NDA BEGINS WEEKLY BRIEFING ON AVIAN INFLUENZA
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) is issuing weekly updates on its response to Avian Influenza. These updates will be issued every Tuesday to keep the public informed on the progress being made. In the June 2nd update, NDA reported there is 1 new presumptive positive case of HPAI to report. It is located in Dixon County. Dixon 4 is a small flock of mixed fowl that is located within the 6.2 mile radius of the other Dixon County locations. The flock was under quarantine and tested as part of NDA’s surveillance work. The flock will remain under quarantine as NDA waits for final confirmation testing from USDA.
Also, Knox 1 remains under quarantine at this time based on a presumptive positive test last week. Subsequent testing has not confirmed the presumptive positive. This facility remains a suspect flock and will remain under quarantine and continue to undergo regular testing. In consultation with USDA, it has been determined that the site will require 21 days of negative testing before the quarantine can be released. Biosecurity protocols will continue to be exercised out of an abundance of caution until further notice.
As part of NDA’s surveillance work within the 6.2 mile radius of the affected farms, there have been 23 additional farms with poultry that have been quarantined in Dixon County and 29 additional farms with poultry that have been quarantined in Knox County. NDA is working with the Dixon County producers to test their flocks. Testing is on hold at the 29 farms in Knox County due to the lack of USDA confirmation testing at the Knox 1 facility at this time. These farms will remain under quarantine until further notice.
TWO PROBABLE CASES OF HPAI IN IOWA'S CLAY AND HAMILTON COUNTIES
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is responding to two probable cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Clay and Hamilton counties. The Department has quarantined the premise and once the presence of the disease is confirmed, all birds on the property will be humanely euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.
Clay 2 – Pullet farm with an estimated 1.1 million birds that has experienced increased mortality. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.
Hamilton 2 - Turkey farm with an estimated 18,000 birds that has experienced increased mortality. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.
Ginger Langemeier Willson to serve as Sen. Sasse’s Agriculture Policy Director
U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Marketing, and Agriculture Security, announced that Ginger Langemeier Willson will serve as Agriculture Policy Director in his Nebraska and Washington offices.
“Ginger is a dedicated, big-cause, low-ego Nebraskan with a wealth of experience in agriculture policy,” said Sasse. “She will be a tremendous asset to our team as her new role as Agriculture Policy Director will allow her continue working on behalf of our state’s farmers and ranchers.”
Willson will officially begin working on agriculture, environmental, and natural resources policy on June 16. Though based in Lincoln, Willson will travel regularly to Washington, D.C.
“It’s an honor to join Senator Sasse’s team as he works to bring common sense to the Agriculture Committee,” said Willson. “The Senator is committed to serving Nebraska producers and I’m thrilled to help promote responsible policy and keep our state strong.”
Willson was raised on her family's farm in Dodge County and earned a bachelor's degree in public relations from Northwest Missouri State University in 1998.
Prior to joining Senator Sasse’s team, Willson served in the administration of Governor Dave Heineman, both as the Director of the Nebraska Energy Office (2010-2015) and Assistant Director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (2008-2010). Before returning to Nebraska to serve Governor Heineman, Willson worked with the National Pork Producers Council as Deputy Director for Government Relations. Willson also served as the Deputy Chief of staff for then-freshman Congressman Jeff Fortenberry.
During her fifteen years of public service, Willson has worked to provide strategic direction and influenced public policy in the state and federal government. She has a deep appreciation for the people of Nebraska and continues to build relationships with a variety of partners to promote sound agriculture policy that benefits all producers and protects consumer choices.
Willson and her husband Tim will continue living in Lincoln.
Past IPPA president appointed to Pork Board
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced the appointment of a Le Mars hog farmer to the 15-member National Pork Board in Clive.
Bill Tentinger will serve a three-year term on the board. He was nominated by the National Pork Producers Delegate Body at the Pork Industry Forum in San Antonio, Texas, in March.
The National Pork Board develops budgets and awards contracts to carry out coordinated programs designed to strengthen pork’s position in the marketplace. The Pork Board was established under the Pork Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1985.
Tentinger served on the Iowa Pork Producers Association Board of Directors for nearly 10 years and held the office of president in 2012. He has farmed and raised hogs in northwest Iowa for 46 years. Tentinger has 350 sows that produce 7,200 pigs each year. He also purchases an additional 3,000 iso pigs that he finishes to increase his total number marketed annually to 10,000. In addition to raising hogs, Tentinger also grows corn and soybeans.
He is a member of the state corn and soybean associations, as well as Farm Bureau.
Common Swine Industry Audit Training Sessions Offered
The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is partnering with the Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach swine field specialists to offer free training and preparation sessions aimed at helping Iowa pork producers prepare for a Common Swine Industry Audit (CSIA).
Session attendees will have an opportunity to walk through steps of the common audit, evaluate areas for improvement on their farms and customize Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be best prepared for the audit process. Attendees also will be provided a binder and flash drive, including customizable audit materials for their farms, compliments of IPPA, IPIC and the Pork Checkoff.
Sessions are limited to 15 participants and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional sessions and locations may be scheduled based on demand. Pre-registration is required and producers are encouraged to commit their attendance, if registering, to ensure effective utilization of the limited space.
Details here... http://www.iowapork.org/News/4961/CommonSwineIndustryAuditTrainingSessionsOffered.aspx#.VW51LkbwOtA.
It is recommended that producers limit the number of attendees from their farms, or work together at the meetings, to allow for adequate room and materials. Those working with multiple farm-sites or producers should consider sending field staff or individuals that can maximize meeting effectiveness and outreach. A limited number of computers will be provided for attendees. Those attendees with their own laptop computers are encouraged to bring them to the sessions. Producers are reminded to be cognizant of biosecurity and attend the meetings in clean street clothes and footwear.
“We are fortunate to have strong swine resources and outreach from Iowa State University to allow for collaboration on these educational opportunities,” said IPPA President Dave Struthers. “These training sessions and the common audit will continue to demonstrate our industry’s commitment to continuous improvement, social responsibility and production of safe pork.”
At the 2013 National Pork Industry Forum, a producer-directed resolution charged the National Pork Board with exploring a credible, affordable solution to assure on-farm animal well-being while reducing burdens of multiple audits and improving audit expectations and consistency. This spawned the Industry Audit Task Force, which included producers, veterinarians, animal scientists, retail and foodservice personnel and packer representatives. IPPA delegates passed a similar resolution at their annual meeting in January 2013.
