AMES, Iowa – The recent spread of African Swine Fever in the Dominican Republic emphasizes the importance of FAD preparedness, including proper biosecurity measures to aid in reducing risk of the introduction of a foreign animal disease. The Iowa Pork Industry Center, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Iowa Pork Producers Association have teamed up to provide five workshops throughout Iowa, and ISU extension swine veterinarian Chris Rademacher encouraged pork producers and caretakers to attend.

Rademacher, who also is IPIC interim director, said the Foreign Animal Disease Preparation for Pork Producers workshops focus on the “next steps” in FAD preparedness at the farm level.

“We’ll introduce and explain how to use programs and tools to be prepared for an FAD outbreak and subsequent investigations, including enrollment in US-SHIP, AgView and Secure Pork Supply,” he said. “We’ll also talk about available resources for contingency planning for sites located within control zones, and potential mitigation strategies for feed shortages during the initial movement standstill.”

Updates on ASF in the Dominican Republic, ASF vaccine and the Certified Swine Sample Collector program also will be shared. Following the presentations, all speakers will be available for a Q&A session on any aspect of FAD awareness and preparation.

The program will be delivered collaboratively by Rademacher, the ISU extension swine specialist for each respective location, and depending on schedule, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship staff member Amanda Chipman, and Jeff Kaisand, state veterinarian.

All workshops run from 1 to 4 p.m. and are free to attend. Preregistration is requested by completing this form.

For more information, contact the specialist listed by the location you wish to attend.

Dates and locations in chronological order

Wednesday, August 31

Sioux County Extension Office

400 Central Ave. NW, Suite 700, Orange City

Contact Dave Stender, dstender@iastate.edu, 712-261-0225

Thursday, September 1

Washington County Extension Office

2223 250th St., Washington

Contact Matt Romoser mromoser@iastate.edu, 319-430-7533

Monday, September 12

Heartland Acres Agribition Center

2600 Swan Lake Blvd, Independence

Contact Mark Storlie, mstorlie@iastate.edu, 563-425-3331

Tuesday, September 13

Hancock County Extension Office

325 W 8th St, Garner

Contact Russ Euken, reuken@iastate.edu, 641-231-1711

Wednesday, September 21

Marshall County Extension Office

2608 South 2nd St, Suite E, Marshalltown

Contact Colin Johnson, colinj@iastate.edu, 515-291-9287

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IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Veterinary Medicine at ISU. Its mission is to promote efficient pork production technologies in Iowa, maintain Iowa's pork industry leadership and strengthen rural development efforts. IPIC focuses its efforts on programs that are integral and complementary to ISU Extension and Outreach. Through IPIC, Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to make their operations more efficient and profitable.

Contact:
Chris Rademacher, Iowa Pork Industry Center, 515-294-8792, cjrdvm@iastate.edu
Writer:
Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Pork Industry Center, 515-294-4496, shoyer@iastate.edu

Webinar series continues with research from Iowa State veterinary college Sept. 13

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy team will continue its quarterly dairy goat webinar series Sept. 13 with a look at methods to improve antibiotic stewardship in dairy goats to assure food safety and milk quality.

The webinar will be led by Pat Gorden and Michelle Buckley, veterinarians with the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Subclinical mastitis at dry off can be a bottle neck in the push to improve milk quality in dairy goat herds. Iowa State University and the College of Veterinary Medicine are working to determine meat and milk withdrawal times in dairy goats for two intramammary antibiotic treatments commonly used to mitigate this issue in dairy cattle in order to give producers safer tools to provide top quality goat milk products to consumers.

This final webinar of the 2022 series will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. There is no fee to attend; however, registration is required. Register in advance at https://go.iastate.edu/WU2N6J or contact Jennifer Bentley, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, at jbentley@iastate.edu or 563-382-2949.

Registrants will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Information will also be provided about future webinars, as dates and topics are announced.

This work is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive Program, Antimicrobial Resistance number: 2020-04197.

Local Food Leader Certification to Be Offered This Fall

Topics include equity in food systems, working in food systems, facilitation and more

August 17, 2022, 3:30 pm | Kaley Hohenshell

AMES, Iowa — Food systems practitioners nationwide can ramp up their skills by enrolling in the Community Food Systems training and certification, offered entirely online by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development Program. This certification includes cohort workshops hosted through Zoom and online curricula through Moodle.

The Fall 2022 online workshop series begins on Sept. 29 and ends Feb. 2, 2023; registration closes Sept. 15, 2022.

The Local Food Leader Certification teaches foundational competencies critical for successful food systems development through integrated virtual workshops and four online modules. The workshop includes topic areas of equity in food systems, working in food systems, facilitation and coordination, evaluation and professional development. The online modules offer intensive curriculum including community food systems overview, methods of engagement and leadership, creating teams and tools for success, and evaluation.

