CDA Biochemistry Lab Achieves International Accreditation

The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Inspection and Consumer Services Division has been notified that the Division’s Biochemistry Laboratory has achieved ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation in Biological and Chemical Testing from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). Accreditation is a formal recognition of competence that a laboratory can perform specific tests or calibrations.

CDA’s Biochemistry Laboratory provides testing on a variety of matrices including fresh produce, food products, animal feeds, fertilizers, soil, vegetation, and water. The laboratory also includes a microbiology section which employs microbiological techniques to analyze human and animal foods for harmful bacteria and examines animal feeds for the presence of antibiotics and prohibited materials.

“We are very excited to become ISO 17025 accredited by A2LA,” said Keith Wegner, Laboratory Services Section Chief. “Our laboratory staff worked extremely hard over several years to earn this accreditation. The breadth of the accreditation scopes shows the complexity and importance of the work that we do here.”

Accreditation by A2LA demonstrates that the Biochemistry Laboratory has achieved an international standard of recognition for testing integrity and reliability. Biological testing includes food products, feed, food additives, method validation studies, method development, and related research for food-borne pathogens, contaminants and adulterants. Chemical testing includes ground and surface waters, and food commodities. The complete scope of accreditation issued by A2LA can be found by visiting www.colorado.gov/ag/ics and clicking on “Biochemistry Laboratory.”

“We will also be adding fertilizer testing, pesticides, and additional animal feed tests to our accreditation scope as we move forward,” explained Wegner.

Julie Zimmerman, ICS Division Director, was quite pleased with the achievement and noted, “The Department is committed to ensuring that we deliver accurate and reliable analytical testing to support our programs. It is vital that our laboratories continue to develop and perform the latest scientific methods and technologies and accreditation helps us demonstrate our capabilities.”

For more information on CDA’s consumer protection services within the Inspection and Consumer Services Division, visit www.colorado.gov/ag/ics.

Commissioner Farmer honors Nat. Guard unit headed for Afghanistan.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

For more information contact:
Bill Clary

(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer joined Kentucky Adjutant General Edward W. Tonini and other dignitaries Monday in seeing a Kentucky National Guard unit off to a special mission in Afghanistan.

The Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team was honored in a departure ceremony at Kentucky State University. The nation’s first joint agribusiness development team, it will train in Camp Atterbury, Ind., before deploying to Afghanistan in August.

“It certainly is an honor and a privilege to be in the presence of greatness,” Commissioner Farmer said to the departing soldiers and airmen.

Commissioner Farmer said the Founding Fathers of the United States understood that a strong agricultural industry is necessary to survive and build a strong economy. “You have been chosen to go and rebuild an agricultural economy in a place … that has known quite a bit of war,” he said.

Commissioner Farmer also honored the families of the departing service men and women. “I know the sacrifices that all of you in the audience, and family members who are not able to be here today, are making,” he said.

Gen. Tonini pointed out that agriculture is the main source of income for 70 percent of the Afghan population. “By helping re-establish and invigorate the Afghan farming tradition and rebuilding the agricultural infrastructure, these troops will bring stability to an otherwise war-torn nation,” he said. “I believe success in this mission can and will make the world a better place for everyone.”

KDA expands VS embargo area.

The Kentucky State Veterinarians Office has received information confirming the diagnosis of vesicular stomatitis affecting a single horse in De Baca County New Mexico. With this information, KDA has redefined the VS Embargoed areas...more. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

Kentucky quarantines 20 counties to contain emerald ash borer.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

LEXINGTON, Ky. — State officials have issued a quarantine for 20 Kentucky counties regulating the transportation outside those counties of articles that could harbor the emerald ash borer.

“It’s important that we act quickly and aggressively to contain the spread of this pest inKentucky,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “Kentucky is the nation’s third-largest producer of hardwood lumber. This industry is responsible for thousands of jobs and generates millions of dollars of economic activity in Kentucky. I will do whatever I can within the law to safeguard Kentucky’s wood industry.”

State Entomologist John Obrycki issued the quarantine on Monday with the advice and consent of Commissioner Farmer and M. Scott Smith, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, as required by state law.