“Industry stakeholders needed a consistent, reliable and verifiable way to assure on-farm animal well-being and pre-harvest food safety,” said National Pork Board President Dale Norton. “It was important to eliminate duplication and administrative burdens placed on producers.”
The goal was to develop a consensus on consistent on-farm auditing standards using the Pork Quality Assurance® Plus and Transport Quality Assurance® programs as a foundation. The result is the Common Swine Industry Audit, which was announced at the 2014 World Pork Expo. It has been tested on farms and is now ready to be implemented by producers and packers across the country.
“The common audit incorporates scientific evidence, ethics and economics, which must be balanced for the pork industry to remain sustainable,” said Sherrie Webb, the Pork Checkoff’s animal welfare director. “As a third-party audit, it provides assurance of farmers’ and processors’ commitment to animal well-being and pre-harvest food safety.”
For more information, please contact IPPA at (515) 225-7675 or e-mail tbettin@iowapork.org
Water Quality and Ag Field Day for Iowa's Legislators
The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and the Iowa Land Improvement Contractors Association (LICA) hosted several state and federal legislators at a water quality and ag field day on Friday, May 29 at the LICA farm located northeast of Des Moines near Melbourne.
“Iowa farmers continue to invest in technologies and practices to improve water quality. Today’s event showcases these technologies so that legislators can understand the need for research, incentives, and technical assistance. Water quality benefits extend beyond the farm and voluntary conservation allows for flexibility in fitting the right technologies on individual farms,” says Jerry Mohr, a farmer from Eldridge, Iowa and current ICGA President.
Farmers, contractors, and conservation experts discussed with legislators how the practices work, construction, costs, and cost-share programs available. Conservation partners included Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Services Agency, Conservation Districts of Iowa, Agri Drain, and AgSolver.
Those in attendance for the LICA farm tour included:
David Young, U.S. Congressman
Charlie Johnson (U.S Congressman Young staff)
John Ferland and Justin Bryant (U.S. Congressman Blum staff)
State Senator Kevin Kinney
State Representatives Dave Deyoe, John Landon, and Dave Maxwell
The LICA farm has a variety of water quality practices employed on an 80 acre farm including wetlands, terraces, sediment control basins, grassed waterways, water control structures, bioreactors, and a rain garden. In addition to touring the farm, educational displays were available in the farm’s machine shed.
Meat Substitution Effects ...
Glynn T. Tonsor, Associate Professor, Dept of Ag Econ, Kansas State University
Among the many issues generating anxiety for some industry stakeholders is the possible impact on retail beef prices (and hence derived prices at wholesale and live animal levels) of changes in available supplies of competing meats. While this is a long-standing topic, the combination of increased domestic pork and poultry production, reduced meat exports reflecting exchange rate adjustments, and extended impacts on exports from Avian Influenza outbreaks have further elevated interest. Accordingly it is useful to step back and consider retail-level substitution of competing meat products in more detail.
At the heart of this discussion is an expectation that an environment of "expensive" beef products coupled with growing domestic availability of "less expensive" pork and poultry products will lead to substantial substitution away from beef offerings. While relative-price effects are indeed worth monitoring, it is also important to consider longer-term adjustments in the U.S. public's willingness to substitute pork or poultry for beef.
First, consider two prominent meat demand studies published in the mid-1990s. Utilizing data spanning from 1970 to 1993, research by Brester and Schroeder (1995) indicates pork and poultry are substitutes for beef. Similarly, Kinnucan et al. (1997) find evidence of pork and poultry being beef substitutes examining the 1976-1993 period. These findings, driven by data 20 to 45 years old, are aligned with current concerns about substitution away from beef.
Conversely consider two alternative studies published this decade. Tonsor, Mintert, and Schroeder (2010) utilized data from 1982-2007 to estimate similar meat demand models and did not find statistical evidence of pork and poultry being substitutes for beef. Research by Tonsor and Olynk (2011) used 1982-2008 data and reached the same conclusion as Tonsor, Mintert, and Schroeder (2010).
While a much more extensive literature review and empirical assessment on changes in retail-level substitution effects would certainly be valuable it is beyond the scope this article. Nonetheless, the clear implication of changes suggested by these four studies is that the magnitude of substitution from beef to competing meat products may well be declining over time. When one observes the increased prevalence of dual-income households, adjustments in food-away-from home consumption, etc. over the past couple decades a strong argument can be made that significant change in meat purchasing patterns has occurred leading U.S. consumers to be less sensitive to relative prices of competing meats than they used to be.
While there will always be an economically relevant impact of developments in the pork and poultry industry on the beef industry, there is no reason to believe those impacts must be the same as they were in the past. Similarly, it is not written in stone that future impacts across industries will resemble those observed today. All industry stakeholders are encouraged to recognize these broader changes and implications.
Pork Continues to Adjust from PED
The pork industry continues to adjust from the supply shock created by the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) virus last year. Live prices peaked in the summer of 2014 as PED losses mounted and then fell into the late winter of 2015. Purdue University Extension economist Chris Hurt says looking back, it seems that prices overshot on the high side due to PED, then undershot early this year as market supplies were restored. The third phase of this cycle now seems to be the recent recovery in prices from their undershooting.
Hurt reported that live hog price peaks were near $100 per hundredweight in July 2014, then prices fell to as low as about $45 by late March 2015. Now they have recovered to the low $60s.
"The low prices in March were clearly related to the 14 percent higher production for that month compared to levels and market concerns the previous year that pork supplies were going to remain higher by 10 percent or more into the spring," Hurt said. "The recent recovery in hog prices apparently is related to the fact that supplies have not been that high. April pork production was up 8 percent and May was about 6 percent higher and in alignment with the last inventory count from USDA.
"If those inventory counts continue to hold, then second-quarter pork production will be up by 6 percent, the third quarter up by 7 percent, and the final quarter of the year up only 4 percent," Hurt said.
