Protecting Ohio’s valuable poultry industry from deadly avian flu

Ohio State veterinary students visit a turkey farm to learn about avian flu biosecurity. Outreach and education are key to protecting the poultry industry from infectious diseases.

Ohio State veterinary students visit a turkey farm to learn about avian flu biosecurity. Outreach and education are key to protecting the poultry industry from infectious diseases.

Since November 2014, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 spread by wild waterfowl has gripped the U.S. poultry industry, killing close to 50 million birds in at least 19 states.

While the virus has not yet reached Ohio, Ohio State University Extension experts have been helping poultry producers learn about the disease, boost biosecurity measures on the farm and prepare to minimize the flu’s impact if it were to reach the state.

“Our industry needs to adopt tighter biosecurity, as this virus can spread wide and fast, and outbreaks could reoccur in spring and fall,” said Mohamed El-Gazzar, OSU Extension poultry veterinarian. “We are also helping with logistical challenges such as identifying the best way to dispose of infected birds in case of an outbreak.”

To address this challenge, biosystems engineer Fred Michel developed a plan for Ohio egg farms to compost up to hundreds of thousands of dead chickens on-site, reducing the risk of contamination to other layer houses or nearby farms.


ESSENTIALS

• The current avian flu outbreak is a serious threat to Ohio’s $2.3 billion poultry industry, which directly supports more than 14,600 jobs. Nationally, Ohio ranks second in egg production and ninth in turkey production.
• If Ohio were to experience a poultry production loss of 50 percent, OSU Extension estimates the ripple effect would reach $1 billion in overall economic losses, including $815,000 in annual wages.
• Heavy losses to Iowa’s egg farms from this virus have sent egg prices soaring across the United States. If the virus reaches Ohio, prices will increase even more dramatically, affecting both consumers and food manufacturers.

More: go.osu.edu/birdflu

Future of farming includes precision tech, smart use of ‘big data’

Modern farm machinery and unmanned aerial vehicles are opening new doors for the collection of valuable data to help growers improve production and the environment.

Modern farm machinery and unmanned aerial vehicles are opening new doors for the collection of valuable data to help growers improve production and the environment.

In the world of agriculture, having access to rich data sources about field conditions, weather patterns, pests and more can make a huge difference in the profitability and sustainability of Ohio farms.

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center is working with farmers, industry groups and state agencies to boost access to and analysis of field data gathered from new-generation farm machinery, satellite data and remote-sensing imagery captured by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

“Data can support farmers’ management decisions, for example how much nitrogen should be applied to corn and whether or when a fungicide needs to be used,” OARDC and Ohio State University Extension precision agriculture specialist John Fulton said. “But all this enormous amount of data needs to be gathered and provided quickly for farmers to make the best use of it.”

A key goal of Fulton’s work is to create a repository that will then be made available to growers in a user-friendly manner to help them make data-driven decisions.

ESSENTIALS

The enhanced use of precision farming technology and “big data” analysis can benefit the agricultural industry and society in three key areas.

  • Economy: Providing remote-sensing imagery and other types of data to growers and their crop consultants can help growers make more efficient use of fertilizers and other expensive inputs, thus lowering costs.
  • Environment: Reducing fertilizer and agrochemical applications benefits the environment, protecting water, pollinators and other valuable natural resources.
  • Research: Developing an extensive data repository can help university scientists save time in their research projects and develop innovative recommendations to assist both farmers and the environment.

New OARDC garden will help study links between plants and health

“I’m an Ohio State grad. My grandfather and father came from Wooster. This is something I wanted to do for the university. I believe plants are very important in people’s health, and I hope this garden will be beneficial for people of all ages in the community, as well as for research.” — Bill Lemmon, president and owner, Lemmon & Lemmon Inc.

“I’m an Ohio State grad. My grandfather and father came from Wooster. This is something I wanted to do for the university. I believe plants are very important in people’s health, and I hope this garden will be beneficial for people of all ages in the community, as well as for research.”
— Bill Lemmon, president and owner, Lemmon & Lemmon Inc.

The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Secrest Arboretum has many gardens, but its newest addition stands out for its therapeutic and research value.

Established in summer 2015, The Lemmon and Rice Health and Wellness Garden was designed to boost visitors’ sense of well-being and provide opportunities for research into the impact gardens and nature have on human health. The garden was constructed thanks to donations from Bill Lemmon, president and owner of Lemmon & Lemmon Inc., and Kevin Rice, vice president of Rice’s Nursery and Landscaping, both located in the Canton area.