There are two options for completing this course:

1. LFL 101: Seven virtual workshop sessions over the course of four months. Cost is $100. Register at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/16276
2. LFL 201: Seven virtual workshop sessions over the course of four months + access to four online modules. Cost is $375. Register at https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/15887

Past participants have described the program as “a wonderful opportunity to engage with the fundamentals of food systems. … More than understanding concepts, this certification was an open space to refine leadership and communication skills.”

Those who successfully finish the course will receive a certificate of completion. Limited scholarships are available. Fill out a scholarship form at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/ffed/wp-content/uploads/LFL-Scholarship-Application_2022.pdf.

More information about this and other online food systems certification courses is available online.

Note: Those who have completed this certification are qualified to register for a one-day Local Food Leader Train-the-Trainer workshop in early 2023.

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering Mental Health First Aid – virtual and in-person education programs to help Iowans help each other with mental health challenges.

Mental Health First Aid isn’t a typical self-help program. Instead, participants learn how to help someone else who is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis.

“Research from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that nearly one in five adults lives with a mental illness,” said Demi Johnson, behavioral health program specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

“Participants will learn how to comfortably talk with their spouse, co-worker, friend or neighbor about that person’s mental health. It’s not an easy conversation, but it is important, and can save their life,” said Johnson.

Mental Health First Aid covers how to intervene during a wide range of mental health related challenges including, but not limited to, depression and anxiety symptoms, panic attacks and substance abuse, as well as when someone is thinking about dying by suicide.

“Many people experience co-occurring mental health challenges. Understanding a wide range of disorders can be extremely valuable when trying to understand another person’s experience and in helping them identify which treatment options are going to be the most appropriate for them,” said Johnson.

ISU Extension and Outreach will offer Adult Mental Health First Aid on Aug. 23 in Clarion, Sept. 22 virtually via Zoom, and Sept. 27 in Decorah. Private classes for groups of 15-30 participants are also available upon request. To register, go to https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/MHFA.

For more information, contact Demi Johnson at demij@iastate.edu.

ther resources

Iowa Concern, offered by ISU Extension and Outreach, provides confidential access to stress counselors and an attorney for legal education, as well as information and referral services for a wide variety of topics. With a toll-free phone number, live chat capabilities and a website, Iowa Concern services are available 24 hours a day, seven days per week at no charge. To reach Iowa Concern, call 800-447-1985; language interpretation services are available. Or visit the website, https://www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern/, to live chat with a stress counselor one-on-one in a secure environment. Or email an expert regarding legal, finance, stress or crisis and disaster issues.

Finding Answers Now. As Iowans deal with disruptions to their families and communities, this website at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/disaster-recovery provides information to help you cope with concerns about stress and relationships, personal finance, and nutrition and wellness.

Forestry events to be held at public and private forests, including more windbreak schools

Public and private forests will be part of this year’s fall forestry field days, offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

“The fall forestry field days are a great way to see some science-based practices and also connect with additional people from the forestry industry,” said Billy Beck, forestry specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Visitors will get to see public and private forest projects and hear about the struggles and successes of each forest.”

In addition to Beck, speakers include Ed Zaworski, plant pathologist with the Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic at Iowa State; and Miranda Curzon, assistant professor in the Department of Natural Resources Ecology and Management at Iowa State.

The first event, Sept. 29, will honor the Tree Farmer of the Year, an honor bestowed by the Iowa Tree Farm Program. The tree farmer will be announced that day, and there will be educational opportunities to learn more about the Iowa Tree Farm Program and the practices that led to this year’s awardee. This event will be held at 26726 270th St., Shell Rock, Iowa, in Butler County.

The annual Shimek State Forest Fall Forestry Field Day will be held Oct. 4 in southeast Iowa. Presentations will be given by ISU Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, with a focus on current practices and issues, forest resiliency and question and answer time from the audience. The group will gather at the White Oak Campground (Shimek State Forest Donnellson Unit), just outside of Farmington, Iowa.

The Yellow River State Forest Fall Forestry Field Day is Oct. 6 in northeast Iowa and the fall series concludes Oct. 27, at the Iowa Woodland Owners Association Fall Forestry Field Day in Washington County. For the Yellow River field day, gather at 729 State Forest Road, Harper’s Ferry, Iowa. For the woodland owners association field day, gather at 2750 230th St. Washington, Iowa.

Windbreak schools will be held for Cerro Gordo and Mitchell counties Sept. 8 (at 24108 Dogwood Ave., Fertile, Iowa); Sept. 9 in Calhoun County (at 2483 310th, Rockwell City); and Oct. 20 in Marion County. All windbreak schools are from 9 a.m. to noon and are open to anyone, regardless of county or residence.

All forestry field days will be held from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration for each field day is $15, and covers lunch and other costs of the day.

Participants should register at least a week in advance by contacting the ISU Extension and Outreach office in the county where the event is being held.