According to Hurt, lighter marketing weights contributed to the lower-than-expected supplies. Hog producers began marketing at sharply higher weights in the fall of 2013 as feed prices finally started downward. The PED-related losses of baby pigs that fall and into the spring of 2014 served to increase hog prices sharply but also gave affected producers more finishing space. They used that space to keep hogs on feed for longer periods with the reduced feed prices. In 2013, live weights averaged 276 pounds, but that level increased to 285 pounds in 2014, a 3 percent increase. In mid-April this year, weights dropped below year-previous levels and may average near 1 percent lower for the remainder of the year.
Live hog prices in the first quarter of the year were $48.47, according to USDA. Prices are expected to average near $58 in the second and third quarters, drop to about $51 in the last quarter of the year, and decline to the higher $40s for the first quarter of 2016.
Total costs of production estimates are near $51 per live hundredweight, and live hog prices are expected to average $53.50 for the year. "If this happens, it would mean an average profit of about $7 per head for the year with the strongest of those profits around $18 per head in the second and third quarters," Hurt said.
The final quarter of the year is expected to be near breakeven with $9 per head losses returning for the first quarter of 2016.
Hurt said continued reductions in feed costs are critical for hog prices to stay above costs for the rest of the year. "Current feed costs are the lowest in five years dating back to the spring of 2010. Production prospects for the 2015 corn and soybean crops are favorable at this time, but everyone knows that weather during the next 90 days will largely determine final yields and be a major factor in feed price determination," he said.
Pork prices have also moderated for consumers. Retail pork prices, as measured by USDA's estimate of retail composite prices, peaked in 2014 at $4.01 per pound, a 10 percent increase for the year. The highest monthly prices were reached in September 2014 at $4.22 per pound. "Between September and April, they have fallen each month to $3.77 per pound, an 11 percent drop from the peak," Hurt said. "In contrast, retail beef prices continue to rise. Beef prices rose 13 percent in 2014 and have risen an additional 2 percent since last September. Retail beef prices in April 2015 were $6.40 per pound, which is in sharp contrast to pork at $3.77 a pound."
The next important report for the pork industry is the USDA's June Hogs and Pigs report to be released on June 26.
"Producers reported in the March update that they intended to reduce this summer's farrowings by 2 percent," Hurt said. "This was a surprise given the generally profitable industry since mid-2013. If farrowings should actually expand, this would increase pork production early next year and keep a bearish cast over the industry to start 2016."
NCGA, ASA: IARC Pesticide Findings Create Confusion, Fear Among Consumers
National Corn Growers Association President Chip Bowling and American Soybean Association Chairman Ray Gaesser issued the following statement in anticipation of a second finding by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that would classify another safe, important pesticide as a probable carcinogen:
“Like anyone who creates something, farmers need tools to produce a safe and healthy crop. Today, many consumers have questions and concerns about how food is produced. That’s why it is important to us to share information with consumers so they have a better understanding of why and how we use the different seeds and crop protection chemicals. We are concerned, however, that a pending announcement from the U.N. World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer will only lead to more confusion and concern about two widely-used herbicides that have been mainstays for farmers for decades. These two substances play an especially important role in corn and soybean farming as they allow us to manage weeds in a sustainable way.
“The IARC exists to review health and safety data to decide whether something could (not will or is even likely to) be carcinogenic. IARC creates confusion and unnecessary fear amongst the public by using narrowly-focused data removed from real-world situations to find almost everything that it reviews as potentially carcinogenic, including drinking coffee, using aloe vera, or working the late shift.
“IARC does not take the regulations and use patterns around herbicides that allow them to be implemented safely into consideration.
“While IARC may be fulfilling its narrow charge, its findings are easily misrepresented and misunderstood.
“That’s what happened recently with IARC’s review of the herbicide glyphosate, the generic form of Roundup®, Touchdown® and several other branded herbicides. IARC classified glyphosate as a “probable carcinogen.” Following the IARC report, activists called for EPA to consider immediately pulling glyphosate from the market despite an overwhelming response from scientists acknowledging the safety of the product. We’re concerned the same thing may happen again this month when IARC is going to release the findings of its review of several more substances, including 2,4-D, dicamba and other crop protection tools.
“These important herbicides – glyphosate, 2,4-D and others under review – have been the subject of hundreds of scientific studies and regulatory reviews. Government regulatory agencies charged with protection of public health in more than 100 countries have evaluated the science and concluded that 2,4-D and glyphosate do not increase health risks when used as directed. In fact, no government in the world considers them carcinogens. That includes U.S. EPA, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada and the World Health Organization (yes, the same World Health Organization that oversees IARC).
“Farmers across the country work the land with their families and aim to pass it on to the next generation. We place a high value on the safety of the products we use and the crops we grow because we value the safety of both our families and yours. We urge IARC and all those interpreting its findings to take care: When groups with an activist agenda mislead the public on safety issues, they create confusion and panic that minimizes the time and attention that can be devoted to real health and environmental risks.”
Apply Now for the 2015-16 ASA DuPont Young Leader Program
The American Soybean Association (ASA) and DuPont are seeking applicants for the 2016 ASA DuPont Young Leader Program.
For more than 30 years, the ASA DuPont Young Leader program has identified and developed grower leaders that continue to shape the future of agriculture.
“The ASA DuPont Young Leader program has been a game changer for not only the soybean industry but all of agriculture,” said ASA President Wade Cowan (Texas). “The program provides industry-leading training that helps unleash participant’s leadership potential while fostering collaboration among farmers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Grower participants gain experience and build life-long friendships. From the time the program began in 1984, it has recognized the important roles that women and young farmers play in agriculture and we are proud of the strength of that heritage. We’re also extremely grateful to DuPont for their longstanding support of the program.”
The ASA DuPont Young Leader program is a challenging and educational two-part training program. Phase I of the training takes place at the DuPont Pioneer headquarters in Johnston, Iowa, Dec. 1 – 4, 2015. The program continues March 1 – 4, 2016 in New Orleans, La., with training held in conjunction with the 21st annual Commodity Classic Convention and Trade Show.
“DuPont is committed to our continued partnership with The American Soybean Association in support of the DuPont Young Leader program,” said Jim Hay, director, North America Crop Protection. “Every year we look forward to meeting and working with the class of talented young soybean leaders who will help define the future of agriculture’s success.”
Grower couples and individuals are encouraged to apply for the program which focuses on leadership and communication, agricultural information and the development of a strong peer network. ASA, its 26 state affiliates, including the Grain Farmers of Ontario and DuPont, will work together to identify the top producers to represent their state as part of this program.
