KERN COUNTY, Calif. — The Virulent Newcastle Disease that continues to wreak havoc on birds in California has led to a cancellation of a show in Kern County. According to Kern County's 4H program the poultry show at the Kern County Fairgrounds has been canceled due to a potential outbreak of the Newcastle Disease.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), VND is a serious, highly contagious viral disease that can affect poultry and other birds. The CDFA says in rare cases, humans that have exposure to infected birds may get eye inflammation or mild fever-like symptoms. However, the CDFA says VND is not a food safety concern.
The show was scheduled for August 3rd. This isn't the first show canceled here at home, the poultry show for this year's Kern County Fair was also canceled back in April.
23ABC first told you about the disease back in February which led to restrictions in moving birds around the state.
Meanwhile, in other ag-related news:
- As utilities begin shutting off power in an effort to prevent wildfires California farmers, ranchers and rural resident plan for ways to manage the power loss. Some say they may invest in generators to maintain water pumps for livestock and crops, plus produce-cooling equipment and other facilities. Farmers say they understand the rationale for the shutoffs and hope they succeed. They also say that they hope power interruptions will be as short as possible.
- News President Donald Trump making another move to help the agricultural industry. He signed an executive order to promote agricultural bio-technology. It was announced at an event in Iowa on Tuesday. He said that the order would speed up reviews of biotechnology so that farmers can get access to critical scientific advances faster and reap the full benefits of american innovation. It will call for regulatory streamlining in order to facilitate the innovation of agricultural bio-technology.
- Meantime Senator Shannon Grove from Bakersfield recently introduced a bill to combat agriculture theft. It passed out of the assembly Public Safety Committee on Tuesday. Grove said regarding the bill "agricultural theft is a big deal in California and it hurts our farmers and ranchers when expensive equipment is stolen. We need to help our farmers and this bill is a great start." The bill would create a new category for grand theft of agricultural property and would require that the fines collected be re-purposed to current ag and rural-based crime prevention programs.
- Onions, tomatoes, cherries and cotton are among the crops damaged by late-spring storms in the central valley. Farmers, pest control advisers and agricultural commissioners say the crops suffered damage from hail or from plant diseases linked to the wet weather. Observers say the crop losses may be significant for individual farmers but not widespread enough to lead to disaster declarations in most cases.
- A local farmer has been bestowed the honor of best produce person of the year. Grimmway Farms President Jeff Huckaby was named the Packer's Producer Person of the Year at this year's United Fresh Convention and Expo. Huckaby was presented the award by the Packer's editor in chief. Grimmway Farms said on Twitter that Huckaby's dedication to his work, his employees and the industry is an inspiration to everyone.
