Categories
Crops & Gardening

Bring Clover On Over

White clover
Because of its nitrogen-fixing ability, clover is a great companion plant for other crops. Clover also makes a great quality forage when mixed with grasses at a 1:3 ratio.

A four-leaf clover symbolizes good luck, but you won’t have to rely on luck if you include clover in your farm grazing program. Clover is not only a great soil-building plant, it fixes nitrogen—which lowers the fertilizer bill—offers quality protein and creates highly palatable stands for grazing. On the proper sites with suitable weather conditions, certain varieties of clover can last years.

From the Pages of Hobby FarmsMost varieties of clover make great companion crops for perennial grasses, such as orchard grass and fescue, and annual grasses, such as oats, wheat and ryegrass. Clover plants contain nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots that take nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it in a stable form in the decaying plant tissue. Surrounding companion grasses absorb this natural nitrogen through the roots, whether in the pasture, on crop land or in the backyard garden.

Manufactured nitrogen has certain drawbacks that clover’s organic nitrogen does not. First, there’s the cost. Natural gas is used in the manufacturing of nitrogen-based fertilizer, and this accounts for three-quarters of the cost per ton. Second, manufactured nitrogen fertilizer can leach into groundwater, and the urea in some forms of nitrogen fertilizer can quickly evaporate into the atmosphere during hot weather, amounting to lost money and forage growth.

If rainfall is adequate and the weather is suitable, clover, when mixed with a companion grass, can fix enough nitrogen to supply the needs of both the clover and grasses without having to add manufactured nitrogen. On a typical pasture, the rule of thumb for mixing clover with grasses is 25 percent clover growing with 75 percent grasses.

Comparing Clover Plants
Knowing clover terminology helps when deciding on the right plants for your area. Perennial plantss have the potential to come back year after year, and annual plantss typically die after one year of growth. In many cases, the same clover plant variety may be an annual in one area of the country and a short-lived perennial in another. Under ideal conditions, even annual plants can come back for a few years. Warm-season legumes do the majority of their growing during warm weather, and cool-season legumes grow most during the cooler months. For pasture use, cool-season annual and perennial clovers give the highest returns in pasture quality.

Grow perennial clovers whenever possible to avoid replanting or reseeding. Among these varieties, white clover plants can live for several years and may also make seed that will thicken stands. Red clover plants can live as long as two years. However, in hot, drought-prone areas like the Deep South, these clovers may act as annual plants instead.

In such areas, annual clovers are a better choice than perennial cloverss because annuals make more growth than perennials in their establishment year. Although annual clovers die within 12 months, they may reseed if managed properly. As long as drought doesn’t get in the way, a key to long-term clover growth is timed mowing late in the growth season when the clover seed heads have matured. This will allow you to keep many of the weeds under control and disperse mature clover seed heads at the same time.

Perennial White Clover
White clover, recognized by its white, flowering seed head, is a workhorse for quality forage and nitrogen over a long period of time.

“A good stand of a perennial legume like white clover often produces 100 to 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year,” says Don Ball, extension agronomist with Auburn University. “Annual legumes, on the other hand, usually produce about 50 to 150 pounds of nitrogen per acre.”

With manufactured nitrogen reaching prices as high as $700 per ton, investment in a perennial such as white clover is money well spent in the long run, assuming white clover acts as a perennial plant in your area. Pasture managers can reduce fertilizer bills and maximize forage output.

Durana is a white clover variety that has proven itself for years as valuable forage that withstands hard grazing and handles hoof damage fairly well in pastures. In addition, this white perennial clover makes dependable growth in spring and autumn. The clover variety goes dormant in the heat of the summer, but a good rain in August will get it growing again. In many test plots, durana white clover has come back for as many as 12 years when weather conditions are ideal.

Red Clover
Red clover, sometimes referred to as cow clover, is distinguished by its pinkish, flowering seed heads. “Red clover is considered a short-lived perennial, but in the Deep South, it may act as an annual. In the Mid-south, red clover plants usually live for two years,” says Ball. “With both red and white clover, you can see production in spring and autumn in most states.”

Even though red clover plants don’t survive for as many years as white clover plants, they have advantages in the short run.

“Red clover gives the best year-long forage growth of any clover,” says Ball. “It starts growing in March and, if moisture is available, grows on into the summer. It’s very tolerant to heat during the summer.”

Red clover has good seedling vigor and usually establishes easily.

“Red clover is not tolerant of close, continual grazing by cattle,” says Ball. However, it performs well when planted in conjunction with rotational grazing of pastures with paddocks. This allows the plants to continue growing simply by growing more leaves to replace those bitten off during livestock grazing.

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Categories
Crops & Gardening

Italian Agriculture on TV

Many of the agricultural shows on T.V. are aimed at small-time Italian farmers
Photo by Rick Gush

I don’t usually watch sports on the weekends much here in Italy, because the soccer matches are all on closed circuit.  But what I do get to watch is spectacular, and that is a smorgasbord of wonderful agricultural shows that focus mostly on Italian small farmers.

These shows take viewers on tours of locations engaged in all the various phases of food production, from the fields and barns of small farmers and producers, to the warehouses of the farmers cooperatives, to the kitchens of the local chefs, to the omnipresent vegetable market and family owned stores where the products are sold and finally to the tables of the consumers who enjoy eating the products.

The production values on these shows are very high.  They use a lot of helicopters to show fields full of crops and enchanting views of the Italian landscape, and the writing is well-researched and quite informative.

The shows feature any and every kind of plant
Photo by Rick Gush

All these shows give a lot of publicity to the small farmers here, and the programs make a big deal out of promoting the values of all the niche products.

Italy is a country of niche products, and each area has its own registered group of varieties and processing methods. There are thousands of officially recognized products in Italy, known by their titles of DOC, which means the product is grown only in that area, and DOP, which means the product is only produced in that area.

For example, Italy boasts several thousand registered types of fruits, grains and vegetables,  perhaps two hundred registered types of salami and almost four hundred types of cheese, all produced by small farmers and family-owned businesses.

The television shows are fascinating, they are widely available and the weekends are particularly packed with agricultural based shows.  Even the daily news programs often feature local agricultural production segments where the reporters go out into the fields and learn about the products and methods of the local food product producers.

Everything from wine to olive oil to salami to every vegetable and plant crop under the sun is shown at some point, including snails, hemp-based automobile parts, and nonpolluting small gas engines.  This country is completely crazy for organic and sustainable culture and the staples on the television shows are organically grown fruits, grains and vegetables and organically raised animals such as cows, sheep, goats and pigs.

I’ve been forming an idea to put together a project to take my favorite programs, like Linea Verde, AgriSapori and Mele Verde, and dub their dialog into English.  If I could make these shows available to the English speaking countries like the US and UK I think the awesome charm of these programs would find really appreciative audiences outside of Italy.

Italy is a really screwed up place politically and bureaucratically, but it is enthusiastically pursing the support of small farming in a way toward which all the other nations on the planet should aspire.

At least this part of Italy is extremely healthy.

<>

Categories
Urban Farming

Cleaning Up Brownfields

Cleaning Up Brownfieldsbrownfield, city farmers, EPACity farmers can work with local governments and voluntary programs to clean up contamination in vacant lots for growing.City farmers can work with local governments and voluntary programs to clean up contamination in vacant lots for growing.City farmers can work with local governments and voluntary programs to clean up contamination in vacant lots for growing.news, ufnews, rbruggerBy Rachael Brugger, Associate Web EditorFebruary 12, 2010

Brownfield
The EPA encourages city farmers who grow on brownfields—vacant city lots that might contain hazardous chemicals—to partner with local governments to test the soil.

Safety of urban-grown food is a concern for city farmers. As farmers in big cities across the country transform vacant lots into growing sites in order to move their food production closer to home, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strongly urges them to test the soil for contamination.

“I think we can get complacent because we build a raised bed and we bring in clean fill. We are now creating a magnet for exposure. We are bringing people onto a site that we don’t know what’s on the site,” said Ann Carroll of the EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization during a conference call hosted by the Community Food Security Coalition’s Urban Agriculture Committee.

The EPA’s Brownfields Program offers grants for testing soil in “brownfields,” vacant lots whose redevelopment or reuse might be hindered due to the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. One stipulation, however, is that only governments are eligible to receive grant funds through this program.

“The good news for urban farmers is they can work with their local, county or regional government to apply for the grant, test the site to make sure its safe, or secure funding to clean it up before they start funding,” Carroll said.

Another way for city farmers to take advantage of the grants offered through the Brownfields Program is to contact their local government or voluntary cleanup program for an inventory of vacant lots that have been tested and cleaned or are scheduled for cleanup. The farmers can then develop and grow on lots already proven free of contamination.

When Lynchburg Grows began operating as a city farm in Lynchburg, Va., in 2004, it partnered with the city and enrolled in the local Voluntary Brownfields Program. Through the program, the city farm received $150,000 to perform Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental assessments on its property and an adjacent city property.

On its 2 acres of land, Lynchburg Grows hosts nine greenhouses, five of which date back to 1919. The greenhouses were painted with lead paint. That lead eventually made its way into the soil and, as the assessments showed, created hot spots of lead five times higher than the EPA’s safety levels. In addition, they found other harmful chemicals that did not exceed risk levels.

“Because we work with kids and developmentally challenged adults, we wanted to get out all the old dirt that had all these contaminants and bring in fresh organic compost,” said Michael Van Ness, the farm’s co-founder.

Lynchburg Grows’ brownfields cleanup is set to be finished by the end of 2010, Van Ness said. Much of the work involved simple procedures, such as capping the land so people don’t have direct contact with the soil. He recommends urban farmers not hesitate in partnering with their city to clean up brownfields.

“Look at the past use of the property. If you think there could be [contaminants] there, you need to go through these steps,” he said. “After all, you are talking about feeding communities.”

Soil testing for vacant lots is site specific—no one test will suffice, Carroll said. City farmers must know the history of the lot and test for different contaminants accordingly. Possible contaminants soil should be tested for include lead or other heavy metals; petroleum or other fuel oils; or solvents such as VOCs, PCBs and asbestos.

“If you were in an area where there was a lot of older housing—where lead paint was probably used—and maybe torn down, you might think of lead and asbestos. If you were in an industrial area or there was a history of illegal dumping on the site, you might start looking for a different suite of environmental chemicals,” Carroll said.

Additionally, because states have different soil testing thresholds and requirements, Carroll suggests city farmers get to know their local brownfields contacts and cooperative extension agents for advice.

Categories
News

Cleaning Up Brownfields

Brownfield
The EPA encourages city farmers who grow on brownfields—vacant city lots that might contain hazardous chemicals—to partner with local governments to test the soil.

Safety of urban-grown food is a concern for city farmers. As farmers in big cities across the country transform vacant lots into growing sites in order to move their food production closer to home, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strongly urges them to test the soil for contamination.

“I think we can get complacent because we build a raised bed and we bring in clean fill. We are now creating a magnet for exposure. We are bringing people onto a site that we don’t know what’s on the site,” said Ann Carroll of the EPA’s Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization during a conference call hosted by the Community Food Security Coalition’s Urban Agriculture Committee.

The EPA’s Brownfields Program offers grants for testing soil in “brownfields,” vacant lots whose redevelopment or reuse might be hindered due to the presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. One stipulation, however, is that only governments are eligible to receive grant funds through this program.

“The good news for urban farmers is they can work with their local, county or regional government to apply for the grant, test the site to make sure its safe, or secure funding to clean it up before they start funding,” Carroll said.

Another way for city farmers to take advantage of the grants offered through the Brownfields Program is to contact their local government or voluntary cleanup program for an inventory of vacant lots that have been tested and cleaned or are scheduled for cleanup. The farmers can then develop and grow on lots already proven free of contamination.

When Lynchburg Grows began operating as a city farm in Lynchburg, Va., in 2004, it partnered with the city and enrolled in the local Voluntary Brownfields Program. Through the program, the city farm received $150,000 to perform Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental assessments on its property and an adjacent city property.

On its 2 acres of land, Lynchburg Grows hosts nine greenhouses, five of which date back to 1919. The greenhouses were painted with lead paint. That lead eventually made its way into the soil and, as the assessments showed, created hot spots of lead five times higher than the EPA’s safety levels. In addition, they found other harmful chemicals that did not exceed risk levels.

“Because we work with kids and developmentally challenged adults, we wanted to get out all the old dirt that had all these contaminants and bring in fresh organic compost,” said Michael Van Ness, the farm’s co-founder.