The quarantine prohibits “regulated articles” from being moved outside a quarantined area without a certificate or limited permit except under certain conditions. A regulated article may be moved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Kentucky Department of Agriculture for experimental or scientific purposes; may be moved in an enclosed vehicle or completely covered to prevent access by the emerald ash borer (through Sept. 30); may be moved directly through the quarantined area without stopping except for traffic conditions and refueling; may be moved if it is stored, packed or handled at locations that do not pose a risk of infestation; and may be moved if it has not been combined or commingled with other articles.

“Regulated articles” are defined as the emerald ash borer, hardwood firewood, ash nursery stock, green ash lumber, other ash material, and any other materials that present a threat of artificial spread of the emerald ash borer.

The counties under quarantine are Boone, Bourbon, Campbell, Carroll, Fayette, Franklin,Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Scott, Shelby, Trimble and Woodford. The quarantined area includes the seven counties where the emerald ash borer has been identified – Campbell, Fayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Jessamine, Kenton and Shelby – plus counties close to an infestation site and counties with a high density of ash trees.

Persons may obtain a certificate to move regulated articles to any destination in Kentucky when, in the judgment of an inspector, the articles have not been exposed to the emerald ash borer, appear to be free of the emerald ash borer, have been treated to destroy the emerald ash borer, or have been grown, produced, manufactured, stored or handled in such a manner that their movement does not present a risk of spreading the emerald ash borer. Persons may obtain limited permits to move regulated articles to specific destinations in Kentucky if the regulated articles are apparently free of emerald ash borer; have been grown, produced, manufactured, stored or handled in a manner that prevents the articles from presenting a risk of spreading the emerald ash borer; or are to be moved under conditions that will not result in the spread of the emerald ash borer because the insect will be destroyed by the articles’ handling, utilization, processing or treatment.

Persons who intend to move any regulated articles shall apply for inspection at least 48 hours before the services are needed. An inspector may stop and inspect, destroy, seize, stop sale or treat any regulated articles or may order them returned to the point of origin at the owner’s expense.

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an exotic beetle native to the Far East. It was first discovered in North America in June 2002 in southeast Michigan. EAB has been identified in 12 states and two Canadian provinces. It can kill an ash tree within two to three years of infestation.

Ash trees are widely used in urban landscapes and are ecologically valuable for their ability to fill gaps and provide shade for the forest floor. Ash wood is used in a wide variety of applications, including baseball bats.

To report a possible infestation, call the EAB Hotline, 1-866-322-4512, or the Kentucky state entomologist’s office at (859) 257-5838. For the latest on emerald ash borer in Kentucky, go tohttp://pest.ca.uky.edu/EXT/EAB/welcome.html. For more information about the emerald ash borer, go to www.emeraldashborer.info.

Kentucky State Vet imposes restrictions on livestock from Nebraska, Texas.

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
For more information contact:
Bill Clary
(502) 564-1137

FRANKFORT, Ky. — State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout has imposed restrictions on certain livestock entering Kentucky from Nebraska and Texas as a result of outbreaks of tuberculosis in cattle in those states.
Kentucky also has prohibited entry of livestock from one south Texas county because a horse there has been diagnosed with vesicular stomatitis.

“The very best way to manage these diseases is to keep them from getting into Kentucky’s livestock in the first place,” Dr. Stout said. “Kentucky’s livestock industry generates about $3 billion a year in cash receipts to farmers every year. We will do everything we can under the law to protect this vital sector of Kentucky agriculture.”
The new rules on livestock from Nebraska and Texas require a negative tuberculosis test within 60 days of entry into Kentucky or movement from an accredited herd for cattle 18 months old or older and goats and camelids six months old or older.

Nebraska officials have confirmed tuberculosis in two cattle in the north-central part of the state. The state has quarantined 32 herds with about 15,000 adult cattle. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, has confirmed a diagnosis of tuberculosis in a dairy cattle herd in west Texas.

The Texas Animal Health Commission announced on Friday that vesicular stomatitis in 2009 was found in a horse in Starr County in far south Texas. Kentucky state regulations prohibit the entry of all livestock, wild and exotic animals into the Commonwealth from the VS-infected county. Regulations require livestock, wild and exotic animals from the rest of Texas to be tested and found negative for VS within 10 days of entering Kentucky, have an entry permit from the state veterinarian’s office, and have a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection showing that the animals have been examined within five days of entering Kentucky.

