken cages cleanup

CORWITH, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is helping the owner of a northern Iowa chicken farm where cages collapsed.
The DNR said a row of cages collapsed at Hawkeye Pride Egg Farms near Corwith last week. The building houses about 300,000 hens. The agency said there was the potential for high mortality among the chickens.
The collapsed row of cages is leaning against two neighboring cages in the six-row building. The DNR said in a news release issued Friday that human safety is a top priority and until the cages can be safely stabilized, the cleanup can’t begin.

The agency said it is working to find a solution that will protect the environment. It added Hawkeye Pride has been working diligently to find a solution.

Couple suspended from walking horse shows

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The USDA has fined and suspended two breeders of champion Tennessee walking horses in connection with allegations that they violated the Horse Protection Act more than 10 years ago.
William Johnson and Sandra Johnson of Atlanta, who own Waterfall Farms in Shelbyville, were suspended for a year beginning Jan. 21 and each ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. Federal law prohibits soring, which accentuates the breed’s high-stepping gait by using chemicals, injections and mechanical devices that cause pain.

According to documents obtained by the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, the suspension stems from their champion horse, JFK All Over, which was entered in a May 2000 show in Shelbyville. The documents say the Johnsons waived their right to an oral hearing on the matter, but neither admit or deny the allegations.