Bird flu detected in cattle in eight states; Arkansas Ag Department restricts transport into state

By Ryan McGeeney
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

LITTLE ROCK — As highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is detected in cattle in a growing number of states, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture has issued an order restricting livestock exhibiting symptoms or testing positive for the virus from entering the state.

CURRENT SITUATION — As of April 15, USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service reported confirmed cases of HPAI in cattle in eight states, including Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and North Carolina. All of the reported cases have been in dairy milking cattle. (Image courtesy USDA.)

Dustan Clark, extension poultry health veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said Arkansas has seen no reports of cattle infected with the virus within its borders. Additionally, there have been no reports of bird flu in Arkansas commercial poultry production facilities or backyard “hobby flocks” since December 2023.

“So far, we’re doing quite well,” Clark said. “I won’t say we’re safe. We need everyone to maintain good biosecurity practices.”

Clark is also the associate director of the Division of Agriculture’s Poultry Center.

Per an April 5 letter from Arkansas State Veterinarian John Nilz:

• No dairy cattle exhibiting symptoms of or testing positive for HPAI shall be allowed to move into Arkansas.

• No dairy cattle from states with impacted herds shall be allowed to move into Arkansas.

• Livestock moving into Arkansas found to be in non-compliance with this order shall be quarantined to the nearest facility until all requirements are met on said animals to meet specifications.

“This is still an unfolding issue,” Clark said. As of April 15, USDA’s Animal and Plant Inspection Service reported confirmed cases of HPAI in cattle in eight states, including Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio and North Carolina. All of the reported cases have been in dairy milking cattle.

Clark said that since February 2022, more than 90 million birds in the United States have been affected by the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

“It’s been detected in about 480 commercial flocks and 645 hobby flocks,” Clark said.

According to an April 16 U.S. Department of Agriculture report, more than 8.5 million birds had been affected within the previous 30 days. While HPAI has been detected in 48 states over the last two years, it has only been reported in eight states — Michigan, Florida, New Mexico, Minnesota, Kansas, Texas, North Carolina and Maine — during that 30-day period.

“Two of the largest of those were table egg flocks in Michigan,” Clark said. “One with more than 2 million birds, the other slightly less than 2 million birds. Then there was a commercial table egg flock in Texas that was more than 1.8 million birds. Those were the biggest in the last 30 days.”

Clark said that while USDA and the state veterinarian outlined clear biosecurity guidelines for the transportation of poultry for both commercial producers and backyard hobbyists, one factor that can’t be controlled is the presence of wild birds.

“Don’t expose your hobby flock birds to wild waterfowl,” Clark said. “Keep them penned up at this point in time, while the migration is still going on. Don’t let them range and keep them away from water sources that may have had wild waterfowl on them, such as a pond.

“If you go somewhere such as a park and there’s a pond there, stay away from it,” he said. “When you go home, clean and disinfect your shoes and change clothes before you visit your own poultry.”

Many public resources are available to help individuals establish good biosecurity measures and assess the possibility of an infected herd or flock, including the USDA’s HPAI biosecurity factsheet, the Division of Agriculture’s biosecurity resources page and the Arkansas Department of Health’s HPAI page. Individuals who think they may have an infected bird should consult their veterinarian or call the Arkansas Department of Agriculture at  501-823-1746.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu/. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Extension launches new poultry podcast

By Tracy Courage
U of A System Division of Agriculture 

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has a new monthly podcast that will be of interest to commercial poultry producers and industry professionals in Arkansas.

UNPLUCKED: The first episode of The Fowl Frontier: Poultry Science Unplucked focuses on biosecurity in light of a recent case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) confirmed in Arkansas. (Division of Agriculture art.) 

“The Fowl Frontier: Poultry Science Unplucked” launched Nov. 8 and is available to listeners free of charge on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or the the Division of Agriculture website at  uaex.uada.edu/fowl-frontier.

Podcast host Zac Williams, poultry science extension specialist for the Division of Agriculture, said the podcast will address issues relevant to poultry producers and professionals who work in allied industries.

The first episode — “Biosecurity and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza” — features guest Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian for the Division of Agriculture and associate director of the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science at the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. With the recent confirmation of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Arkansas, these episodes will provide timely information for poultry producers looking to keep their flocks protected.

“While this episode is mainly aimed at small and backyard flock owners, much of the information will be relevant to commercial producers too,” Williams said. 

Poultry is big business

More than 6,500 farms in Arkansas produce some type of poultry. Northwest Arkansas, particularly Washington and Benton counties, produces the most poultry in the state.

Poultry is the leading agricultural industry in Arkansas, which ranks third nationally for broiler production and fourth for turkey production. The poultry industry provides 157,639 jobs and $5.1 billion (50%) of the total agriculture cash receipts in 2021, according to The Poultry Federation.

Easy Listening

Williams joined the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science and Poultry Science Department as an assistant professor in June. In his role, he provides poultry education and outreach through the Cooperative Extension Service, with a focus on connecting with the commercial poultry industry.

Williams, who hosted a similar podcast at the University of Michigan, said podcasts offer a convenient format for farmers and commercial producers to get information relevant to their operations.

“It’s a direct way for us to deliver research-based information to our producers,” William said. “A lot of farmers will listen while they’re on the tractor or driving. They can subscribe and get notifications when there are new episodes.”

Williams also likes the interview-style format and plans to feature guests from the Division of Agriculture and from the poultry and allied industries.

“With this format, I can bring in guests from all over the U.S. or the world to provide knowledge,” he said.

Listeners can also request topics they want to hear about by contacting Williams.

Future outreach

The new podcast is one way Williams hopes to connect with the state’s poultry producers. Workshops and a three-day Broiler Academy are also planned.

Specialized workshops for commercial growers, integrators and employees in allied industries will be offered at the Savoy Farm in Fayetteville. Williams said the workshops will be customized to fit attendees’ needs. To schedule a workshop, contact Williams at 601-527-2871 or zwilliams@uada.edu.

The Broiler Academy is planned for June 3-5, 2024, at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences in Fayetteville.

“This will be a Broiler Production 101 type workshop where we’ll provide an overview of broiler production management for anyone who wants to learn more about broiler management,” Williams said. “It will be good for new employees or people who have experience in one area but want to learn more about the industry,” he said.

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.

Incoming cold front may raise the risk of wildfowl-borne avian influenza for backyard Arkansas poultry flocks

By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A change in the weather may intensify the fall migration of wildfowl and poultry flock owners will need to redouble their biosecurity efforts to stave off potential infections of a deadly type of bird flu, said Dustan Clark, extension poultry veterinarian for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Flock of backyard chickens getting an early start on a farm in western Arkansas. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image by John Lovett)

“Geese, ducks and other wildfowl are already making their way south along the Mississippi Flyway,” Clark said on Tuesday. “And we know that wildfowl play a role in moving avian influenza around the Western Hemisphere.”

At issue is highly pathogenic avian influenza, H5N1, which has beleaguered poultry owners since 2021, affecting millions of birds on five continents and last year, helped drive up egg prices. This fall, 10 states have had confirmed infections, with Oregon being the most recent, Clark said.

“We have a cold front coming in a few days and that will push migrating birds south,” he said. “We need to be prepared.”

Arkansas is located squarely in the Mississippi Flyway and the lakes and agricultural fields of the Delta a stopping point for millions of ducks, geese and other birds.

“Three of the states, Minnesota, South Dakota and Utah, have confirmed cases in turkey flocks,” Clark said. “The remaining seven states reported the highly pathogenic avian influenza infections only in backyard, hobby and small flocks.

“Because small flocks tend to be outdoors, there’s a higher risk of exposure to infected wild birds,” he said. “It’s important that our small flock, backyard flock and hobby flock owners be informed about disease recognition and prevention.”

Webinars for poultry owners

The Cooperative Extension Service is holding four webinars to help owners of backyard, hobby or small flocks to protect their poultry from avian influenza. (U of A System Division of Agriculture image)

Clark is offering four biosecurity webinars for small flock owners at 6 p.m. each evening of Nov. 2, 7, 9 and 16. There is no charge to attend. Registration is available online.

“While biosecurity may sound complex, there are some simple, inexpensive ways for small flock owners to protect their birds,” he said.

1. Keep birds in pens covered with roofs or tarps to prevent exposure to wild bird feces and to keep poultry away from any pond or other water source that wild waterfowl may visit.

2. Keep facilities and equipment clean and in good repair. Change feed and water frequently.

3. Quarantine and isolate any new or sick birds from your other poultry for a minimum of three weeks.

4. Keep unnecessary visitors away and keep a record of all necessary visitors. Do not let them come in contact with your flock. If you visit an area where there are waterfowl or poultry Do Not Visit your poultry until you change clothes/ shoes and wash your hands.

5. Recognize signs of illness in poultry and report unusual signs to your local veterinarian, local county extension agent, extension poultry veterinarian, state veterinarian, USDA hotline at 1-866-536-7593, or Arkansas avian influenza hotline, 501-823-1746.

Find other information about biosecurity on the extension service website. 

To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.