Lynchburg Grows’ brownfields cleanup is set to be finished by the end of 2010, Van Ness said. Much of the work involved simple procedures, such as capping the land so people don’t have direct contact with the soil. He recommends urban farmers not hesitate in partnering with their city to clean up brownfields.

“Look at the past use of the property. If you think there could be [contaminants] there, you need to go through these steps,” he said. “After all, you are talking about feeding communities.”

Soil testing for vacant lots is site specific—no one test will suffice, Carroll said. City farmers must know the history of the lot and test for different contaminants accordingly. Possible contaminants soil should be tested for include lead or other heavy metals; petroleum or other fuel oils; or solvents such as VOCs, PCBs and asbestos.

“If you were in an area where there was a lot of older housing—where lead paint was probably used—and maybe torn down, you might think of lead and asbestos. If you were in an industrial area or there was a history of illegal dumping on the site, you might start looking for a different suite of environmental chemicals,” Carroll said.

Additionally, because states have different soil testing thresholds and requirements, Carroll suggests city farmers get to know their local brownfields contacts and cooperative extension agents for advice.

Categories
Crops & Gardening

“I Need a Bigger Garden … “

garden gate
Photo by Jessica Walliser

I placed my seed order with Renee’s Garden this morning. (I must be a plant nerd because I’m totally thrilled!)  Though I usually get my veggie seeds from a different seed company, I love Renee’s for their flowers. 

Last year I grew their ‘Apricot Blush’ zinnia collection in my front garden and just adored them.  This year I’m trying another of their zinnia collections called ‘Berry Basket’—they’re all bright, but deep, berry colors. 

I also ordered ‘The Joker’ sunflowers and a bunch of climbers including some nasturtiums and sweet peas.  We have a high stone retaining wall along part of our driveway with a garden above it. 

I like to plant climbers across the top of the wall so they drape over the edge and soften the look of the stone.  Nasturtiums are my favorite, but I also like to plant alyssum there too. Can’t wait to try these new ones.

I haven’t ordered my veggie seeds yet as I have to sort through all the packs I already have in the basement.  I tend to over-order every year (in case you couldn’t tell that from previous posts) and have tons of ‘extras’ stored in a box in the downstairs fridge. 

I’ve been trying to empty the box for 5 years now, but instead it seems to be getting fuller every season, even though I share plenty of seeds with neighbors and friends.  Funny how that happens.  I think what I’m saying is that I need a bigger garden (…as if!). 

Maybe adding a few extra raised beds is a good idea.  I wonder if my husband would go for that.  Maybe if I tell him it will mean less grass for him to mow … hummmmmm.   I’ll let you know how that conversation goes.    

« More Dirt on Gardening »   

Categories
Homesteading

A Corky Craft

Wine-cork bulletin board by Cherie Langlois
Photo by Cherie Langlois

Ask my husband, I’m a compulsive list-maker: Shopping lists, chore lists, packing lists, farm project lists…and the list goes on. 

Of course, that means I need a handy place to put those lists so they don’t get lost, which would be bad because I’d never remember everything listed on my lists if I had to rewrite them.  My list-posting spot of choice?  A good old-fashioned bulletin board.

Some years back, I spotted a cool wreath composed of wine corks at a winery and decided to do something creative with the corks we’d accumulated in a fish bowl on our kitchen counter.  Instead of a wreath, however, my daughter and I gave a worn bulletin board a facelift as a gift for my husband, framing a photo from a recent trip to France with rows of wine corks. 

Since then we’ve made several more—one as another gift and one for our kitchen—and  I’m currently saving corks to re-vamp the big, boring bulletin board in my office. 

Creating a beautiful wine-cork bulletin board is quick and easy; the most difficult part involves saving up enough real corks, especially with so many synthetic ones around these days. (Did you know that cork comes from the bark of an oak tree species that grows in Spain and Portugal?)

The pattern can be whatever you'd like it to be
Photo by Cherie Langlois

Arranging the corks in varying horizontal and
vertical patterns gives depth to your design.

If you already have a stash of corks, you could whip one up in time for Valentine’s Day, presenting it to your sweetheart with a favorite bottle of wine.  Here’s how to make it:

Supplies needed: 

  • Old bulletin board or erasable white board
  • White glue
  • Lots of REAL corks (if you don’t drink wine, ask friends and relatives to save theirs)
  • Knife

1.  Protect your surface with newspaper and set out your supplies.

2.  Think a bit about your design.  If you want to include a photo, glue it in place first.  We like to just wing it as we go—placing one row of corks vertically, another horizontally; alternating two horizontal corks and then two vertical; tossing in a few champagne corks for variety; etc.  Be creative.  

