Keeping African Swine Fever out of the United States

Chris McGann
Communications

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) took to the internet with a nationwide call to arms against a looming threat to the U.S. pork industry: African Swine Fever (ASF).

There is no cure for African Swine Fever, preventing it from infecting pigs in
the United States requires vigilance and strong biosecurity measures. 

“African Swine Fever has never been detected in the United States. However it is a very real threat,” said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue in a video message. He said the disease is "spreading around the world right now and affects both domestic and feral pigs.”

ASF is a devastating, deadly disease that would have a significant impact on U.S. livestock producers, their communities and the economy if it were found here. There is no treatment or vaccine available for this disease. The only way to stop this disease is to depopulate all affected or exposed swine herds.

Not a health threat to humans

Along with the strong warning, Perdue emphasized that humans are not affected by ASF and it is not a threat to our food supply.

“Within the U.S. we are working with many partners including states, veterinarians, and industry organizations to raise awareness of this deadly disease and how it spreads,” Perdue said.

WSDA’s role

WSDA is joining the effort to raise awareness.

Even though our state is not thought of as a big pork producer, Washington is the home of 3,000 breeding sows on approximately 376 farms, according to NASS.

Interim Washington State Veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle said ASF is highly contagious and it’s incumbent on us to be on the lookout for it, practice effective biosecurity measures, and help prevent the disease from infecting  both commercial and feral swine populations.

“ASF is only a plane ride away,” Itle said. “We are asking for everyone’s help in preventing it from getting here to begin with.”

A global threat

The disease has been a persistent and costly problem for pork producers in other countries. Since 2007, active ASF outbreaks have been reported in multiple countries across Africa, Asia and Europe, in both domestic and wild pigs.

The ease and speed of international travel combined with the potential for this disease to cause animal suffering, economic losses, and food supply interruptions makes ASF a serious concern for both farmers and consumers.

In the video released with the announcement, Secretary Perdue said a U.S. outbreak of ASF could cripple the pork industry.

“We want everyone who comes in contact with pigs, from the large farm owners to the owners of a single teacup pig and even international travelers and petting zoo visitors, to understand how easily this disease can spread and the importance of keeping our U.S. pigs free of this disease," Perdue said.
“The U.S. pork industry supports more than half a million jobs, the majority of those in rural areas,” he said. “We know what’s at stake and we are determined to keep African Swine Fever out of the United States.”

How the virus spreads

• Direct contact with feces, urine, discharges, blood, or tissues from infected pigs
• Carrier swine and their relatives, especially wild boars, warthogs, and feral pigs
• Feeding raw, undercooked or smoked pork products to swine
• Contaminated equipment, footwear, clothing, food, vehicles, and facilities
• Fly, lice, and mosquito bites
• Soft ticks of the genus Ornithodoros (a host for the ASF virus)

Signs of ASF

• Sudden death or chronic illness
• Abortion
• High fever
• Weakness
• Depression
• Poor appetite
• Red or blue-tinged skin
• Skin hemorrhages
• Diarrhea or constipation

Treatment and prevention

ASF cannot be treated. Efforts focus on containing the disease to limit the affected outbreak area, euthanizing all pigs on affected farms, and investigating the outbreak to identify the source. Prevention measures include close monitoring of animal health, effective biosecurity measures, animal movement regulation, proper feeding practices, control of wild hogs, and tick-vector control.

If you raise pigs, monitor all animals daily for signs of illness. Call your veterinarian immediately if you see unusual signs of illness such as high fevers, skin discoloration, or sudden death. Report any high mortality or morbidity event to the State Veterinarian’s Office.

Obtain a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection for interstate movement of livestock. Quarantine herd additions for 30 days or keep a closed herd.  If you travel internationally, take extreme biosecurity precautions when you return.

For more information about ASF, visit WSDA’s Animal Services Division web page.

Stepping into the South Korea Market

Chris McGann
Communications

Washington delegation in Seoul: Amy Teo (F.C. Bloxom Co.), Debra French
(Dairy Farmers of WA), Julie Johnson (WSDA), Sean Connell (EDASC),
  Bryan Sakuma (Sakuma Brothers) and James Smith (JBR International)

If you’re a Whatcom County dairy looking for new artisan cheese customers -- or a blueberry producer, beer broker or maybe you specialize in selling hot sauce and pet food -- a huge overseas market such as South Korea could sound intriguing.

