Tag: poultry

Poultry Farmers Protect Flocks From Avian Flu

Poultry farmers in the Midwest are taking extra precautions after the discovery of avian flu among chickens in Pennsylvania and Delaware, but there are some things the industry can’t control, as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tracy Samilton reports:

Transcript

Poultry farmers in the Midwest are taking extra precautions after the discovery of avian flu
among chickens in Pennsylvania and Delaware. But there are some things the industry can’t
control, as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tracy Samilton reports:


Most commercial poultry farmers practice state-of-the-art biosecurity because of what’s at stake.
Some avian flu is relatively harmless, but if a lethal variety breaks out, the farmer’s entire flock
has to be destroyed. So birds are isolated from contact with visitors and delivery trucks, and
workers frequently change clothes and disinfect their shoes.


Paul Wiley is with Michigan State University’s agricultural extension service. He says
that’s not the case with city émigrés to the country who raise chickens as a hobby.


“The first thing they want to have is two horses, the second thing they want is some kind of flock
of poultry, and they are clueless about poultry!”


Wiley says more backyard flocks could threaten the health of the large commercial flocks. Still,
he says the situation is not nearly as bad as in some Asian countries. There, birds are sold live at
markets, which brings them into frequent contact with people, other birds and wild animals.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tracy Samilton.

Industrial Egg Farm Ordered to Close

One of the largest egg farms in the nation is being ordered to shut down. The reason… a decade of complaints, including nine contempt citations for environmental violations. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen reports:

Transcript

One of the largest egg farms in the nation is being ordered to shut down. The reason… a
decade of complaints, including nine contempt citations for environmental violations.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Bill Cohen reports:


The Buckeye Egg Farm churns out more than two and a half billion eggs a year… but
Ohio agricultural officials have ordered the factory farm to close. Neighbors of the farm
continue to complain about swarms of flies and bad smells… and environmentalists
continue to complain about manure being dumped into streams. In the words of Ohio’s
agriculture director….it’s “intolerable.”


Environmental activists such as Jack Shaner are glad about the shutdown order.


“We’re happy the state of Ohio has wised up to the fact that just like violent crime, when
it comes to environmental crime, some repeat violators just can’t be rehabilitated.”


Buckeye Egg warns of job losses injuring the economy…..and it promises an appeal of
the shutdown order. Company officials say a better approach is to sell the farm to new
owners.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Bill Cohen.

Irradiated Beef Passes School Lunch Program

Public health groups are criticizing a decision by the USDA to allow school districts to purchase irradiated meat. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Natalie Walston reports:

Transcript

Public health groups are criticizing a decision by the USDA to allow
school districts to purchase irradiated meat. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Natalie Walston reports:


Recently the U.S. Department of Agriculture lifted its ban on irradiated
ground beef in the national school lunch program. The Public Citizens’
Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program says the USDA is
putting
children’s health at risk.


It worries possible health risks to humans
from eating irradiated meat such as ground beef are not known. The
U.S.
Food and Drug Adminstration approved irradiation of raw meat and
poultry in 1997.


It concludes it’s a safe way to reduce disease-causing
microbes. But health groups say irradiation is a way to cover up the
meat industry’s sanitation failures. The government says districts
won’t be forced to serve such meat… districts will be allowed to
choose between irradiated and non-irradiated beef… and the
government suggests districts notify parents of that decision. schools
will be allowed to purchase the meat starting in January of next year.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Natalie Walston.

Poultry Farmers Look to Cogeneration Plant

People who live next to poultry farms often complain about the smell, and environmental groups often complain about the pollution. Now farmers are looking for solutions. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Michael Leland reports that one group of farmers wants to convert farm animal waste into energy:

This story was researched and written by Corie Wright.

Transcript

People who live next to poultry farms often complain about the smell. And
environmental groups often complain about the pollution. Now farmers are looking
for solutions. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Michael Leland reports that
one group of farmers wants to convert farm animal waste into energy:

The group is calling itself West Michigan Co-Gen. Co-Gen stands for co-
generation – a process that takes one form of fuel and converts it into two forms
of energy. In this case, farmers are looking into building a plant that would
convert poultry manure into electricity and steam. Chuck Pistis is with
Michigan State University’s Agricultural Extension. He says not only could the
plant reduce odors, it could also reduce pollution from poultry waste.


“This plant would result in reducing
the volume of this waste by 70%, so you’d be able to
generate steam and
electricity and then the 30% of the waste that’s remaining would be further processed
by fertilizer manufacturers.”


Pistis says Co-Gen must perform a feasibility study to see if it would be cost-
effective and practical. If the plant becomes a reality it could be the first co-
generation facility in the region to use poultry manure as fuel.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Michael Leland.

Pastured Poultry Caught in Red Tape

Consumer interest in healthier foods continues to grow. And
now, spurred on by the success of this market, some farmers are trying
their hand at raising chickens more naturally. But as the Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports, many of these farmers face a
rocky road getting their chickens from the farm, to your table:

Kids Pluck Lessons From Business

For years, people have grappled with the age-old question: Which
came first, the chicken or the egg? Of course, there’s no definitive
answer. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson
reports, at one elementary school, the chickens always come first:

Finding a Healthier Holiday Turkey

A turkey dinner with all the fixin’s is as much a part of the
holidays as Santa Claus and Christmas carols. Most people buy their
turkey in the frozen food section of the local supermarket. But a
growing
number are looking for a healthier alternative. They’re getting their
birds
right from the farm. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly
reports:

Turkey Power

Manure management is a messy business. While farmers usually spread
manure as fertilizer, some are struggling to find enough land and can be
left with the costly expense of disposal. Now turkey farmers in central
Minnesota want to build the country’s first manure fueled power plant.
They say the plant will be a financial boost to farmers and help ease
the public’s concern over odor and pollution. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Kathryn Herzog reports:

New Restrictions on Farmwater Runoff

The Clinton administration is putting new restrictions on farms to
reduce the livestock waste running into the nation’s creeks and rivers.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports: