As the vibrant fields burst with life this August, it is essential to remain vigilant against a tiny yet potentially harmful threat: ticks. These tiny arachnids, known for transmitting diseases like Lyme disease, pose a risk not only to us but also to our livestock. Understanding how to protect yourself and your animals is crucial for a safe and productive season.
Minimizing Tick Exposure
Implementing effective strategies to reduce exposure to ticks is paramount:
Wear Protective Clothing: When working outdoors, wear long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks, and closed-toe shoes to minimize exposed skin.
Use Tick Repellents: Apply EPA-approved insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or permethrin to clothing and exposed skin.
Perform Regular Tick Checks: Conduct thorough tick checks on yourself, your family, and your animals after spending time outdoors, especially in wooded or grassy areas.
Modify Your Landscape: Keep grass trimmed short and create a barrier of wood chips or gravel between wooded areas and your fields to discourage tick migration
Protecting Livestock
Ticks can also pose a significant threat to livestock health. Consider these measures to safeguard your animals:
Consult with a Veterinarian: Discuss tick prevention strategies, such as acaricides (tick-killing treatments) and proper livestock management practices.
Create Tick-Safe Zones: Designate areas where livestock can graze that are less likely to harbor ticks, such as sunny, open fields away from wooded areas.
Inspect Livestock Regularly: Conduct routine inspections of your animals for signs of tick infestations, such as excessive scratching or visible ticks on their skin.
By taking proactive steps to minimize exposure to ticks and understanding the risks they pose, farmers can protect themselves, their families, and their livestock from tick-borne diseases. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and enjoy a safe and successful farming season.
Remember, knowledge and prevention are our best defenses against tick hazards.
Discover more information on ticks to enhance your ability to safeguard yourself, your family, and your pets from tick-borne diseases using this resource provided by New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell University.
https://cals.cornell.edu/new-york-state-integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/whats-bugging-you/ticks
STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ANNOUNCES TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR LACTATING DAIRY CATTLE ENTERING FAIRS OR EXHIBITIONS TO PREVENT HPAI TRANSMISSION
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets has announced new testing requirements for dairy cattle entering fairs or exhibitions to continue to prevent the transmission of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle in New York State. The order issued by the Department requires that lactating dairy cattle be tested and show negative results for HPAI within seven days prior to entering a fair, including the Great New York State Fair, county fairs, or other exhibitions. The test must be conducted by an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) lab.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/guidance-dairy-cattle-livestock-exhibition.pdf
The Department encourages industry members to follow these steps in addition to the state’s order to help ensure the health and safety of animals at county fairs across New York, in addition to The Great New York State Fair. Animal health requirements for 2024 county fairs and The New York State Fair are outlined in three documents, listed below. These documents currently apply to animals, including poultry, at fairs in 2024.
https://agriculture.ny.gov/animals/fair-health-requirements
https://agriculture.ny.gov/animals/interstate-health-requirements-fair-animals
https://agriculture.ny.gov/animals/exhibitor-prefair-guidelines
USDA also recently announced expanded support for producers to help stop the spread of HPAI in dairy cattle https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/05/23/usda-expands-support-producers-stop-spread-h5n1-dairy-cattle
including for producers who do not have a herd that has tested positive. This support equips producers with tools they can use to keep their herds and workers healthy and reduce the risk of the virus spreading to additional herds. These financial tools include supporting biosecurity planning and implementation; reimbursing producers for veterinary costs associated with sample collection for testing, and offsetting shipping costs for influenza A testing at laboratories in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.
Producers and veterinarians are encouraged to continue visiting the USDA APHIS website https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock for the latest information. No cases have been detected in New York livestock to date. According to USDA and the FDA, pasteurized milk and dairy products remain safe to consume as pasteurization kills harmful microbes and pathogens in milk and there is also no concern regarding the consumption of properly cooked meat products.