But Seoul is a long way from Ferndale.

And for all their opportunity, markets like South Korea are complex. Stepping in can be overwhelming and very intimidating.

Enter Julie Johnson, WSDA’s export development and outreach trade specialist.

Johnson and WSDA’s International Marketing Program is ready to help connect sellers with foreign buyers and help Washington companies navigate everything from busy airports to trade restrictions in some of our largest export countries.

Fried chicken and beer Seoul style. Watch
out, it's got a bite!

She can even help with little things.

What if a buyer in Seoul invites you out for a fried chicken and beer dinner? No problem, it’s a trend right now, Johnson will explain. But be careful.

“It looks like American fried chicken, but they put their own spicy spin on it,” Johnson said. “It’s got a bite!”

Last month, WSDA’s International Marketing Program completed a first-of-its-kind outbound trade mission to South Korea. It was, in a way, a pilot program.

Although WSDA organizes many trade missions, the trip last month was the first to focus on new-to-market and new-to-export companies going to learn about opportunities, import rules, and the consumer preferences of South Korea.

The program wanted to know if companies interested in entering the market would be willing to pay their own way to go on a mission. The resounding answer was, yes.

Johnson quickly identified 17 companies that were interested. Five of them, including the before-mentioned dairy, berry producer and specialty product brokers, participated in the outbound mission organized by WSDA and the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County (EDASC). Dairy Farmers of Washington, Port of Skagit, and Economic Alliance of Snohomish County also made the trip.

A clear potential

South Korea is the sixth largest U.S. agricultural export market with exports of $6.9 billion in 2017, according the United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service.

Dragon’s beard candy (Ggul-ta-rea).

“For businesses out there looking for new markets, South Korea is full of opportunities,” Johnson said. “South Korea is open to our products because we have excellent food safety and high quality products. It’s one of Washington's top five export markets.

“There’s a lot of potential there, for sure,” she said.

But to tap into it, businesses must understand the legal requirements and cultural norms to determine if it would be a good fit and build an effective strategy to entering.

“It’s really key to go to those markets so you can learn about the customs and the culture,” she said.

Expert help on the ground

“The great thing about working with WSDA to explore new markets like South Korea is we have someone on the ground ready to help,” she said. “South Korea is a big bustling place. It can be complicated.”

Washington delegation poses in front of the 40th Anniversary Monument
of King Gojong’s Enthronement in Sejongno, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Based in Seoul, Danny Kim is one of WSDA’s four contracted overseas trade representatives.

“Danny met us at the airport, made sure we got on the right bus and got to the right hotel. It took a lot of the nervousness out. That’s a big help, especially for people who had not traveled internationally,” she said.

“We got really great feedback,” she said.

International Marketing, a good fit 

Johnson is one of four trade specialists in the International Marketing Program, but her role in the program is unique.

While other staff are assigned to specific markets and product sectors, Johnson's position is focused on “export development and outreach,” meaning she primarily works with companies that are at the beginning of their explorations into overseas markets.

Johnson has worn many hats at WSDA. She’s worked here on and off since high school.
But she’s really found her stride in the International Marketing Program.

“It’s great,” she said. “I’ve been allowed to do some international travel so that I can learn about the markets. It’s one thing to talk to somebody about a market, but when you’ve actually been there and experienced it, it’s a lot easier to really tell them what the markets are like.”

Daniel Wavrin (Ferndale Farmstead), Julie Johnson (WSDA),
 and Danny Kim (WSDA contract representative).

Downsides? Johnson is a self-proclaimed picky eater, so sampling the pickled radishes, fermented kimchi and other traditional Korean cuisine is not her favorite aspect of the work.

But that’s just a quibble.

“I love the outreach,” she said. “I love people. I get excited about companies that are interested in exporting. I feel like it’s a really good fit. I work with new-to-export companies, getting them the resources they need to become export-ready.”

For more information check out the International Marketing Program.

Sharing the science of shellfish

Chris McGann
Communications

WSDA Aquaculture Coordinator Laura Butler is working to
support shellfish aquaculture in Washington. 

Aquatic science and problem-solving took center stage at the 26th Conference for Shellfish Growers this week, hosted by Washington Sea Grant.

Scientists, growers, and state and federal agency representatives came together to share research and their experiences surrounding the perplexing lives of shellfish.

