Worries about agro-terrorism have caused Pennsylvania farmers to ratchet up already tight precautions protecting their operations from plant and animal diseases, according to an expert in the college.

Many progressive, bio-conscious farms issue disposable boots and/or protective, disposable clothing to visitors.

Thanks to fast, modern transportation, Keystone State farm products and animals are shipped all over the planet quickly. That’s great for the state’s economy. But plant and animal diseases from around the globe can be brought here just as quickly. “The speed of transportation concerns us the most,” says David Wolfgang, senior research associate in veterinary science. “You can get on a plane and be anywhere in the world in 36 hours.”

Pennsylvania farmers and other agricultural professionals must take precautions or they stand to lose millions of dollars in livestock and business. The result could be higher food prices for consumers. News headlines blaring new cases of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe and South America may seem remote, and you might think it can’t happen here, but the state’s agricultural community knows better.

With concerns about terrorists bringing diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease, mad cow disease, avian influenza, and other contagious outbreaks to Pennsylvania, “biosecurity,” a coordinated series of practices employed to prevent infectious diseases from being introduced into a facility, is a word on every savvy farmer’s tongue.

“The two cornerstones of biosecurity are, first, don’t bring disease problems onto the farm, and second, have some procedures in place to watch for infectious diseases in the operation,” explains Wolfgang. “Screen animals before they come onto the farm, and then use some sort of a quarantine or isolation facility to monitor animals after they are introduced.”

Pennsylvania’s agricultural industry is huge. The state ranks fourth after California, Wisconsin, and Minnesota in dairy; in the top 20 in swine; in the top 10 in poultry and egg production; and in the top 10 in many other farm categories. The trend toward larger, more intensive farms is strong, and, according to Wolfgang, that’s brought biosecurity concerns to the forefront.

“Large, intensive poultry and swine operations have been more proactive in developing programs to keep out pathogens,” he says. “It is not uncommon in the bigger facilities for people to shower before they go in and leave their street clothes in a locker room. These operations may require visitors to wear special protective suits. At the very least, the intensive farms have foot baths and restricted access to animals and people.”

Wolfgang notes that many of the progressive, bio-conscious farms issue disposable boots and/or protective, disposable clothing to visitors.

Traditionally, he points out, dairy farms in Pennsylvania were small, isolated, “closed” operations. “If they bought a bull occasionally, it was likely to come from an operation down the road or the adjacent county,” he says. “As dairy operations have gotten bigger, they often bring in animals from out of state or Canada. And when you bring in animals from far away, you can bring in unwanted organisms and infectious diseases.”

The state has just under 10,000 dairy farms, with an average herd size of 72 animals. But Wolfgang points out that several hundred farms in the state have more than 300 head of lactating cattle. A handful have 1,000 head or more and just a few have around 2,000 head.

The trend is toward more larger farms and fewer smaller operations. He says the large farms already supply a quarter of the state’s milk.

“Nationally, agriculture is using 25 percent fewer acres for production than 50 years ago,” says Wolfgang, “but we produce 50 percent more food. We are getting more out of what we use. But these intensive farming practices have made biosecurity more important.

“We hear a lot about foot-and-mouth disease—that has heightened awareness about contagious diseases. The good news is that agriculture is taking steps with biosecurity and is preventing and controlling diseases,” he adds.

“The industry in Pennsylvania is doing more to keep diseases from coming onto the farm and stopping them from leaving the farm. That improves product quality and food safety. The cleaner we make the products leaving the farm, the healthier the food is when it reaches the consumer.”

Healthy plants and animals mean less pesticide spraying, the use of fewer antibiotics, and less risk of toxins and contaminants in food, according to Wolfgang.

For more information about biosecurity and developing a biosecurity plan, contact your local Penn State Cooperative Extension county office, or visit the Web at www.vetsci.psu.edu/Ext/Biosecurity/BioMain.htm.

—Jeff Mulhollem