The lamb carcass contest results are in! Congratulations to our top three exhibitors:
1st Place – Brooklyn Bigliari, Alpine-Victor 4-H
2nd Place – Madeline Stewart, Ripon 4-H
3rd Place – Hayden Williams, Linden-Peters 4-H
Click here to review contest details and further placings.
Stay up to date with text updates for AgFest 2021. Send a text to 81010 with the message @agfest20.
The next general meeting will be held on October 6th. Details to follow.
The 2020-2021 Membership Form and Officer and Standing Committee Chair Application will be available online this year. To become a voting member for 2020-2021, please complete the online form and then send in your dues by mail or Venmo.
2020-2021 Membership Form
To Pay by Mail:
Make the check payable to SJJSAC and mail to P.O. Box 30695 Stockton, CA 95213
To Pay via Venmo:
Search @agfest or 2096071157 and then choose Chris Schallberger/@AgFest. In the memo, put “MEMBERSHIP” and your name.
If you are interested in becoming a chairperson for a standing committee, you can view the details of the roles for each standing committee in our ByLaws and then complete the application for standing committee chair online.
Here is the latest update on the Newcastle Disease outbreak in California. Great news…the quarantine in Southern California has been lifted!
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CALIFORNIA FREE OF VIRULENT NEWCASTLE DISEASE
Southern California Regional Quarantine Lifted
SACRAMENTO, June 1, 2020 – The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have announced an end to the Virulent Newcastle Disease (VND) quarantine in Southern California. Extensive testing of the regulated area has been completed, with no additional detections of the disease. This allows poultry to again move freely within California.
“We have eagerly anticipated this day and are extremely proud of the tireless work of the Virulent Newcastle Disease Task Force,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “While we extend gratitude to the hundreds of dedicated and skilled USDA, CDFA and California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System employees who worked for over two years to achieve this goal, often in adverse conditions, we also want to thank the thousands of poultry owners in Southern California who made the sacrifices and investments needed to eradicate this virus from California.”
VND was first detected in May of 2018 in Los Angeles County. By December 2018 the virus had spread extensively in backyard poultry in the LA Basin and also infected commercial flocks. After prolonged disease control efforts, the last confirmed positive case was detected in February, 2020. Testing has continued throughout the area since that time to gain assurance that the disease was eradicated.
To continue to protect California flocks, poultry entering California must either have a certificate of veterinary inspection demonstrating good health or a National Poultry Improvement Program certificate. CDFA retains the authority to monitor and test poultry so that any future infections can be stopped quickly, minimizing potential harm. Additionally, CDFA and USDA, in partnership with many bird enthusiasts in Southern California, are committed to on-going monitoring for disease and continual support for biosecurity training.
All backyard poultry owners and commercial operations are encouraged to practice biosecurity measures to help prevent the introduction of disease when people enter or depart the premises, to routinely check birds for signs of illness, and to report any incidence of suspected VND or other bird diseases. More information is available at www.cdfa.ca.gov or through the California Avian Health Education Network (CAHEN) at (866) 922-2473.
California State Veterinarian Dr Annette Jones: “We hope to continue working with bird owning communities to prevent a reintroduction of widespread disease so that we never have to place an area-wide VND quarantine in Southern California again.”
Background: Virulent Newcastle disease is a virus that affects birds with particularly lethal effects on poultry, affecting the digestive system, nervous system and respiratory system. It is not normally found in the United States. It spreads quickly between birds but is not considered a human health threat. Its presence can be so detrimental to poultry health and the food supply that it triggers state, federal and international regulatory response. While this virus has been introduced and eradicated from more than 15 U.S. states since 1950, the largest outbreaks occurred in California in 1971-1974 and 2002-2003 following a similar pattern but with wider spread than the recent 2018-2020 outbreak.
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F & M Bank offers youth loans for 4-H and FFA livestock projects. These loans have no loan fee and zero interest and are great way for youth to start building their credit. Students must be a member of 4-H or FFA and and the loans between $100-$2,500. Click here to download the flyer and loan documents.