Vesicular stomatitis is a viral disease that occurs sporadically in the U.S., usually in southwestern states. It can affect horses, cattle and swine, and occasionally sheep, goats and deer. It causes blisters to form in the animal’s mouth, on teats or along the hooves, resulting in excessive salivation, lameness or oozing sores.

The last outbreak of VS in the United States was in Wyoming in 2006. The disease spread through several western states in 2005.

For more information or for updates, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Web site, www.kyagr.com, and click on Animal Health or call the Office of the State Veterinarian at (502) 564-3956.

—30—

Visit KDA's Office of the State Veterinarian here.

Find out more about tuberculosis in cattle here.

Find out more about vesicular stomatitis here.

Colorado's Annual Farmers' Market Directory Celebrates 25th Anniversary

Summer is near and farmers’ markets across Colorado are starting to pitch tents and sell local products. To help consumers find farmers’ markets, roadside stands, u-picks, wineries and agritourism activities, the Colorado Department of Agriculture annually publishes the Colorado Farm Fresh Directory. The publication is celebrating its 25th year of connecting Colorado producers with consumers.

“We are so excited about the 25th Anniversary edition of the Colorado Farm Fresh Directory,” said Wendy White, marketing specialist for the Colorado Department of Agriculture. “This year’s directory is the biggest ever, listing more than 240 farms, ranches, roadside stands, u-picks and agritourism operations as well as 110 farmers markets across the state.”

In addition to listing farms, ranches and farmers’ markets, the free directory features information on county fairs, food and agricultural festivals, recipes and tips for picking Colorado produce. Farm Fresh also includes farms that offer tours, wineries, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, farm and ranch vacations, and a crop calendar.

The 2009 Colorado Farm Fresh Directory is available for free at participating libraries, chambers of commerce, welcome centers, visitor centers, CSU Extension offices and other businesses. The directory is also accessible online at www.coloradoagriculture.com/farmfresh.

The directory is sponsored by the Colorado Apple Administrative Committee, Colorado Farmers' Market Association, Colorado Fresh Markets, Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, Delta County Tourism, Metro Denver Farmers' Market, Mile High Marketplace, Miller Farms, Rock Creek Farm and Royal Crest Dairy.

“The ‘buy local’ trend continues in Colorado and farmers’ markets are reaping the benefits,” said White. “According to a recent survey of Colorado farmers’ market managers, over 95 percent have a ‘very positive’ or ‘somewhat positive’ outlook for Colorado farmers’ markets and 84 percent of markets saw an increase in sales during the 2008 season.”

For more information or to find a location to pick up a free copy of the 2009 Colorado Farm Fresh Directory, contact the Colorado Department of Agriculture Markets Division at (303) 239-4119 or visit www.coloradoagriculture.com/farmfresh.

Kentucky Department of Agriculture continues probe into June 1 accident at Louisville Zoo.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, June 8, 2009

For more information contact:
Bill Clary

(502) 564-1137 

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has asked the Louisville Zoo to move the train that overturned on June 1 into storage under Department supervision within the next two weeks.

 

Department officials also are continuing to take statements from witnesses to the train accident. The investigation will continue over the next several weeks.

 

“We have learned all that we are going to learn about the accident at the scene,” said Chad Halsey, chief amusement ride inspector in the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Division of Regulation and Inspection. “The next step is to get the machine into a controlled environment where we can more thoroughly analyze the components. We will look at the electronics, the mechanicals, the hydraulics – every aspect of the machine. And we will go wherever the evidence leads to determine exactly what happened and why.”

 

The Department will issue a final report once its investigation is complete. The ride remains under a stop operation order issued by the Department following the accident.

 

Riders, witnesses and others who may have information pertinent to the Department’s investigation may contact the Department at (502) 573-0282 and ask for the amusement ride inspection program.

 

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is required by state law to inspect all amusement rides that operate within the Commonwealth once a year before the ride is opened for the season. Inspectors also respond to public complaints and are authorized to perform random inspections. If an inspector finds an issue with a ride that would prevent it from operating safely, that issue must be addressed before the ride passes inspection. If an inspector finds an issue with a ride that does not affect the ride’s safe operation, the ride may pass inspection and that issue may be addressed at a later time.

 

The train in the June 1 accident was inspected on Jan. 22 and was found to be operating normally. The inspector noted items to be corrected that did not affect the safe operation of the ride.

 

The Department will have no further statement on the accident till further notice as the investigation is ongoing.