The Iowa Department of Agriculture will hold a series of free, interactive foreign animal disease prevention and response workshops for livestock producers and veterinarians.

The upcoming meetings are being made available by the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship and the Iowa State University Center for Food Security and Public Health. Offered at five locations throughout the state, the workshops will be held Feb. 7 to March 12.

The theme is “Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness: What to expect and how to prepare.” The workshops are for cattle, pig, sheep and goat producers, along with ISU Extension personnel and veterinarians, and others who work in Iowa’s livestock industry.

Preparing for a potential invasion
“Animal agriculture is critical to our state’s economy,” points out Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “These workshops are a great example of how we’re working to bring the industry together to help prevent and prepare for potential disease threats.”

Workshop attendees will learn what to expect if threats such as foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever are found in the United States. Experts will share their plans for animal movements and the requirements that would go into effect if a foreign animal disease outbreak occurred. Attendees can also expect to hear how to protect their animals from diseases and will learn about suggested daily health monitoring strategies.

Dates and locations for workshops
The five upcoming workshops are scheduled at these locations:

• Feb. 7. Washington County Extension Office, 611 Highway 1 South, Washington

• Feb. 12. Quality Inn & Suites Conference Center, 2601 E. 13th St., Ames

• Feb. 26. Borlaug Learning Center, 3327 290th St., Nashua

• March 5. Terrace View Event Center, 230 St. and Andrews Way, Sioux Center

• March 12. Carrollton Inn, 1730 U.S. 71, Carroll

Onsite registration opens at 8:30 a.m. on the day of each session, but online preregistration is encouraged. Workshops start at 9 a.m. and go until 3:30 p.m. Free lunch is provided.

For more information, send email to [email protected] or call 515-281-5321.

Source: IDALS, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Businesses Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.