Commercial Poultry News - April 2025

Avian Influenza Alert: How to Reduce Wild Bird Risks on Poultry Farms

Madhusudan Timilsina DVM, MS, and Mostafa Ghanem DVM, MS, Ph.D., Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland

As migratory birds traverse North America twice a year traveling south in late summer through fall and returning north in late winter through spring, they pose a significant risk of introducing and spreading avian influenza (bird flu). Waterfowls, shorebirds, gulls, and terns are  natural hosts of avian influenza viruses, with their nesting and stopover sites serving as key areas where new virus variants emerge. Among the four major migratory flyways, the Atlantic Flyway, which stretches along the eastern coast of North and South America, plays a crucial role in the epidemiology of avian influenza. Maryland and other states in the Delmarva region, lie within the Atlantic Flyway. The spread of Eurasian lineage viruses has been linked to infected migratory birds crossing the Atlantic from Europe. Read more>>

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Online Labor Course Available for Agricultural Employers to Better Understand Adding Benefits and Legal Requirements

Paul Goeringer, Jesse Ketterman, Maria Pippidis, and Nate Bruce

This is not a substitute for legal advice.  See here for the site’s reposting policy.

The University of Maryland and the University of Delaware have released an online course for agricultural operations in Delaware and Maryland. The Hiring and Retaining Farm Employees – What you Need to Know and Do course is now available through the University of Maryland’s Enterprise Learning Management System – Canvas. 

The course will cover developing an employee handbook for your operation, basic legal requirements, incorporating benefits, such as retirement and health insurance, into the operation, and other common problems that agricultural employers face. The Northeast Risk Management Education Center funded this program. 

The online course will cover:

• Finding and Keeping Farm Employees - An Employer’s Guide and Workbook;
• Choosing Health Insurance Options for an Agricultural Operation;
• Choosing Retirement Plan Options for an Agricultural Operation; and
• Guidelines for Delaware and Maryland Ag Operations - On Writing an Employee Manual.

The course features Nate Bruce, Farm Business Management Specialist, UD Cooperative Extension; Jesse Ketterman, PhD, AFC, Senior Agent, University of Maryland Extension; Maria Pippidis, Extension Educator, Financial Wellness, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension; and Paul Goeringer, Principal Faculty Specialist and Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland.

“This online course is a great opportunity for farmers and other agricultural business owners to think about how to set up employment strategies early on that benefit the farm.  Having an employee manual helps lay out the expectations of the farm.  At the same time, we know the workbook and benefits options will assist farms in adding in features that might help retain qualified employees or attract new ones,” said Goeringer.

The online course is free to attend and at a participant’s pace.

Participants will receive copies of Extension fact sheets and other valuable documents as a part of the online course. 

For more information or to register, go to https://go.umd.edu/hiringcourse. For more information, please contact Paul Goeringer at lgoering@umd.edu.

This material is based upon work supported by USDA/NIFA under Award Number 2023-70027-40447.

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Poultry Industry Survey Reveals Key Trends  and Challenges

By Drs. Sunoh Che and Jonathan R. Moyle, University of Maryland Extension

A recent survey conducted by the University of Maryland Poultry Extension has provided valuable insights into the current state of the poultry industry, focusing on both commercial broiler growers and backyard poultry keepers. The study, which updates assessments last conducted in 2017 for commercial broilers and 2011 for backyard poultry, highlights emerging trends, challenges, and the      evolving needs of poultry producers.

Commercial Broiler Growers:  Growth and Innovation  

The commercial broiler sector has experienced notable changes since 2017, with the most significant being an increase in flock sizes. According to the 2025 survey, 64% of growers now manage flocks larger than 80,000 birds per cycle, up from 45.2% in 2017. This shift toward larger operations aligns with ongoing efforts to increase efficiency and scale within the industry.  Read more>>

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Beneficial Ownership Interest Reporting To Be Limited to Foreign Reporting Companies

By Paul Goeringer, Principal Faculty Specialist

Those keeping track of Beneficial Ownership Interest (BOI) reporting may have noticed a back and forth   between federal courts in enjoining the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).  The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a stay in its early decision, allowing reporting to continue on February 18, 2025.  This decision is in the Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, No. 6:24-CV-336-JDK, 2025 WL 41924 (E.D. Tex. Jan. 7, 2025). On February 19, 2025, FinCEN issued guidance that most reporting will be due by March 21, 2025.

On February 27, FinCEN issued additional guidance that by March 21, 2025, they would be issuing an     interim rule that extends that deadline.  At the same time, the Department of Treasury will work to reduce the regulatory burden imposed by the Corporate Transparency Act and focus on reporting that is highly useful to crucial national security, intelligence, and law enforcement activities. Read more>>

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Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) on Delmarva

Avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), a highly contagious respiratory disease, is a growing concern on Delmarva, particularly affecting turkeys and chickens, and can lead to secondary bacterial infections, increased mortality, and decreased egg production.  

 Key Characteristics of aMPV:

• Highly Contagious:  aMPV is a viral disease that spreads easily among poultry. 

• Respiratory Disease:It primarily affects the respiratory system, causing signs like swollen heads, nasal discharge, and coughing. 

• Secondary Infections: aMPV weakens the immune system, making birds more susceptible to secondary bacterial infections, which can be severe and even fatal. 

• Economic Impact: aMPV can lead to significant economic losses for poultry producers due to increased mortality, decreased egg production, and the need for costly treatments. 

• No Vaccine: Currently, there is no commercially available vaccine for aMPV in the United States. 

• Subtypes: aMPV can be classified into different subtypes (A, B, C, and D) based on genetic and antigenic properties. Read more for Symptoms and Prevention>>  

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Bird Flu Battle Stations

Article by Michele Walfred - Photos by Michele Walfred and Katie Peikes and Courtesy of Georgie Cartanza 

March 18, 2025  In late fall, approximately 237,000 wild birds, representing 32 waterfowl species, fly south along the Atlantic Flyway from their Arctic home and settle along the Delmarva Peninsula. The impressive figure, calculated by the University of Delaware from surveys conducted by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources, includes the familiar snow geese, Canada geese and ducks. In all, our temporary avian visitors rest and co-mingle in our local region before returning north at the beginning of spring.

For Georgie Cartanza, the flying V formations migrating overhead are cause for concern. As the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension poultry extension agent, Cartanza knows the odds are high that the wild birds are carrying avian influenza, which, if spread, is a direct threat to millions of broiler chickens raised on the peninsula - a $5 billion industry. Read more>>

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Coming Commercial Poultry

EVENTS

•  May 6, 2025 - Poultry Mortality Composting Short Course   MDA’s Salisbury Animal Health Lab Conference Room - 27722 Nanticoke Road, Salisbury, MD 21801  Register Here

• June 4, 2025 - DCA Booster Banquet BBQ from 5p-8p at the DE State Fairgrounds, 18500 S. DuPont Hwy., Harrington, DE  Register Here

• September 3, 2025  - Commercial Poultry Expo!  More info to come!         Somerset County Civic Center, Princess Anne, MD - 9 am - 2 pm

  As always, please practice biosecurity when attending anything with fellow commercial growers!

  Join us on Facebook at UMD-Lower Eastern Shore REC

  And join our mailing list HERE 

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