Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a commercial chicken flock with 3 million birds in in Defiance County, Ohio — less than 20 miles south of the Michigan state line — and a backyard flock in Ashland County, Ohio.

The table egg layers euthanized were the third-largest flock affected by a single HPAI outbreak in 2022, with the only larger instances of the disease being confirmed in Iowa in March.

A 10-kilometer quarantine zone has been set up, and federal and state officials are working on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flocks, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

HPAI has been confirmed in more than 200 commercial flocks — including one in Michigan — since the first cases were detected in Indiana in February. More than 43 million birds have been affected across 39 states this year.

While there have been fewer major HPAI outbreaks in recent weeks, the situation in Ohio is a stark reminder of the importance of biosecurity measures for poultry producers — especially as birds begin to migrate south.

“We typically see more HPAI cases in the spring and fall, but we need to be vigilant all year,” says Ernie Birchmeier, Michigan Farm Bureau senior industry relations specialist. “We have some birds that don’t migrate anymore, so it’s critical to always be on alert.”

According to a recent CoBank report, HPAI poses a greater risk to the U.S. poultry and egg market than ever before, and has already added $3.3 billion in costs for producers this year.

The positive detections were confirmed by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The samples were first tested at the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, and confirmed at the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa.

DF Seeds president brings deep connection to Michigan ag

Janna Fritz has been named the new president of DF Seeds. Fritz is only the third president of DF Seeds since the Michigan-based seed company was established more than 50 years ago.

Her predecessor, Chris Varner, is retiring to the family farm. John Diehl, the founder of DF Seeds, led the company until 2015 when he became research director.

Since graduating from Michigan State University and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Fritz has worked in a number of roles in agriculture, including as a crop insurance manager, a representative with the Michigan Farm Bureau, and as a district sales manager for a multinational seed company.

Most recently, Fritz was the CEO of the Michigan Soybean Committee, a farmer-led organization that directs the soybean checkoff in Michigan.

Varner is retiring after 35 years in the seed business.

MSU closing soil and plant nutrient lab

While Michigan State University has provided soil chemical analyses and interpretation since the 1920s, because of declining soil test samples and the availability of similar services from commercial labs, it has been decided to close the MSU Soil and Plant Nutrient Lab at the end of 2022.  

To assure that all submitted samples can be processed, the SPNL will continue to accept soil samples for analysis until Nov. 18. 

MSU personnel are working on alternative options for Michigan residents to use for soil testing, and can also assist in directing people to alternative laboratories to complete their soil-testing needs. 

MSU says it is committed to assisting Michigan residents in interpreting the results from soil tests and helping individuals determine what fertilizer and soil amendments are needed for their soils.

AgriPac announces endorsements in statewide races

Michigan Farm Bureau’s AgriPac recently added 26 candidates to the organization’s Friend of Agriculture roster ahead of the Nov. 8 general election. This is in addition to the 83 candidates the organization endorsed in the primary election, who were successful. 

The news comes on the heels of MFB’s endorsement of Tudor Dixon for governor, and expands the list of farm-friendly candidates to include recommendations for attorney general, secretary of state, state supreme court and MSU board of trustees.

Newly endorsed candidates include:

Attorney general. Matt DePerno (R)

Secretary of state. Jocelyn Benson (D)

Supreme Court. Brian Zahra (incumbent) and Paul Hudson

MSU board of trustees. Travis Menge (R) and Mike Balow (R)

U.S. House of Representatives. Dist. 3 – John Gibbs (R), Dist. 7 – Tom Barrett (R)

State Senate. Dist. 17 – Jonathan Lindsey (R), Dist. 35 – Annette Glenn (R), Dist. 37 – John Damoose (R)

State House. Dist. 38 – Kevin Whiteford (R); Dist. 39 – Pauline Wendzel (R); Dist. 48 – Jason Woolford (R); Dist. 57 – Thomas Kuhn (R); Dist. 71 – Brian BeGole (R); Dist. 78 – Gina Johnsen (R); Dist. 79 – Angela Rigas (R); Dist. 80 – Jeffrey Johnson (R); Dist. 83 – Lisa DeKryger (R); Dist. 84 – Mike Milanowski Jr. (R); Dist. 98 – Gregory Alexander (R); Dist. 99 – Mike Hoadley (R); Dist. 101 – Joseph Fox (R); Dist. 106 – Cam Cavitt (R); Dist. 107 – Neil Friske (R); Dist. 108 – Dave Prestin (R)

For the complete list, click here.