3.  Working small sections at a time, spread a thick layer of glue and set the corks in place.  If they have pretty designs or printed winery names on them, be sure these show. 

4.  You may need to cut some of the corks with a knife to make them fit when you reach the end of a row.  Be careful!

5.  Once you’ve covered the entire surface, set some heavy books on top with paper towels or newspaper placed beneath to protect them from excess glue.  Leave to thoroughly dry for at least 24 hours.

Happy list-making!                                    
~  Cherie

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Categories
Equipment Farm Management

Home Schooling Permaculture

It wasn’t until reading Gaia’s Garden, written by Toby Hemenway and published by Chelsea Green, that I began to understand permaculture and the science behind it.

The book is filled with examples of successful practitioners in urban and country settings and much, much more. It introduces the reader to the basics of biological life in the soil and water management techniques.

A host of useful and easy to understand charts identify plants by common and Latin names, sizes, and uses in the permaculture garden, whether tree, shrub, perennial or annual. It is here that gardeners can quickly lose themselves in designing their own forest garden.

If you are committed to truly understand what is going on with your plants and soil, try Edible Forest Gardens. Written by Dave Jacke with Eric Toensmeier and also published by Chelsea Green, it is a two-volume set described by farmer and permaculturist Mark Shepard as “the closest thing to a North American textbook we will get in a long time.”

Each section is filled with beautifully done illustrations, easy to read tables and charts and resources for further study. The appendices alone are a treasure trove of information for creating a forest garden.

Volume One: Vision & Theory lays out the concept of the forest garden with a study of its ecology. The section on root systems alone will take the reader to a new understanding of plant structure and its relationship with the soil and soil life.

Volume Two: Design & Practice is hands on from developing a personal plan to implementing it. Sections on preparing the site, establishing the garden and managing it are all filled with valuable how-to examples as well as lists of tools and tips.

Next week, I’ll take a look at permaculture courses. With Mark’s help, we’ll explore how to pick the one best for you.

<< More Shop Talk >>

Categories
News

New Test More Effectively Detects Sheep Parasites

Sheep
Barber pole worms cause internal bleeding in sheep, leading to anemia and decreased wool production, among other symptoms. A new test for the parasite will produce results in as little as two days.

Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Georgia have developed an improved, more efficient method to test for barber pole worms, the most serious of the parasitic worms in sheep. Barber pole worms (Haemonchus contortus) result in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses every year for the global sheep and wool industries.

The technology is now available, and will allow a faster, easier and less expensive method to test for the presence and quantity of barber pole worms, a species that is very pathogenic to sheep, goats and llamas. It’s a lectin staining test based on a peanut agglutinin that binds to eggs of the barber pole worm and can be easily seen with a microscope using ultraviolet light. The test is an improved version of previous technology developed by scientists in Australia that was slower, less effective, more expensive and required more advanced training to perform, researchers say.

The test will help sheep ranchers deal with worms more quickly and effectively, optimize their management practices, and sometimes avoid costly therapies.

Findings about the new test were published in Veterinary Parasitology, a professional journal.

“This particular parasite is much more pathogenic in sheep than other worms, and previous methods to detect it were very labor intensive and often not commercially practical,” says Michael Kent, an OSU professor of microbiology. “Now ranchers and veterinarians can test for this problem and target their management or treatment strategies much more effectively.”

The barber pole worm causes significant production losses in sheep. In some cases, it’s the limiting factor to sheep production on pasture lands. The parasites can cause internal bleeding, which in turn can lead to anemia, poor food conversion and growth, low protein levels, reduced lamb production and wool yield, and, in some cases, death.

Also known as wire worms, barber pole worms are blood-sucking parasites that pierce the lining of the sheep’s stomach. They are prolific egg producers, releasing up to 10,000 eggs per day, and often cause problems in warmer climates or during the summer. Once barber pole worms infect a sheep, expensive treatments or complex management strategies are often needed to address the infection.

