U.S.D.A nominee in pursuit of $150,000 in his home state
By Kate Ayers
Staff Reporter
Farms.com
Bill Northey, Iowa secretary of agriculture, is seeking an additional $150,000 to develop a statewide response framework in the event of an animal disease outbreak.
The state governor and legislators allocated $100,000 earlier this year for the response plan but Northey suggests more should be set aside, according to yesterday’s RadioIowa article.
The extra funds will be used “for foreign animal disease preparation,” Northey said to RadioIowa.
“So, this is some staffing that helps us work with the farm organizations that are working with their producers on biosecurity.”
A bird flu outbreak impacted Iowa’s poultry industry in 2015. The outbreak resulted in a loss of $1.2 billion, as well as the death of over 30 million hens and 1.5 million turkeys, according to a report from the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.
“The one we all worry about it foot-and-mouth disease,” Northey said in the article.
Animals that have divided or “cloven” hooves, such as cattle and swine, are most susceptible to this disease. However, the United States has kept the disease at bay since 1929, according to the article.
Yesterday, Northey spoke in the governor’s office to present his budget plan for the Iowa Department of Agriculture.
Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/7024074719