Is toxic algae bloom the culprit behind summer shellfish die off?  How can we keep oyster herpes virus out of Northwest waters? Manage ghost shrimp? Cope with ocean acidification and rising sea temperatures?

These were some of the issues panelists explored during the two-day event that took place in the tiny coastal town of Union on lower Hood Canal.

Some answers were clearer than others, and some research findings seemed to raise as many questions as they answered. But for the 167 participants, the event was an opportunity to tap into the expertise of this close-knit, esoteric community to continue seeking solutions.

Where else could you entertain a question like: “Why do some oysters just stop eating?” or “Why do baby geoducks refuse to dig themselves into the sand?”

Biologist Nick Wenzel appreciates the
the opportunity to network with other
aquaculture enthusiasts.

Value of the network

Nick Wenzel is a shellfish biologist with a keen focus on geoducks, a freakishly large clam that boasts a neck more than three feet long and bodies almost double the size of their shells.

Wenzel shared his efforts to try to find out what caused a recent batch of juvenile geoducks to simply refuse to dig in.

He told the audience he wasn’t sure if the problem had to do with something in the water or if it was something more, motivational.

He said the conference and others like it are an important resource, because geoduck farming is such a young industry.

“The best part is the networking,” he said. “The people you meet here have a wealth of information and they are willing to share it.”

WSDA supports aquaculture

In 2018, estimates of Washington state
shellfish exports exceeded $126 million. 

WSDA Aquaculture Coordinator Laura Butler wants to help support that critical network of subject matter experts. She was among the panelists, raising awareness about our agency’s relatively new role in supporting the industry through outreach, marketing and networking.

She said it makes sense for WSDA to play a supporting role as a non-regulatory agency working with this industry.

"There is no doubt that shellfish farmers are farmers," she said. "They are just working in the unique environment of the intertidal zone."

A mystery in a shell

The shellfish industry is important to the economic vitality of many small coastal communities. In 2018, estimates of Washington state shellfish exports exceeded $126 million.

But the industry is built around a highly enigmatic animal.

“Oysters are like an alien life form, they are so different than other animals,” said Washington Sea Grant Aquaculture Specialist Brent Vadopalas. "Genetically they are really bizarre. They are bizarre in almost every way."

For example, Vadopalas explains that the animal kingdom includes species that are male or female and species that are hermaphrodite.

“But the Olympia oyster, our native oyster, it will flip back and forth between male and female within a single season, the same individual,” he said. “Why would it do that? It makes no sense.”

That’s just one of the many mysteries these slippery creatures hold for Vadopalas and other shellfish researchers and growers.

Although there is so much still to learn, we can be certain that as long as clean waters rise and fall over Northwest tidelands, these farmers will be looking for ways to make sure the shellfish harvest continues for generations to come.

For more information about WSDA’s Aquaculture Coordinator activities contact: Laura Butler.

State Vet: On a mission to make a difference

Chris McGann
Communications

Dr. Brian Joseph's service with the Army Reserve Veterinarian
 Corps has taken him to places like Central America.  

State Veterinarian Brian Joseph will deploy overseas with the Army Reserve this month, leaving his duties and responsibilities in the capable hands of other WSDA staff until early fall.

But before he ships out, Dr. Joseph shared his path to enlisting in the Army Reserve’s Veterinarian Corps, the war zones he has found himself in over the past 10 years, and his motivations for service.

Trying to join the Army at 56

It began in October 2007 when the flames of a mammoth wildfire were encroaching on San Diego, where Dr. Joseph had gone to attend a veterinarian conference. He remembers a sense of frustration as he watched the fire raging along highway.

“It occurred to me, as a private veterinarian, there was very little I could do in the case of a humanitarian or natural disaster,” he said.

Man’s best friend

Almost as clearly as the black smoke and helpless feelings are burned into his memory, so too is his recollection of a fine military dog, a Belgian Malinois named Ringo.

Dr. Joseph says he can't walk past a do and not talk
to it. Dogs apparently like talking to him, too. 

Ringo was posted at an Army recruiting booth at the conference.

“I met Ringo and stopped,” Dr. Joseph said. “Because I can’t walk past any dog and not talk to it. It’s impossible.”