The lectin staining test was developed by microbiologists and veterinary doctors at OSU and UGA, and is now available through those institutions. Its use should continue to expand and become more readily available to sheep farmers around the world, Kent says.

The test may also be valuable to farmers interested in organic production of sheep, goats and llamas, who try to avoid use of chemical treatments in maintaining the health of their animals. 

“One of the current testing tools commonly used by sheep and goat farmers in dealing with H. contortus is the FAMACHA method in which the farmer compares the animal’s lower eyelid color to swatches on a card to determine the animal’s anemia status,” says Bob Storey, a UGA researcher who co-developed the lectin staining test. However, this method works only if the barber pole worm is the primary parasite in a sheep herd’s worm population.

“For the veterinarian dealing with an anemic animal and a heavy parasite burden, the lectin staining test provides quick feedback as to whether the anemia is parasite-based or may be due to another cause,” Storey says.

The test requires only a small amount of a sheep’s feces. Results are available in as little as two days. Farmers interested in obtaining the test can get information on sampling, test results and fees from the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at OSU (541-752-5501) or Bob Storey at the Department of Infectious Diseases at UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine (706-542-0195).

As with any animal health concerns, results should be reviewed with a veterinarian so that proper treatment programs can be put in place, researchers say.

Categories
Animals

Goat Coats and Lambie Jammies

lamb sweater
Photo by Sue Weaver

Cecil in a sock.

This is the time of year when baby animals are born (hint: yesterday was Uzzi’s birthday and mine is March 4) and since it’s cold in barns, sometimes it’s hard to keep new babies warm.

Some people hang heat lamps in their barns to warm baby animals but it’s a dangerous thing to do. Fallen heat lamps and heat lamps installed too close to combustibles can burn down barns!

Instead, do like our mom does and make coats and jammies for your newborn kids and lambs (bigger versions work for foals, calves and baby crias, too).

For tiny babies like Cecil, the teensy lamb in this picture, make warm, cushy sweaters from big men’s wool socks. Snip off the top to make the sweater. Use the cuff for Baby’s collar, cut two holes for legs, making sure the fabric doesn’t cover a boy baby’s penis, and there you are!

goat sweaters
Photo by Sue Weaver

The twins wearing readymade goat coats.

Or, make a comfy covering for a slightly bigger baby using a sweat pants leg, the kind with stretchy elastic at the ankles. Make it just like Cecil’s sock sweater. It’s easy!

An option for bigger babies like foals: buy a child-size wool cardigan sweater at the used-a-bit shop. Snip off the sleeves, then fit the body of the sweater to Baby by feeding his legs through the arm holes and buttoning the cardigan along his back.

Imbir’ the horse says when he was born in the midst of a Minnesota blizzard, Mom made him a coat like this out of a child’s goose down vest!

Crafty people can knit, crochet or sew neat baby coats by following instructions posted on the Internet. Check these resources, they’re good ones!

Or, buy a readymade outfit like the stretchy dog sweater Kerla is wearing in this picture (its acrylic, so it’s fine to keep Baby warm in a chilly house but not warm enough for winter in the barn) or a specially made kid or lamb coat. You don’t need dangerous heat lamps to keep your babies warm!

« More Mondays with Martok »

Categories
News

Agriculture Department to Develop New NAIS Framework

cows and sheep
Photo courtesy USDA/ Dean Anderson
The USDA announced it will revise NAIS to allow for more flexible animal-disease traceability.

The USDA will be developing a new framework to trace animal diseases in the United States, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an announcement on Feb. 5, 2010.

Flexibility will be the focus of the new system as the USDA tries to respond to feedback from the current National Animal Identification System. The changes are being made in response to concerns from states, tribal nations and producers received during a listening tour on NAIS. One concern raised during the tour was that NAIS does not benefit small-farm production.

“One of my main goals for this new approach is to build a collaborative process for shaping and implementing our framework for animal disease traceability,” Vilsack said.

The USDA says the new animal-disease traceability system will:

  • Only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce
  • Be administered by states and tribal nations
  • Encourage the use of lower-cost technology
  • Be implemented transparently through federal regulations and the full rule-making process

As the USDA develops the new animal disease-traceability system in the next few months, it will be looking for input from farmers, ranchers and the public during the process.

Read the USDA’s factsheet on the new animal disease traceability framework to learn more.