“The opportunity to learn in depth about issues facing soybean farmers was invaluable. Through the DuPont Young Leader program, we were able to gain a greater understanding of the roles in leadership in the soybean industry,” said LaVell Winsor (KS). “We appreciated meeting soybean farmer leaders, and gaining an understanding of how they are representing growers. Equally important was the opportunity to meet other farmers who are up and coming leaders in the soybean industry. We highly encourage other farmers to participate in the DuPont Young Leader program in the future.”
Applications are being accepted online now! Visit https://soygrowers.com/learn/young-leader-program/.
Over 150 Animal and Health Stakeholders Join White House Effort to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
(from White House Press Secretary)
As part of the continued effort to combat antibiotic resistance, today the Obama Administration is convening a “White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship” to bring together key human and animal health constituencies involved in antibiotic stewardship—the development, promotion, and implementation of activities to ensure the responsible use of antibiotics. As part of the event, more than 150 food companies, retailers, and human and animal health stakeholders will highlight commitments to implement changes over the next five years to slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections.
In addition, today the President will sign a memorandum directing Federal departments and agencies to create a preference for meat and poultry produced according to responsible antibiotic-use. The Presidential Food Service is also committing to serving meats and poultry that have not been treated with hormones or antibiotics. Separately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will announce that it has finalized changes to the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) regulation, an important piece of FDA’s overall strategy to promote the judicious use of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals as it facilitates bringing the feed-use of such antibiotics under the oversight of licensed veterinarians.
Today’s convening builds on a number of steps the Administration has taken to combat antibiotic resistance. In September 2014, President Obama signed Executive Order 13676 prioritizing Federal efforts to combat the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Administration also issued the National Strategy on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released a report with recommendations to address the crisis of the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. In March 2015, the Administration released the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, a comprehensive plan that identifies critical actions for key Federal departments and agencies to enhance diagnosis and treatment and limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause two million illnesses and about 23,000 deaths each year in the United States alone.
Creating a Preference for Meat and Poultry Produced According to Responsible Antibiotic-Use Policies Presidential Memorandum:
The Presidential Memorandum (PM) signed today by President Obama directs Federal departments and agencies to create a preference for meat and poultry produced according to responsible antibiotic-use in the meat supply chain by supporting the emerging market for meat produced according to responsible antibiotic-use policies. To achieve this goal, the PM directs a three-tiered, phased approach using Federal purchasing authorities to offer options for meats from animals raised according to responsible antibiotic-use policies within Federal agencies’ facilities. Specifically, the three phases include:
1. Initiating a process within 120 days of issuance of the proposed memorandum to make available meats and poultry from animals raised according to responsible antibiotic-use policies in certain Federal cafeterias. The General Services Administration (GSA), which operates a significant number of Federal cafeterias, will lead this approach, although other departments and agencies may join;
2. Broadening the availability of meats and poultry produced according to responsible antibiotic-use policies for sale in all Federal cafeterias serving civilian Federal employees by 2018 for poultry and 2020 for other meats, not solely those operated by GSA; and
3. Developing an acquisition strategy for applying a preference by 2020 in Federal acquisitions for meats and poultry produced according to responsible antibiotic-use policies sold or served in all Federal facilities.
Private Sector Commitments:
Private sector participation is essential to our Nation’s success in preventing, detecting, and responding to antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and in preserving the efficacy of our existing antibiotics while enhancing the innovation and development of new antibiotics, therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccines. Below are key highlights from over 150 formal commitments made by business leaders in an effort to improve antibiotic use, prescribing and slow the rise of antibiotic resistant infections that threaten modern medicine. These represent only a portion of the outpouring of private sector commitment and leadership to implement robust antibiotic stewardship practices and to enhance education efforts and programs across all sectors.
Hospitals, Health Systems, Long-term Care, and Pharmacies. Improving antibiotic prescribing practices in human medicine protects patients from unnecessary risk for preventable allergic reactions, antibiotic-resistant infections, and deadly diarrhea. A number of healthcare-related entities are making significant commitments to enhance stewardship practices. For example in addition to continuing current collaborations with CDC:
· Ascension Health will, establish facility-based antimicrobial stewardship programs in all Ascension hospitals and adopt the CDC’s Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs, submit antibiotic use and resistance data to CDC, plus regularly evaluate facility antibiograms (the result of a laboratory test for the sensitivity of an isolated bacterial strain to different antibiotics).
· Hospital Corporation of America will develop and implement new clinical decision support and real-time antibiogram tracking to rapidly respond to lab results, catch bug-drug mismatches, implement strategy to prevent health-care associated infections in adult intensive care unit patients, and strengthen national efforts to identify and report cases of antibiotic resistance.
· Intermountain Healthcare will reduce inappropriate outpatient antibiotic use for upper respiratory conditions by 50% by 2020, ensure all Intermountain Healthcare acute care hospitals have antimicrobial stewardship programs by the end of 2017, plus support telemedicine efforts to extend infectious disease expertise to rural healthcare settings.
· Kaiser Permanente will support antibiotic stewardship programs and guide prescribing practices for antimicrobials at every Kaiser Medical Center with electronic alerts, order sets, etc.
Pharmaceutical, Diagnostics, Vaccine, Data Companies. With better and faster tests, prescribers can get patients the right medicine at the right time when necessary. Information about the number of resistant pathogens at facility, state and national levels helps clinicians have a sense of what drugs are not working in their area. A number of pharmaceutical-related companies are committing to address this challenge, including:
· BD Diagnostics will develop rapid carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae diagnostic tests, new antibiotics to test antibiotic susceptibility testing platforms, and molecular multidrug resistant-tuberculosis diagnostic test to simultaneously test patients for bacteria and resistance, and pioneer new ways to examine and reduce C. difficile healthcare-associated infections.
· BioMerieux will produce a real-time antibiotic surveillance system; collaborate with the U.S. government to ensure next-generation sequence-based typing of pathogens to track patterns; create high-medical-value multiplex assays combining host resistance markers, pathogen detection and antimicrobial resistance markers to rapidly diagnose (within approximately 1 hour) the cause of an infection to more accurately tailor empiric and definitive therapy; and validate biomarkers that can differentiate bacterial from viral infections in large cohorts to determine best combination of markers in a single rapid diagnostic assay.