This is one of the country’s few gardens designed around the concept of the pillars of wellness. The garden focuses on six of the nine pillars: environmental, physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and social. OARDC has teamed up with The Ohio State University College of Nursing to conduct future research in the garden.

“Many visitors already use the arboretum as a part of their wellness program,” said Joe Cochran, Secrest’s interim director. “One visitor told me he had lost 36 pounds somewhere on the paths throughout the gardens.”

ESSENTIALS

Studies have shown the benefits of gardens and other outdoor spaces on health and wellness.

• Gardening 3–5 times a week has been found to be a good strategy to combat obesity and lower stress.
• Patients with musculoskeletal pain taking part in horticultural therapy programs experience an improved ability to cope with chronic pain.
• Children with attention deficit disorder who play in grassy, outdoor spaces have less severe symptoms than those who play in windowless, indoor settings.
• Dementia patients who have access to gardens are less likely to display aggression or suffer injuries, and they display improved sleep patterns, balanced hormones and decreased agitation.

More: go.osu.edu/healthgarden

Tackling avian flu and other dangerous poultry diseases

Lee bird flu

Virologist Chang-Won Lee conducts research — including the development of new vaccines and diagnostic tests — to combat avian flu and other respiratory diseases of poultry.

Since November 2014, an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 spread by wild waterfowl has gripped the U.S. poultry industry, killing close to 50 million birds in at least 19 states.

While the virus has not yet reached Ohio, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center experts are conducting innovative research to improve detection, prevention and management of avian flu and other respiratory diseases that threaten the state’s valuable poultry industry.

For instance, virologist Chang-Won Lee leads a U.S. Department of Agriculture $7.2 million grant that partners scientists and colleagues at The Ohio State University with other universities.

The project’s goal is threefold: to better understand the ecology of poultry diseases in order to develop more effective prevention strategies; to validate diagnostic methods currently employed and create better ones as needed; and to gain a better understanding of the relationship between disease, host and environment in order to aid in the development of new control methods.

ESSENTIALS

• The current avian flu outbreak is a serious threat to Ohio’s $2.3 billion poultry industry, which directly supports more than 14,600 jobs. Nationally, Ohio ranks second in egg production and ninth in turkey production.

• If Ohio were to experience just a 50 percent poultry production loss, Ohio State University Extension estimates the effect would reach $1 billion in overall economic losses, including $815,000 in annual wages.

• Heavy losses to Iowa’s egg farms from this virus have sent egg prices soaring across the United States. If the virus reaches Ohio, prices would increase even more dramatically, affecting both consumers and food manufacturers.

More: go.osu.edu/birdflu

New hypoallergenic latex creates business opportunity

Graduate student Cindy Barrera Martínez (left) and researcher Katrina Cornish make latex gloves for testing at OARDC’s alternative rubber pilot plant in Wooster.

Graduate student Cindy Barrera Martínez (left) and researcher Katrina Cornish make latex gloves for testing
at OARDC’s alternative rubber pilot plant in Wooster.

Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center researchers have developed new materials that will allow medical professionals to have the natural latex gloves they prefer, while avoiding the risk of allergic reactions.

The patent-pending materials include a latex film made from guayule that is safe for both Type I and Type IV latex allergy sufferers, and a traditional Hevea rubber tree latex film that is Type IV-hypoallergenic.

“Guayule is a U.S. desert shrub that produces a high-quality latex which is very strong, tear-resistant, soft, comfortable and less irritating than synthetic materials from which many gloves are now made,” said Katrina Cornish, The Ohio State University’s Ohio Research Scholar and endowed chair in bioemergent materials. “And guayule latex is naturally Type I-hypoallergenic.”

To make the guayule and Hevea gloves Type IV-hypoallergenic, Cornish and her graduate students used new “accelerators” — chemicals added to speed up the curing reactions and production of latex products — that don’t leave residues associated with this type of allergy in the finished product.

Essentials

  • Medical professionals prefer natural rubber latex gloves over synthetic ones because they are stronger, have more tactile sensitivity, provide superior protection to blood-borne pathogens and cause less hand fatigue.
  • Latex is also the preferred material for many healthcare and consumer products such as catheters, masks, dental dams, orthodontic rubber bands and condoms.
  • The Ohio State University is conducting guayule trials in southern Ohio with the aim of developing a new domestic rubber-and-latex-producing crop as well as economic opportunities in the region.
  • Cornish is also working with partners in South Africa to grow guayule there and to produce allergy-free condoms, empowering poor women to start their own enterprises while helping to combat the AIDS epidemic.
  • A startup company — EnergyEne Inc., headquartered in Wooster — has been established to lead the development and commercialization of products made from these new latex materials.

