Manure Expo adds PED panel

COLUMBIA, Mo.– A presentation and panel discussion on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has been added to the 2014 North American Manure Expo.

“There is still a lot to learn about PED,” says Teng Lim, University of Missouri Extension assistant professor of agricultural systems management. “This panel will look at things from the environmental biosecurity side of the issue.”

The seminar, “Manure Application and PEDV – A Risk to be Managed,”will be presented on July 9 at the expo on the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Missouri.

The PED virus, which is spread by fecal-oral contact, can survive for extended periods in manure. This makes any object contaminated with infected pig manure a potential carrier of the disease.

The National Pork Board has developed biosecurity manure pumping protocols and recommendations for commercial manure haulers to control spread of PEDV. These can be found at www.pork.org/filelibrary/PED-biosManureHaul.pdf.

The main points of the protocol are communicating with farmers producing manure and farmers owning land where manure will be spread, establishing a clear “line of separation” so that manure haulers do not come in contact with farm personnel or farm traffic, disposing of clothing contaminated with manure, and cleaning and disinfecting equipment before travelling to another farm.

John Carney, executive director of the Manitoba Livestock Manure Management Initiative, will present the results of a survey of how manure applicators have changed their practices because of the epidemic.

“The survey is looking at what producers are doing to prevent PED when it comes to application,” Lim says. “It’s not us telling them what to do, this is an exchange of information and ideas and a chance to learn from one another. It’s a two-way street.”

Jerry Foster, environment health and safety manager for Cargill Pork, will speak about the integrators’ response to PEDV. Andrew Henson of Arm’d Custom Pumping will go through the procedures the company has used to maintain a perfect record of 100 percent PEDV-free service sites.

The 2014 North American Manure Expo is July 8-9 in Springfield. Admission is free but preregistration is required. For more information and to register for the expo, visit www.manureexpo.org.