by Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie FarmerKentucky is home to 1.17 million head of beef cows, the most of any state east of the Mississippi River.
To help the Commonwealth maintain its lofty status, State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout and his staff in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) are on the job conducting surveillance, controlling and eradicating infectious and communicable diseases for animals in Kentucky and those entering from other states. But budget cuts in recent years have made it more difficult for the State Veterinarian’s office to do its job.
The office enforces state regulations to protect the health and well-being of the state’s vibrant cattle industry. The regulations establish health requirements for entry, movement, sale and exhibition of livestock in Kentucky.
The Department’s voluntary bovine programs help keep Kentucky cattle as disease free as possible.
The Johne's Program is for producers who wish to control and eliminate Johne's (pronounced "yo-knees") disease from their herds. The disease is a contagious, chronic, debilitating and often fatal infection that affects ruminants, especially cattle.
Many beef and dairy producers have participated in a voluntary Johne’s management program supported by KDA and USDA.
Unfortunately, funding for this program has decreased significantly, resulting in less participation and lost momentum. Kentucky has had as many as 115 dairy herds and 50 beef herds enrolled in the program.
The program has helped reduce the numbers of cattle infected with Johne’s disease. For example, of the 14,000 animals tested annually in Kentucky, the infection rate recently dropped from 4.5 percent to 2.5 percent in one year.
The Registered Brand Program enables producers to register livestock brands, which would identify the source of animals in the event of a disease outbreak. Registered brands are regarded as evidence of ownership and will take precedence over brands that are not registered with the state.
Accreditation and certification programs have helped keep Kentucky free of tuberculosis since 1987 and brucellosis since 1997. The Tuberculosis Accreditation and Brucellosis Certification programs provide cattle, bison or cervid owners with “tuberculosis accredited herd status” or a “brucellosis certified-free herd” status, which will help them sell their animals.
Controlling and eradicating disease in animals is among the many ways the Kentucky Department of Agriculture affects the lives of all Kentuckians every day. These programs are vital to Kentucky’s agricultural economy and to public health.
The recent outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in quarter horses was discovered on a routine test for exportation of semen. If the CEM infection had gone undetected, it could have spread to many stallions nationwide, resulting in increased restrictions on interstate travel and international movement of horses and semen. Hundreds of family quarter horse operations would have lost millions of dollars in the height of the breeding season.
That didn’t happen because we at KDA and the University Of Kentucky College Of Agriculture had the experience, expertise and procedures in place to prevent it. They are every livestock producer’s insurance policy against diseases that could threaten your business.
If you agree with me that all the things the Kentucky Department of Agriculture does for the citizens of Kentucky are important, then let your state legislators know. Go to http://www.lrc.ky.gov/ and find their e-mail addresses or leave them a message toll free at 1-800-372-7181. Please ask them to fully fund the KDA’s budget and keep 50 percent of Kentucky’s share of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement devoted to agriculture.
To help the Commonwealth maintain its lofty status, State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Stout and his staff in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) are on the job conducting surveillance, controlling and eradicating infectious and communicable diseases for animals in Kentucky and those entering from other states. But budget cuts in recent years have made it more difficult for the State Veterinarian’s office to do its job.
The office enforces state regulations to protect the health and well-being of the state’s vibrant cattle industry. The regulations establish health requirements for entry, movement, sale and exhibition of livestock in Kentucky.
The Department’s voluntary bovine programs help keep Kentucky cattle as disease free as possible.
The Johne's Program is for producers who wish to control and eliminate Johne's (pronounced "yo-knees") disease from their herds. The disease is a contagious, chronic, debilitating and often fatal infection that affects ruminants, especially cattle.
Many beef and dairy producers have participated in a voluntary Johne’s management program supported by KDA and USDA.
Unfortunately, funding for this program has decreased significantly, resulting in less participation and lost momentum. Kentucky has had as many as 115 dairy herds and 50 beef herds enrolled in the program.
The program has helped reduce the numbers of cattle infected with Johne’s disease. For example, of the 14,000 animals tested annually in Kentucky, the infection rate recently dropped from 4.5 percent to 2.5 percent in one year.
The Registered Brand Program enables producers to register livestock brands, which would identify the source of animals in the event of a disease outbreak. Registered brands are regarded as evidence of ownership and will take precedence over brands that are not registered with the state.
Accreditation and certification programs have helped keep Kentucky free of tuberculosis since 1987 and brucellosis since 1997. The Tuberculosis Accreditation and Brucellosis Certification programs provide cattle, bison or cervid owners with “tuberculosis accredited herd status” or a “brucellosis certified-free herd” status, which will help them sell their animals.
Controlling and eradicating disease in animals is among the many ways the Kentucky Department of Agriculture affects the lives of all Kentuckians every day. These programs are vital to Kentucky’s agricultural economy and to public health.
The recent outbreak of contagious equine metritis (CEM) in quarter horses was discovered on a routine test for exportation of semen. If the CEM infection had gone undetected, it could have spread to many stallions nationwide, resulting in increased restrictions on interstate travel and international movement of horses and semen. Hundreds of family quarter horse operations would have lost millions of dollars in the height of the breeding season.
That didn’t happen because we at KDA and the University Of Kentucky College Of Agriculture had the experience, expertise and procedures in place to prevent it. They are every livestock producer’s insurance policy against diseases that could threaten your business.
If you agree with me that all the things the Kentucky Department of Agriculture does for the citizens of Kentucky are important, then let your state legislators know. Go to http://www.lrc.ky.gov/ and find their e-mail addresses or leave them a message toll free at 1-800-372-7181. Please ask them to fully fund the KDA’s budget and keep 50 percent of Kentucky’s share of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement devoted to agriculture.
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