Clinical Societies, Non-profits, and Foundations. Human health and veterinary professionals look to clinical societies, non-profits, and foundations to identify best practices and practical guidance for antibiotic stewardship efforts in their field. Over 24 non-profit organizations, consumer and patient advocates, and foundations are committing to advocate and support innovative changes in practice related to antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance, including:
· ABIM Foundation Choosing Wisely Initiative with Consumer Reports will operate a grant program in which more than 20 participating health systems, hospitals, and medical groups will work toward a goal of reducing their utilization of antibiotics to treat viral infections in adults.
· Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education will identify and disseminate targeted antibiotic stewardship information to faculty, residents, and fellows, reaching over 122,000 residents and fellows in over 9,500 programs in pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, surgery and more.
· American Society of Consultant Pharmacists will educate clinical staff using the CDC’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for guidance, including tracking and reporting antibiotic prescribing patterns and committing to taking a leadership role in ensuring appropriate dissemination of information.
· Pediatric Infectious Disease Society will assure that adult-based hospitals that care for children have effective antimicrobial stewardship for their pediatric patients, plus support clinical studies to optimize antibiotic use in children.
· Society of Hospital Medicine will, in addition to continuing current collaborations with CDC on this issue, create a Society of Hospital Medicine Behavior Change (Awareness) Campaign to enhance hospitalists’ awareness of key antibiotic use best practices and ask them to formally commit to at least two behavior changes to reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use and reduce antimicrobial resistance.
Livestock and Poultry Farmers, Food Producers, and Retailers. Major stakeholders have already taken action or are committing to voluntarily phase out the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion, only accepting product from suppliers that have stopped the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion, or funding research for alternatives and instituting a company-wide policy to eliminate all medically-important antibiotics by a target date. The organizations making some of the most significant commitments to address this challenge include:
· Foster Farms this year is beginning to emphasize preventative flock health programs, proper nutrition, and advanced husbandry practices to protect and preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics, while ensuring the welfare of their chicken flocks. Foster Farms will only treat chickens that have a documented microbial disease or for disease control as dictated by a veterinarian, and will never use antibiotics critically important for human medicine.
· McDonald’s will establish principles and criteria for antimicrobial use; develop field projects to serve as Centers of Innovation (that is, demonstration farms) for each species in an effort to demonstrate the benefits of judicious antimicrobial use; and develop methods to verify judicious antimicrobial use and establish goals for measuring progress.
· Panera Bread has extended its “raised without antibiotics protein” offerings to include roasted turkey, smoked chicken, breakfast sausage, ham and bacon. Panera has committed to purchasing livestock and poultry that have been raised responsibly, which for Panera means having been fed vegetarian-based and customized diets without the use of antibiotics, and raised in reduced-stress environments. Today, all chicken, ham, roasted turkey, and breakfast sausage in salads and sandwiches meet their standard.
· Tyson Foods, Inc. will eliminate the use of human antibiotics from its U.S. broiler chicken flocks by September, 2017. Tyson Foods will also work with independent farmers and others who are a part of Tyson’s beef, pork, and turkey supply chains on ways to reduce antibiotics on cattle, hog, and turkey farms.
· Smithfield has already acted and today prohibits the use of medically important antimicrobials for production purposes (growth promotion and feed efficiency) in their animals. Smithfield has committed to a partnership this year with the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, in part, to investigate alternatives to antibiotics and other methods to enhance animal well-being and production efficiency in swine-rearing operations. Smithfield is providing meaningful, accurate measurement on antibiotic use information to the public on its website and has robust training programs for its employees on antibiotic use.
· Walmart is asking suppliers to adopt and implement the Judicious Use Principles of Antimicrobial Use from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) including accurate record-keeping, veterinary oversight, and limiting antimicrobial treatment to animals that are ill or at risk.
Animal Pharmaceutical Companies, Veterinary and Animal Agriculture Associations, and Industry Organizations. Today, 10 organizations will announce they have committed to work with veterinarians and feed mill operators to ensure swift and seamless adoption of the FDA’s guidance to align their medically important antibiotic products with FDA’s final rule on veterinary feed directive and data collection, including removing growth promotion uses and changing marketing status to require veterinary oversight of product use. They are investing in vaccines, best management practices, on-farm hygiene, and proper nutritional innovations that will benefit animal health while lessening the reliance on traditional antibiotics. The organizations making some of the most significant commitments to address this challenge include:
· Elanco Animal Health will dedicate two-thirds of their food animal research budget to attack disease challenges where shared class antibiotics are used routinely because few or no alternatives exist today. Elanco will quickly evaluate 25 new technology platforms to deliver 10 viable development candidates within the next year.
· Merck Animal Health developed a commercial surveillance program to monitor multi-drug resistant bacteria, across live animal, beef, and dairy production. The outcome of this investment is expected to be a program that can be implemented by veterinarians to understand the pathogens present, throughout the animal’s lifecycle, and to make protocol recommendations that are based on actual pathogen populations, and their relative susceptibility. By implementing this potential surveillance program, veterinarians will be able to provide targeted, responsible treatments with antibiotics and other therapeutics when needed.
· Zoetis committed to place the administration of medically important antibiotics under the direct purview of a veterinarian for the purpose of fighting disease – thereby eliminating their use for growth promotion. Along with this commitment, Zoetis will work directly with veterinarians and livestock producers to implement these important changes to how our products are utilized in food producing animals.
Call to Action, Comprehensive Commitment.
There is more work to be done to strengthen nationwide antibiotic stewardship programs, tracking of antibiotic use, to get faster and better tests to better tailor disease treatment, and understand the drivers of antibiotic resistance. Combating antibiotic resistance and improving antibiotic use requires commitments across a vast variety of sectors and disciplines. Below is a comprehensive list of companies and organizations that have committed to help thwart the public health and national security threat posed by antibiotic resistant bacteria.
All Committed Organizations
AARP
Abbott/Ibis Biosciences
ABIM Foundation (Choosing Wisely)
Accelerate
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Achaogen
Actavis
AdvaMedDX
Advancing Excellence in Long-Term Care Collaborative
Alere
ALK-Abello
Alliance for Aging Research
Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
America’s Essential Hospitals
American Academy of Emergency Medicine
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Physician Assistants
American Animal Hospital Association
American Association of Avian Pathologists
American Association of Bovine Practitioners
American Association of Nurse Practitioners
American Association of Swine Veterinarians
American College of Physicians
American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine
American Dental Association
American Feed Industry Association
American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living
American Hospital Association
American Medical Association
American Medical Directors Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Public Health Association
American Society for Microbiology
American Society of Consultant Pharmacists
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
American Veterinary Medical Association
Animal Health Institute
Anthem
Ascension Healthcare
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
Association of Public Health Laboratories
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
AstraZeneca
Banfield Pet Hospital
BD Diagnostics
Bell & Evans
BioMerieux
Cargill
CareFusion
Carolinas Medical Center
Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy
Cepheid
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute
Clorox Company
Consumers Union/Consumer Reports
Costco
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
CVS Health/Minute Clinic
Elanco Animal Health
Farm Foundation
Federation of Animal Science Societies
Foster Farms
Galderma Laboratories
Genesis Healthcare
GOJO
George Washington University Milken School of Public Health Antibiotic Resistance Action Center
Hospital Corporation of America
IMS Health©
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Intermountain Healthcare
JBS
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Johnson & Johnson
Kaiser Permanente
McDonald’s
Medscape/WebMD
Melinta
Merck/Cubist
Merck Animal Health
NACDS Foundation
Nanosphere
National Association for the Advancement of Animal Science
National Association of Chain Drug Stores
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration in Long Term Care
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
National Chicken Council
National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
National Grain and Feed Association
National Milk Producers Federation
National Pork Board
National Pork Producers Council
National Quality Forum
National Turkey Federation
Nile's Project
North American Meat Institute
OpGen
Panera Bread
PDI Healthcare
Pediatric Infectious Disease Society
Peggy Lillis Foundation
Perdue
Premier Healthcare Alliance
Procter & Gamble
Reckitt-Benckiser
Safe Care Campaign
Sanofi Pasteur
School Food Focus
Shionogi
Smithfield
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
Society of Hospital Medicine
Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
The Joint Commission
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Theravance BioPharma
TridentUSA
Trust for America’s Health
Tyson
University of Pennsylvania Health System
VCA Pet Hospitals
Volunteer Hospital Association
Walgreens/Take Care Clinics
Walmart
What to Expect Foundation
Zoetis
Cattlemen Highlight BQA at White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship
Today, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association participated in the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship in Washington D.C. Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Kathy Simmons and Dr. Mike Apley, a cattle producer and veterinarian from Kansas attended and participated in the meeting on behalf of NCBA. NCBA President and Chugwater, Wyoming, cattleman Philip Ellis said this was a great opportunity to highlight what the cattle industry is doing to support the judicious use of these technologies.
“NCBA takes our commitment for antimicrobial stewardship very seriously and seeks to educate our members, consumers, regulators, legislators and the general public on the merits of appropriate antimicrobial drug use within the diversified sectors of the beef industry,” said Ellis. “The NCBA Cattle Health and Well-being Committee works to educate members at conferences and conventions on the latest information regarding antimicrobial drug use and the complex problem of increasing numbers of antibiotic resistant bacteria in both human and veterinary medicine.”
A significant part of the Beef Quality Assurance program involves antimicrobial stewardship training on the appropriate use and administration of these technologies. BQA stresses the need for good stewardship, including: honoring withdrawal times, prevention of environmental contamination, the need for good record-keeping and a strong veterinarian-client-patient relationship.
“NCBA supports actions based on sound, peer-reviewed science and risk assessment relative to the use of antibiotics or other drugs,” said Ellis. “We encourage the appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs through the guidance offered in the BQA program. Antimicrobial resistance is a complex and multi-faceted problem that is best addressed in a One Health approach that brings together stakeholders from human medicine, veterinary medicine and environmental science.”
While NCBA has been focused on stewardship for decades, last year NCBA organized research advisory groups composed of a wide range of researchers within the agricultural community to direct the planning for future antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance research activities. The Administration also released the final rule for the Veterinary Feed Directive, aiming to place antibiotic stewardship in the hands of veterinarians.
“While we will continue to review the final rule, NCBA supports the judicious use of antimicrobial technologies and sound peer-reviewed scientific principals as outlined in the BQA program,” said Ellis. “Our policy supports ensuring that producers have access to the technologies needed to maintain a safe and healthy herd, as herd health is critical to our top priority, ensuring a safe food supply. NCBA will continue to work with FDA and our membership to support the implementation of FDA Guidance 209/213 to bring the medically-important antibiotics used in feed and water under veterinary oversight and to eliminate the use of these drugs for feed efficiency and growth promotion by December 2016.”
AVMA welcomes release of federal rule focused on the judicious use of antibiotics in food animals
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) today applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its release of the Veterinary Feed Directive final rule, which will cement veterinary oversight of medically important antibiotics used in feed for food animals, ensuring the protection of animal health and welfare as well as food safety and public health. The AVMA’s early and ongoing collaboration with the FDA has helped ensure that the rule is practical and in the best interests of animal health, public health and the veterinary profession.
The FDA, according to AVMA Chief Executive Officer Dr. Ron DeHaven, has worked hard to expedite the process, which will help veterinarians and food producers around the country as they prepare for the 2017 implementation of widespread changes in how antibiotics are used in food-animal production.
“The veterinary feed directive (VFD) is integral to the implementation of the guidance documents, and we are pleased to have had the opportunity to provide valuable input into the regulation. This is a great example of how collaboration by the FDA with stakeholders has brought about meaningful improvements and a successful outcome,” DeHaven said. “Antibiotic resistance is a threat that the veterinary profession takes very seriously, and that’s why the nation’s veterinarians have been, and remain, engaged with the FDA and food producers to ensure that livestock are healthy and that our food supply stays safe by overseeing the use of antibiotics to ensure appropriate use.”
The VFD mandates how medically important antibiotics given to food animals are to be used and distributed to producers. Through the VFD, producers must obtain veterinary approval prior to using medicated feeds containing medically important antibiotics. The VFD final rule contains a provision related to the veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) that the AVMA considers to be particularly critical. The provision states that veterinarians must follow state laws related to the VCPR provided that the state’s VCPR requirements are applicable to the VFD. Otherwise, veterinarians must meet the criteria for the federally defined VCPR to issue an order for a VFD drug.
“This provision, which the AVMA fully supports, provides for both flexibility and consistency in how veterinarians and food producers can work in accordance with both the letter and the spirit of the FDA guidance,” DeHaven said. “This is really a milestone in the antimicrobial resistance strategy. Veterinary oversight is critical to ensuring appropriate judicious use, and this provision provides clarity to those who will be responsible for it.”
The AVMA worked closely with state veterinary medical associations to alert the states on the need for a VCPR requirement at the state level to ensure that veterinary oversight would be clearly mandated at every level when the VFD process is fully implemented.
“When state VCPRs complement federal regulations, everyone wins; it strengthens and supports the goals of the program to ensure healthy animals, a safe food supply and the reduction of antibiotic resistance,” DeHaven said. “Whether it’s for use in people or animals, the nation’s veterinarians support the judicious use of antibiotics to prevent, control, and treat diseases. Veterinarians want to help ensure that antibiotics remain an important part of preventing and treating diseases in both humans and animals.”
The AVMA is reviewing the entire contents of the final rule and will be submitting official comment to it.
For more information on antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance, visit the AVMA’s web site at avma.org/antibioticuse.
Elanco Announces Comprehensive Antibiotic Stewardship Plan, Significant Research Effort
Today, Elanco Animal Health, a division of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), will participate in the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship where Elanco President Jeff Simmons will participate in a panel discussion. Concurrently, Simmons is unveiling the company’s multi-faceted approach to combat the growing concern about antibiotic resistance. A summary of Simmons’ remarks follows:
In the next few decades, demand for animal protein will climb 60 percent1 as population increases and the global middle class expands by three billion people2. These numbers are important, because we’re already overusing the Earth’s resources, consuming about 1.5 times the natural resources we should use in a year3. Delivering safe, sufficient, affordable protein to feed the growing population has never been at greater risk.
The welfare of animals we rely upon to provide protein is also at risk. Today, we have emerging diseases on every continent, including the extreme of avian influenza right here in the United States. Beyond that – nearly 3 in 4 cattle experience symptoms of respiratory disease4 at some point in their life and 1 in 6 dairy cattle experience mastitis5 in their productive life. It is our industry’s responsibility to keep animals healthy and treat the ones that get sick while safeguarding antibiotics for future generations through responsible use. Ultimately, this is about One Health – not just animal health, but this work creates healthy food, ensures the health of people and protects the planet.
Elanco has committed to an eight-step antibiotic stewardship plan that ensures the responsible use of antibiotics, reduces shared-class antibiotic use and replaces antibiotics with alternatives.
Elanco’s Eight-Step Antibiotic Stewardship Plan
Act with responsibility globally - not just according to U.S. regulation - by working with food producers and retailers to provide training and encourage policies that reduce shared-class antibiotic use and increase veterinarian oversight.
Cease marketing of growth promotion uses for shared-class antibiotics and complete full regulatory change to end growth promotion use of shared-class antibiotics globally by the end of 2016.
Help customers eliminate continuous use of shared-class antibiotics for therapy purposes by providing an alternative.
Eliminate over-the-counter sales of shared-class antibiotics globally - including injectable products - where veterinarian oversight exists.
Eliminate concurrent use of shared-class antibiotics to treat the same disease.
Support veterinary oversight and responsible use, including helping build infrastructure globally.
Develop new animal-only antibiotics. No animal should ever be treated with a shared-class antibiotic if an animal-only option exists. Animal-only antibiotics optimize animal welfare without compromising human use antibiotics.
Create alternatives. Elanco commits to invest two-thirds of our food animal research budget to quickly evaluate 25 candidates and deliver 10 viable non-antibiotic development projects that address diseases where there are few, or no, alternatives to shared-class antibiotics. (Respiratory disease and enteric disease in cattle, swine and poultry and mastitis in cattle.)
In one year, Elanco will host an animal health accountability summit to provide a progress report on our effort to deliver non-antibiotic alternatives. Along the way, we will collaborate with customers, academics and appropriate regulatory authorities, which will include establishing an expert advisory panel. Finally, Elanco will collaborate with our industry association and other technology companies to advance this effort as quickly as possible.
It is important that we don’t enact regulations or policies that move faster than available science, which could jeopardize animal health as well as food safety and food security. Setting timelines without solutions could be dangerous, compromising animal welfare. Policies that require complete elimination of all antibiotics in animal production aren’t right for the animal and they aren’t right for the consumer either. We must take a pragmatic approach that doesn’t put animals at risk.
This is a challenging endeavor not without risk, but with intentional focus, dedicated investment and collaboration from an event like today, we believe we can make a difference, shaping a positive future with better health outcomes for people and animals.
CHS Acquires Second Ethanol Plant in Illinois
CHS Inc. announced it has acquired the Patriot Renewable Fuels ethanol plant from Patriot Holdings, LLC, Annawan, Ill.
The Annawan facility produces 125 million gallons of ethanol annually, and is the second ethanol plant that CHS has purchased. In June 2014, CHS acquired the former Illinois River Energy plant at Rochelle, Ill.
"CHS will pursue ethanol manufacturing ownership in strategic current and new geographies that allow us to add value for our owners across our ag business and energy enterprise from inputs to value-added fuel and feed ingredients to the marketplace," said Gary Anderson, CHS senior vice president, North America grain marketing and renewable fuels.
Gene Griffith, Patriot Holdings, LLC, chairman, president and CEO said CHS was a marketer of the plant's DDGS (distillers dried grains with solubles) and ethanol products.
The facility will be rebranded as CHS. Its 68 employees will become CHS employees.
Brazil Posts Record Soybean Exports In May
Brazil posted a monthly record for soybean exports in May, highlighting strong Chinese demand and the increased efficiency of the ports.
The world's No. 2 soy producer shipped 9.3 million metric tons last month, up from 6.6 mmt in April and smashing the previous monthly record of 8.3 mmt set in April 2014.
Chinese demand for Brazilian beans has been strong for the past few months. This is reflected in strong premiums at Brazilian ports. Soybeans were quoted 56 cents per bushel over Chicago for June delivery in Paranagua Monday compared with a 38-cent discount a year ago. Premiums are being offered despite ample availability. Brazil has just harvested a record crop of 93 mmt to 95 mmt, up around 10% on last year.
Normally, April is the peak month for Brazilian shipments but delays in the harvest and a truckers' strike in February caused exporters to delay cargoes. As such, there was greater-than-normal pressure on infrastructure in May, which ship line-ups indicate will extend into June.
