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Livestock logging technology spreading throughout Indiana

 

 

By ANN HINCH

Associate Editor

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Shippers outside Indiana wanting to move livestock into state borders newly have access to what may be an easier, more accurate way to log those animals with the Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH).

It was early last year that BOAH instituted an online permitting system producers could use, with permission, to submit necessary livestock data for interstate movement, to be used largely with cattle and swine. Rather than calling the data in to the BOAH office, applicants can fill in a form themselves, ensuring more accurate information that can be added electronically to the state’s USAHERDS database.

Dr. Marianne Ash, director of BOAH’s Division of Animal Programs, reported at Thursday’s BOAH meeting there are a couple of new uses for the online system. One is for producers reporting movements as part of a commuter herd agreement, instead of receiving spreadsheets that have to be typed in by state workers; another is in the movement of large groups of young dairy cattle under condition their ID numbers are provided in electronic format to BOAH.

"We’re really trying hard to work with Indiana veterinarians and producers," she explained. "The adoption of the technology has moved very quickly."

USAHERDS is specific to Indiana as used by BOAH – but Ash said it’s similar software to what other states use for their livestock tracking, so if there is an emergency states can share information quickly. Besides individual shippers submitting data, the database is fed by information from Indiana livestock markets.

To that end, Dr. Maria Cooper with BOAH reported there are almost six livestock markets using wand reader or similar technology to log livestock moving through those locations. The tech varies at each location; USDA funds provide for basic equipment, but Cooper said some markets choose to upgrade beyond that at their own cost. Shipshewana, Topeka, Rockville and Rochester are online, and Logansport and Knightstown will be added soon. Cooper said Topeka and Shipshewana were first, and the others caught on "like dominoes." Besides reading and transmitting data to the state, Ash said this is helping those businesses in their own recordkeeping.

State Veterinarian Dr. Bret Marsh said beef and dairy groups are asking BOAH representatives to attend meetings again this winter to answer questions about the new federal ID tag program. The office is getting the most questions from dairy producers, some of whom protested last year that they felt requirements are unfairly stringent for their animals.

Nonetheless, Ash said so far, all manner of livestock producers seem conscientious about complying with the law. "We’re trying to work with producers so they feel comfortable calling us," she explained.

To learn more, visit www.in.gov/boah or call BOAH at 317-544-2400.

Swine illness down

 

BOAH continues to monitor the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus and delta coronavirus (PDCo) that can cause swine enteric coronavirus disease. Dr. Craig Bowen, its director of swine health, said the number of positive tests for these is going down, "something I don’t think any of us expected to see – how quiet it is," he noted.

"We’re seeing the decline and people are pretty happy right now." For updates on these, visit www.in.gov/boah/2680.htm

Indiana also has a Declaration of Negative Status producers can qualify for, to remove their farms from a federal list of positive status for these viruses. So far only one Hoosier swine producer has qualified for Negative Status, which is done through testing one of two ways: either a producer turns over their entire herd with the "all-in, all-out" option, or if they maintain a continuous herd, through one of two means of monitor testing.

Budgetary considerations

 

Thursday’s meeting led off with a closed executive session for the board to evaluate Marsh’s performance ahead of recommending him for a 6 percent pay increase this year; he has been in that job for 21 years. This was in line with Gov. Mike Pence’s December memo to state employees promising raises based on performance evaluations this month – 2 percent for "meets expectations," 4 percent for "exceeds expectations" and 6 percent for "outstanding" work.

But Pence also told legislators earlier this month this year’s state budget will need to be tight because revenues were less than expected last year (despite some lawmakers’ protests that cuts are unnecessary because of a $2 billion state surplus, according to a Jan. 6 Associated Press article). And more than one BOAH employee is leaving for the private sector or – in the case of a couple of dairy inspectors – to go to work for the state of Michigan.

Marsh said Michigan is being "very aggressive" in recruiting for employees, sometimes offering $10,000-$20,000 there for the same job they performed in Indiana. "We’ve got good people; we know (other states and industry) are looking for them," he said, acknowledging the financial attraction of other employers – not just for BOAH workers, but across state agencies.

And, in making budget cuts, he said inspectors are still necessary because while there are services BOAH can trim or farm out to others – such as checking in animals at county fairs – food safety inspections don’t lend themselves to such "creative solutions." While Indiana can’t pay as much as some neighbors, it needs these workers.

"We’ve been here for 125 years," Marsh said of BOAH, expressing optimism. "We’re not going anywhere. We’ll get through this budget challenge, like others."

The next BOAH meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 9.

1/28/2015