KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — County fair season won’t return for several months, but plenty of animal exhibitions across Tennessee operate outside of spring and summer.

Besides, the “down time” of late and post-harvest season is the perfect opportunity to re-educate fair operators on exhibition requirements, with respect to controlling the spread of disease among animals and from livestock to humans.

With this in mind, the University of Tennessee Extension and state departments of Agriculture (TDA) and Health (TDH) recently staged four workshops throughout the state, including on campus in Knoxville on Nov. 8.

One portion of the presentation, led by Dr. Fred Hopkins, an animal science professor and extension specialist, focused specifically on prevention regulations and common transmittable diseases for which to be on guard. He is not, however, an alarmist.

“We live in a world today where we’re more afraid because we have more information,” he explained, adding fair and exhibition visitors should not have to shun contact with animals, which is a great way to learn about agriculture.

He referred to the relatively few cases of infection contracted by humans last year, in comparison to “the total number of animal exhibits in 2005.”

He also pointed out humans are always around other sick people, who pose a higher possibility of infection to them than livestock. If a farmer, producer or 4-Her has an animal at the fair, chances are high it’s well cared for.

“We’re not talking about a bunch of disease-ridden animals,” Hopkins said. “We’re talking about a preventable minority.”

All exhibition animals except poultry in Tennessee are required to have individual identification and a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, valid for 90 days. The Tennessee Junior Livestock show and other expos allow only a 45-day maximum for in-state livestock, and 30 days for interstate animals. They must also be timely on vaccinations.

For exhibitions outside Tennessee, Hopkins referred to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website at www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs for up-to-date requirements in each state.

“If something happened yesterday, it might not be that way today,” he added.

A fair manager’s responsibility is to enforce these regulations, but also to use common sense with animals which are properly certified - but just don’t look right because they’ve contracted disease after certification.

No animal showing clinical signs of infectious disease should be allowed to enter or stay on fair premises, Hopkins said.

Common zoonotic – communicable to humans – conditions to watch for among ruminants include sore mouth, which usually affect young sheep and goats; ringworm, common among sheep and cattle; diarrheal diseases such as e. coli and salmonella, seen most often in calves; and Q Fever in sheep and goats, which really isn’t common in the Southeast.

Hopkins explained only horses seem to be exhibited across the state more often than sheep. Though they’ve a long way to catch up to the number of cattle and hogs in Tennessee, sheep and lambs are on the rise, having increased from 22,000 head in 2004 to 27,000 this year, by TDA numbers.

He explained they’re ideal for 4-Hers to raise and exhibit, in addition to being user-friendly at exhibitions.

And, they’re cute and relatively small – like many humans touching them at those fairs.

“My grandkids are intimidated by cattle,” Hopkins said. “They’re not intimidated by sheep.”

This farm news was published in the Nov. 22, 2006 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.