“Having a steady supply of domestically produced natural latex would open the door for major dipped-goods manufacturers and medical glove producers to re-establish facilities in the U.S.,” said Tom Marsh, president of Centrotrade Minerals & Metals, Chesapeake, Virginia. “As a raw material supplier, we applaud the work championed by Dr. Cornish and supported by OARDC.”

More: go.osu.edu/nk3

New swine disease shows up, outreach is key to minimize impact

Pat Hord, owner of Hord Livestock in Bucyrus, Ohio. He credits Ohio State with helping him control a PEDv outbreak at his swine operation.

Pat Hord, owner
of Hord Livestock in Bucyrus, Ohio. He credits Ohio State with helping him control a PEDv outbreak at his swine operation.

In 2013, a new swine disease was discovered in the U.S. Very quickly, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) spread across the country, killing pigs at hundreds of farms in at least 30 states, including Ohio.

As PEDv has continued to impact the swine industry, Ohio State University Extension has worked with hog producers across the state to keep them updated about biosecurity measures they must follow to minimize the spread of the disease, and about technologies that can help them make better decisions.

“Working with Ohio State in concert with our local veterinarian has helped us use technology,such as new methods of testing for the disease, more effectively,” said Pat Hord, owner of Hord Livestock in Bucyrus, Ohio. His swine operation was affected by the virus, but has been successful at controlling it.

OSU Extension swine specialist Steve Moeller said continued research and educational efforts are needed to help the industry fend off PEDv and secure an adequate supply of pork products to
consumers.

Essentials

  • PEDv has killed more than 7 million piglets in the U.S., reducing pork production and industry profits, and threatening to impact the availability of pork products as well as prices.
  • Unlike other viruses, PEDv does not pose any risk to food safety or human health.
  • The disease causes 50 to 100 percent mortality among piglets. Adult pigs show only mild illness, but they can carry the virus — which is transmitted via contaminated feces — and spread
    it to other pigs.
  • The virus has proven to be very persistent and difficult to contain. Hot summers and cold winters are having little effect on PEDv, so new herds are being infected on a continuous basis throughout the country.
  • PEDv might also impact swine exhibits at agricultural fairs, as the conglomeration of animals from many different farms could spread the disease even further.

“Ohio State was extremely pivotal in helping answer questions about the potential spread of PEDv in the feed for Ohio pork producers,” said Dr. Todd Price, D.V.M., of North Central Veterinary Services in Sycamore, Ohio. “The university’s experts should be commended for their timely and valuable research put forth to help producers learn more about this devastating disease.”

More: go.osu.edu/nkx

Tackling a new swine disease and its economic impact

OARDC researcher Qiuhong Wang studies PED virus.

OARDC researcher Qiuhong Wang studies PED virus.

In 2013, a new swine disease showed up in the U.S. Very quickly, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) spread across the country, killing 50–100 percent of piglets at hundreds of farms in at least 30 states, including Ohio. With funding from the National Pork Board, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center scientists are conducting research to answer crucial questions about and develop effective tests and vaccines against PEDv.

“Our studies show that the PEDv strains circulating in the U.S. are more aggressive than the strains from Europe,” OARDC virologist Qiuhong Wang said. “In the U.S., it doesn’t look likely that PEDv will stop mutating and that herds will become endemic and experience little mortality.”

Scientists in Wang’s and Linda Saif’s labs grew the virus in cell culture and are using this material to develop a “booster” vaccine that can protect pigs previously exposed to PEDv. The end goal is to develop a stronger vaccine that can also protect swine with zero immunity to the virus.

Essentials

  • PEDv has killed more than 7 million piglets in the U.S., reducing pork production and threatening to impact the availability of pork products as well as prices.
  • OARDC is one of the few facilities nationwide that has been able to grow PEDv in the lab, allowing researchers to have enough virus material to develop diagnostic tests and vaccine candidates.
  • Ohio State University researchers are collaborating with a large animal health company to develop PEDv vaccines.
  • OARDC animal disease research is supported by its unique germ-free animal labs, where new diseases and treatments can be tested in isolation; and by its Plant and Animal Agrosecurity Research facility, the only lab in Ohio and one of only two nationally with capacity for plant and animal disease research at the BSL-3 biosafety level.

“It is increasingly important that we have a high-quality swine research capability in Ohio,” said Pat Hord, owner of Hord Livestock Company in Bucyrus, Ohio. “We, as swine producers, need this information as soon as possible to help us manage diseases such as PEDv the best we can to limit severe economic losses.”