During that fateful pause to make acquaintance with Ringo, a recruiter introduced himself and made a pitch that would change the course of the next 12 years of Dr. Joseph’s life.

“As I’m talking to the dog, the recruiter starts talking to me about the humanitarian missions that the Army Veterinary Corps does,” Dr. Joseph said.

“This sounds pretty interesting,” he thought, petting Ringo all the while. “I talked to him for two hours!”

Getting to YES

Dr. Joseph quickly secured his wife’s permission to enlist, but Uncle Sam was not as supportive.

Dr. Joseph was 10 years too old when he first applied and the military rejected his application – several times. But Joseph says he’s terrible at, no.

It took two years and the intervention from none other than Ross Perot, to finally get to yes. In 2009, Dr. Joseph entered boot camp as the oldest veterinarian ever admitted to the Army Reserve.

Seeing the world

Since then, Dr. Joseph has traveled the globe on at least six humanitarian missions. Today he claims the title of oldest veterinarian in the Army’s inventory.

Though the Army’s missions have, by definition, military objectives, Dr.  Joseph say’s his motivations fall more in line with the “winning hearts and minds” category.

His teams helps partner nations with public health, animal health, agriculture, engineering, and rebuilding schools and hospitals. He has helped with livestock husbandry in Guatemala, rabies vaccinations in Belize, and agricultural development in Central Africa.

Dr. Joseph considers it an honor to work with the communities he meets on
his Army Reserve missions.

“My goal is helping people with agriculture and helping their life be better,” he said.

Most memorable experience 

One of Dr. Joseph’s deployments sent him to Djibouti, in East Africa. It has a deep water port that provides a base of operations for many countries. In addition to the U.S. base, there are also British, Italian and Chinese military bases.

The people, Dr. Joseph said, are very poor.

“They’ve got no water, no electricity, little food,” he said.

Conditions were so bad that the livestock were eating “recycled paper.”

With the help of locals, including girls as young as 8 years old, who Dr. Joseph calls “the best goat catchers I’ve ever seen,” they immunized and dewormed about 800 goats as well as some camels and donkeys.

“One of them told our interpreter, ‘This is the first time anyone has ever come and demonstrated that they care,’” he said. “Everybody had come and asked them for information, but they’ve never demonstrated that they care. That’s my role on these missions. I want to know the people and I want to make their life a little better.”

WSDA Animal Services adjustments

In the near future, Dr. Joseph will deploy to Southwest Asia for his last mission. His 10-year waiver expires in September and at the age of 68, he has no plans to try to re-up.

“I like being married,” he said.

While he is gone, the State Veterinarian’s office and WSDA’s Animal Services division will maintain normal operations.

Assistant State Veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle will serve as Interim State Veterinarian, assuming responsibility for Animal Disease Traceability and Animal Health.

Jodi Jones will take over as WSDA Interim Animal Division Assistant Director with authority over administration, budget, Legislation, the Livestock Identification Program and compliance.

WSDA partners with Oregon and national agriculture group to support women in agriculture

Laura Raymond
WSDA Regional Markets 

A prize of as much as $20,000 is waiting for a woman in the agriculture industry, the top prize in the new Women Farm to Food Business Competition. The competition, which closes Jan. 31, is sponsored by the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), and is one way it is promoting a new program to help women in agriculture launch or boost their farm businesses.

Both WSDA and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) are partnering with NASDA in the effort. In addition to the competition, NASDA is launching a new business accelerator program for women and conducting a survey to learn more about the business needs of women in agriculture.

The competition - The 2019 Women Farm to Food Business Competition is open to women-owned food and beverage businesses in Washington and Oregon. Advantage will be given to farm-based businesses that grow their own ingredients and businesses that source their ingredients from Washington or Oregon agricultural producers. Applicants must complete an on-line application and submit a video of 3-minutes or less pitching their business. A $20,000 grand prize will be awarded, as well as a $10,000 prize and two $5,000 prizes.

The business accelerator – Currently under development is the NASDA Women Farm to Food Accelerator Program, scheduled to begin later in the year. It is a 90-day program of training, skill building and networking tailored to the needs of women in agribusiness.

The survey – The Women in Agriculture survey is meant to help NASDA develop the accelerator program so that it best meets the needs of women in agriculture.

More information - Visit www.nasda.org/foundation/women-in-agriculture for links to the contest application, the survey, or more information on any of the three initiatives.