First case of H5N8 avian influenza found in Indiana backyard flock
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) was notified Monday by the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory that poultry from a backyard, or hobby, flock in Whitley County tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza.
Decomposing Iowa turkeys and chickens leading to odors and flies
Millions of dead chickens and turkeys lie in stinking, fly-swarmed piles near dozens of Iowa farms, casualties of a bird flu virus that’s swept through the state’s large poultry operations in the last month.
Beehives show resiliency, but threats are not fully abolished
As beekeepers across the tri-state region assess the progress of their hives after a harsh winter, there’s good news all around: The honeybee die-off was less severe this year.
Kentucky’s hemp research set to enter second season strong
The latest hemp update from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) took place, ironically, at a tobacco warehouse where a packed house heard several speakers including state Agriculture Commissioner James Comer report on the status of the crop entering season two of research production.
Indiana to report market news for lower-volume ag products
Hoosier farmers will soon have daily access to updated market price information from live auctions on lower-volume products such as hay, goats and sheep.
Hasselberg, 94, dies on day of his museum’s open house
A friend of central Illinois agriculture, Burton Hasselberg, passed away April 25 at his Peoria home, with his family by his side. The former president of the Illinois Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers – and farm manager with Greene Farm Management for 43 years before retiring as company president – was 94.
Illinois House bill exempts farm machinery drivers from CDL licenses
Operators of farm machinery in Illinois would not be required to obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) or be subject to hours of service (HOS) laws during the 2015 harvest, under terms of legislation recently advanced by state Sen. Scott M. Bennett (D-Champaign).
Kentucky students on tractors in yearly ‘Drive to School Day’
The parking lot of the Franklin County extension office recently looked more like a mini National Farm Machinery Show, as dozens of students from the nearby Franklin County High School gathered to drive their tractors and lawn mowers to school.
Widespread rain in the region last weekend, and storms forecast later this week, could dampen efforts to control fusarium head blight (FHB), or wheat scab, the region’s most economically important wheat disease.
