The Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission has decided that ducks and geese will be missing from this year's State Fair after an outbreak of avian influenza caused destruction of about 7.5 million turkeys and 42.1 million chickens.
Waterfowl are banned from fairs across the state, but the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show in Little Rock, which will run Oct. 9-18, will hold chicken exhibitions this year. There will be additional testing requirements for any exhibitors taking chickens from outside Arkansas to the show, said Keith Bramwell, an extension specialist at the University of Arkansas.
Also, all poultry going to the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair in Fort Smith must have a certified avian flu test. That fair started Friday and ends Saturday.
Marvin Childers, president of the Poultry Federation, said if avian influenza breaks out before the State Fair, he is confident that all poultry will be prohibited. He said the state veterinarian and the director of the Livestock and Poultry Commission will make that decision, or the governor could declare a state of emergency.
He said if that happens, the concern is how to educate and explain to kids who participate in the poultry shows why the decision was made, and how to compensate them. The poultry industry as a whole gives $10,000-$15,000 in scholarships to the winners and other participants at the State Fair.
"I believe everyone will weigh the risks and make an informed decision," Childers said.
Waterfowl migrating north carried the influenza strain to poultry-producing states this spring, which spread to turkey and chicken farms throughout the Midwest. Scientists worry that the birds' southern migration this fall will carry avian influenza back to domestic flocks.
In Arkansas, avian influenza was detected only in turkeys, but statewide bans on poultry exports affected the rest of the state's poultry industry, including broilers.
Bans on poultry in this year's fairs vary from state to state. The nation's top two broiler-producing states, Georgia and Alabama, aren't restricting exhibitions, but recommend taking birds indoors to limit exposure to wild flocks. Some states, including North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, will have no poultry shows.
Keith Perkins, extension agent for Lonoke County, said waterfowl exhibits and competitions have been included in state fairs for as long as he can remember.
"There's different breeds," he said. "Experts would come along and judge them against standards for the breed and place them accordingly."
He said Arkansas has a lot of domestic waterfowl. He said geese were used for weed control on cotton farms before herbicides were commonly used.
"The fairs give youth and some adults a chance to show off their waterfowl," Perkins said. "I teach my kids and 4-H youth that I work with, there's many different life skills associated with these shows."
Sara Beth Johnson, a 4-H agent in Lonoke County, said she showed animals in county and state fairs growing up. She said showing animals at fairs teaches children about the responsibility of raising livestock and poultry.
Johnson said showing ducks and geese is a bit easier than showing cattle or pigs because competitors don't have to handle the waterfowl as much.
"You still have to make sure they are fed, watered and groomed," she said. "It's part of why I ended up in this career."
Business on 09/30/2015