More: go.osu.edu/nkx

Healthy bees, healthy agriculture: Striking a balance

Reed Johnson studies bee colonies at OARDC to learn more about factors affecting bee health. Healthy bees are crucial for both agricultural production and the environment.

Reed Johnson studies bee colonies at OARDC to learn more about factors affecting bee health. Healthy bees are crucial
for both agricultural production and the environment.

Bees are crucial to agriculture and food security. They pollinate about one-third of the crops we eat, valued at more than $14 billion annually in the U.S.

However, this valuable resource is at risk. During the 2013–2014 winter alone, Ohio beekeepers lost 50–80 percent of their honeybees. Bees are dying in large numbers due to many reasons, including diseases, insect pests, loss of habitat and agricultural chemicals.

“Most corn seeds planted today are coated with insecticides, and when they are chipped off in the planter, the dust lands on nearby flowers,” said entomologist Reed Johnson. “Bees then carry the tainted pollen back to their hives, where young members of the colony become exposed to it.”

Johnson is studying the unintended consequences of these insecticides as well as strategies to protect bees. For example, he has tested a lubricant that is applied to the seed to reduce dust, which shows promise in field trials.

Essentials

  • The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and Ohio State University Extension work together with the beekeeping industry and others to deliver the following programs, which promote healthy bees and environments that boost bee numbers.
  • A monthly webinar series is attended by some 120 beekeepers from Ohio, other states and several countries. It focuses on ways to monitor for health issues and combat pests that attack bees. The sessions are archived online and reach many more beekeepers.
  • Monthly face-to-face educational programs with beekeeper associations throughout Ohio deal with topics such as integrated pest management and creating forage habitats for bees.
  • A statewide network of 28 research and demonstration gardens were planted in 2014 at schools, parks, arboreta and OSU Extension offices. The gardens evaluate which combinations of plants attract bees most, so that recommendations can be made to help enhance their habitats.

“Ohio State University research is required to provide information to the Ohio agriculture community, which will allow collaboration between beekeepers and farmers to help each other keep honeybees healthy and safe, and provide the pollination needed to keep crop production sustainable and profitable,” said Dwight Wells, regional director of the Ohio State Beekeepers Association.

More: u.osu.edu/beelab

Land of opportunity: Cleveland empty lots yield environmental benefits

Graduate students in Mary Gardiner’s lab survey vacant lots in Cleveland to determine the environmental benefits of different landscape treatments being studied.

Graduate students in Mary Gardiner’s lab survey vacant lots in Cleveland to determine the environmental
benefits of different landscape treatments being studied.

Decades of population losses have left the city of Cleveland with 3,600 acres of vacant land, while some 1,000 homes are demolished every year.

Currently, Cleveland plants turfgrass on empty lots, but it’s expensive to maintain and offers few benefits. “Alternative plant communities could offer greater environmental benefits such as support of biodiversity and improved storm-water infiltration to reduce flooding,” said Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center entomologist Mary Gardiner.

Last year, Gardiner started a large-scale, never-before-attempted project that examines the impact of eight different landscape treatments on the biodiversity and ecosystem function of 64 empty lots in eight Cleveland neighborhoods. The five-year project’s main goal is to gather data that will inform future green space design in Cleveland and other cities engaged or interested in vacant-land management.

“With the right combination of plants and increased ecosystem services, urban vacant land can be seen as an asset for community development rather than as an eyesore,” Gardiner said.

Essentials

  • This project is funded by a highly competitive $909,200 Faculty Early Career Development Program grant from the National Science Foundation, which promotes the integration of research and education.
  • Part of the project includes the development of a high school science curriculum for use by teachers in Cleveland and throughout the state. The lessons focus on insect-predator-prey relationships and teaching students how to collect data and communicate their findings using scientific arguments.
  • A related program involves the training of Master Gardener volunteers on issues related to urban farming. These volunteers will then teach Cleveland residents best practices for growing fruits and vegetables on converted vacant land, fostering new economic opportunities and healthier eating.
  • Students in Gardiner’s lab are also studying the benefits of rain gardens in the city of Cleveland, including their contributions to pollinators, soil health and storm-water cleanup.

“Working on ecological research in city neighborhoods requires advanced scientific knowledge and excellent people skills,” said Terry Schwarz, director of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. “Mary embodies both of these things. Her work has the potential to impact people’s lives in tangible and lasting ways, and to contribute to new ways of thinking about Cleveland.”

More: ale.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/home