Brazil will export 48.0 mmt of soybeans in the 2015-16 season, up from 45.7 mmt last year.
NFU Applauds Introduction of the Young Farmer Success Act
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson today applauded the introduction of the Young Farmer Success Act of 2015 by Representatives Chris Gibson, R-New York, and Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, a bill that will add farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.
“Across the country the average age of farmers is increasing,” noted Johnson. “The agriculture sector needs new and beginning farmers to offset farmers transitioning out of agriculture, but the hurdles for new and beginning farmers have only become higher as students are graduating with more and more loan debt. NFU applauds the introduction of the Young Farmer Success Act, which will aid the transition of the next generation of farmers into agriculture.”
Johnson noted that the Class of 2014 graduated with an average debt of $33,000. It is part of an upward trend in which each successive class surpasses the last with a higher average of student loan indebtedness.
“It is widely acknowledged that student debt has ripples across the economy, including within agriculture, which already grapples with a higher level of indebtedness,” said Johnson. “The Young Farmer Success Act would add farmers to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, an existing program that currently includes professions such as government service, teaching and nursing.
“There should be no doubt that farmers provide a public service. Ensuring that the next generation of new and beginning farmers can enter agricultural is of critical importance to our nation’s food security and wellbeing,” he said.
Webinar to Assist Potential Applicants for Conservation Funding
Regional Conservation Partnership Program to make $235 Million Available to Partners
An upcoming webinar on the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) will help potential applicants as they seek available funding. During the current round, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest up to $235 million to improve the nation's water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural production. Partners will match the Federal investment.
"This webinar is a great opportunity to directly engage with our partners," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Our goal is to leverage available Federal funding and produce more high-performing on-the-ground conservation solutions."
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will host the webinar, open to both conservation partners and the general public, on Thursday, June 4, 2015 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. To join the webinar, visit https://usdanrcs.adobeconnect.com/r75qxphcya9/This is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website.. Login to Adobe Connect using the Guest option and enter your name.
NRCS recently simplified the application process by creating new online tools: a pre-proposal fillable form, RCPP pre-application data entry tool and pre-proposal data entry tool instructions. These tools support partners as they fill out and submit their pre-proposal application.
RCPP empowers local leaders to work with multiple partners — such as private companies, local and tribal governments, universities, non-profit groups and other non-government partners — along with farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to design solutions that work best for their region. Local partners and the federal government both invest funding and manpower to projects to maximize their impact.
USDA is now accepting pre-proposals for RCPP. Pre-proposals are due July 8, 2015. For more information on applying, visit the RCPP website.
Nearly 200,000 People Support Feed a Bee by Planting 50 Million Flowers in 2015
Just 12 weeks after its launch, the Feed a Bee campaign has exceeded its goal of receiving pledges to plant 50 million flowers in 2015. Feed a Bee, a major initiative sponsored by Bayer CropScience, works with organizations and individuals to increase forage for honey bees and other pollinators, helping to provide them with the food they need to survive and thrive. Almost 200,000 people have visited www.FeedABee.com and supported the campaign by requesting a free seed packet to plant in their local community, committing to grow a bee-attractant plant or requesting to have the Feed a Bee initiative “plant on their bee-half.”
Almost all experts agree one of the major health factors facing honey bees is a lack of forage areas. With the world population expected to grow to over nine billion people, 70 percent more food will be needed by 2050; bees, therefore, need more food to help them pollinate these crops.
“That fact that the Feed a Bee initiative has already met its goal to plant 50 million flowers is a testament to the passion of individuals and organizations to support pollinator health,” said Jim Blome, president and CEO of Bayer CropScience LP North America. “While this is a great initial step for Feed a Bee, we know there is more work to be done to allow these amazing creatures to thrive, and we don’t plan to stop here.”
Throughout the rest of the year, individuals are encouraged to continue supporting Feed a Bee by coming back to share their planting photos using #FeedABee on social networking sites, like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. Individuals will have the opportunity to view their planting contributions on an interactive tool on www.beehealth.bayer.us/feed-a-bee.
Individuals can also still visit www.FeedABee.com to have the Feed a Bee initiative plant forage on their behalf or commit to planting a bee-attractant plant on their own. The campaign website features tips for creating bee-attractant habitats and planting seeds and plants for pollinators. The campaign will also host activities and events in cities across the country where individuals can get involved in planting bee forage in their community.
The Feed a Bee campaign is also close to reaching its goal of working with 50 partners to plant thousands of acres of flower-producing crops this year. To date, the initiative has secured more than 30 collaborators, including groups like NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Project Apis m. and Integrated Vegetation Management Partners, Inc.(IVM Partners).
“Feed a Bee is working with a group of diverse organizations to distribute seeds to individuals to plant in their gardens and to plant forage in various locations, like fields adjacent to crops and public rights-of-way,” said Dr. Becky Langer-Curry, manager of the North American Bee Care Program. “The Feed a Bee collaborations are a demonstration of how we can all work together to improve pollinator health.”
Initiatives like Feed a Bee, which include public and private partnerships to address lack of forage, align with the recently announced White House Pollinator Health Task Force’s comprehensive strategy. Bayer is especially pleased that this directive will address critical bee health stressors including parasites, diseases and loss of forage habitats. Bayer is aligned with and participating in the directive’s focus areas of research, data-sharing, public-private partnerships and on-going evaluation of neonicotinoid insecticides.
Feed a Bee is one of several programs sponsored by Bayer’s Bee Care Program, continuing its nearly 30 years of supporting bee health. Other programs include:
• Opening the North American Bee Care Center last year in Research Triangle Park, N.C., as a focal point for education, research and collaboration to improve honey bee health;
• Welcoming more than 3,600 visitors to the Center since it opened in April 2014;
• Conducting two mobile bee care tours that reached 4,750 people and traveled more than 8,300 miles to promote bee health; and
• Creating an annual award to recognize beekeepers who have used beekeeping to improve their local communities.
For more information on Bayer’s bee health initiatives, please visit: http://beehealth.bayer.us.
Welcome to the KTIC Agriculture Information blog!!! Check back here for the latest in ag news and information, from local events to international happenings and government reports that affect your operation. Please email with suggestions! -Chad Moyer, Farm Director, KTIC Radio
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