WichitaKSClucks
In the Brooder
RTICLE IN TODAY'S WICHITA EAGLE NEWSPAPER:
There will be no live chickens – or turkeys or other birds – at county or state fairs in Kansas this year.
The state moved this week to guard against the outbreak of avian flu among domestic flocks by putting a “stop movement order” in place. The order for poultry and live birds from the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health effectively cancels all poultry-related shows and events through 2015.
The order comes just one month before the Sedgwick County Fair in Cheney. And general manager Denny Stoecklein said the order could affect attendance at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson this fall.
Beth Drescher, county extension agent in 4-H Youth Development, said county fair leaders are discussing alternative options to showcase the
birds. The fair is July 8-11.
“We are exploring what ideas we might have to make it a good educational experience for the kids,” Drescher said.
Instead of live birds, contestants might have to settle for pictures and facts to display their entries.
“It’s going to be a sad thing,” said Jeanne Woolf, the fair’s poultry superintendent. “They work all year on this. You can’t get a ribbon on a piece of paper.”
Scott Beyer, observing adviser for the Kansas Poultry Association, said he will have to implement similar alternatives at the Kansas State Fair in September.
“Kids keep books and records, so we have an opportunity to look at the paperwork side and see what they’re doing at home,” Beyer said. “Having a year to reflect might result in some pretty cool changes, but we’re going to lose a learning opportunity for kids, because pictures in a book just don’t do the same thing.”
Beyer said poultry shows are a popular event at the fair, and he has already heard from many exhibitors who are disappointed they will have to leave their birds at home.
“The State Fair will be rough,” Beyer said. “There will be empty poultry cages, and they’re shut down for all of 2015. It’s a tough deal.
“Surveys year after year show that the building for that is the most visited on the entire fairgrounds.”
Stoecklein said that because poultry shows are a sizable portion of the State Fair, attendance could be affected.
“Last year, between open and youth, we had about 1,300 birds entered in the fair, so there will certainly be a void in that regard,” Stoecklein said. “At the same time, it presents us with an opportunity to help educate people on why there aren’t any birds. We are starting the process of working with research and extension to best tell that story.”
Kansas experienced a positive case of the avian flu strain in Leavenworth County in March. Humans are at little risk of getting the disease, but it poses a serious agriculture and economic threat.
No effective treatment for the disease has been found, and its presence within a flock necessitates killing the entire flock. That has led to the loss of millions of turkeys and chickens this year – and a resulting increase in the cost of eggs. Reach Alyssa Scott at [email protected] or Lara Korte at [email protected].
There will be no live chickens – or turkeys or other birds – at county or state fairs in Kansas this year.
The state moved this week to guard against the outbreak of avian flu among domestic flocks by putting a “stop movement order” in place. The order for poultry and live birds from the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health effectively cancels all poultry-related shows and events through 2015.
The order comes just one month before the Sedgwick County Fair in Cheney. And general manager Denny Stoecklein said the order could affect attendance at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson this fall.
Beth Drescher, county extension agent in 4-H Youth Development, said county fair leaders are discussing alternative options to showcase the
birds. The fair is July 8-11.
“We are exploring what ideas we might have to make it a good educational experience for the kids,” Drescher said.
Instead of live birds, contestants might have to settle for pictures and facts to display their entries.
“It’s going to be a sad thing,” said Jeanne Woolf, the fair’s poultry superintendent. “They work all year on this. You can’t get a ribbon on a piece of paper.”
Scott Beyer, observing adviser for the Kansas Poultry Association, said he will have to implement similar alternatives at the Kansas State Fair in September.
“Kids keep books and records, so we have an opportunity to look at the paperwork side and see what they’re doing at home,” Beyer said. “Having a year to reflect might result in some pretty cool changes, but we’re going to lose a learning opportunity for kids, because pictures in a book just don’t do the same thing.”
Beyer said poultry shows are a popular event at the fair, and he has already heard from many exhibitors who are disappointed they will have to leave their birds at home.
“The State Fair will be rough,” Beyer said. “There will be empty poultry cages, and they’re shut down for all of 2015. It’s a tough deal.
“Surveys year after year show that the building for that is the most visited on the entire fairgrounds.”
Stoecklein said that because poultry shows are a sizable portion of the State Fair, attendance could be affected.
“Last year, between open and youth, we had about 1,300 birds entered in the fair, so there will certainly be a void in that regard,” Stoecklein said. “At the same time, it presents us with an opportunity to help educate people on why there aren’t any birds. We are starting the process of working with research and extension to best tell that story.”
Kansas experienced a positive case of the avian flu strain in Leavenworth County in March. Humans are at little risk of getting the disease, but it poses a serious agriculture and economic threat.
No effective treatment for the disease has been found, and its presence within a flock necessitates killing the entire flock. That has led to the loss of millions of turkeys and chickens this year – and a resulting increase in the cost of eggs. Reach Alyssa Scott at [email protected] or Lara Korte at [email protected].
