The Project

Partners include: Virginia's Poultry Federation, Farm Bureau, Egg Council, Department of Conservation and Recreation, and Department of Environmental Quality.

Virginia ranks 4th in the nation in turkey production, 8th in broilers, and 27th in eggs. Nearly all of Virginia's poultry industry is located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A producer environmental assessment program will promote stewardship of this sensitive resource. Project partners are cooperating to develop, promote, deliver, and evaluate an assessment instrument for all elements of Virginia's poultry industry. The project builds on an educational program mandated by state legislation that requires permits for all poultry operations with 10,000+ birds (about 80% of the industry).

Updates

Final Summary - December 2005:

View the Final Report Summary.

March 2004:

View the Summary Interim Project Report.

January 2003

Meeting set for Feb. 7 with one group of poultry producers, walking them through guidebook for full-blown version of the EMS. Introductory meetings will have how to's", work through assessment modules, then in 2 months revisit, major problems, what need to complete the EMS cycle. Using the five integrators that identified 14 producers. Nine are corporate farms.

Sidenote: Avian Flu has let up. Are able to move around among farms again.

November 2002

Virginia will pilot test the comprehensive and detailed "Tier 2" assessment tools, re-styled in a self-assessment format. The tool has been designed so that producers have the ability to select "aspects" of their operation they wish to evaluate, and to complete small portions of the assessment tool at any given time. In addition to the assessment tool, producers will be given the EMS workbook and a recordkeeping system to help implement an EMS.

Five poultry integrators with growers in Virginia have agreed to identify producers to participate in the program. Also one integrator plans to implement an EMS on nine corporate farms. The first meetings to introduce producers to the assessment instrument and the EMS workbook will be in February and March, 2003. Three initial meetings are planned, one in each of three state regions where poultry production is prevalent.

September 2002

Virginia will pilot test the comprehensive and detailed "Tier 2" assessment tools, re-styled in a self-assessment format. The tool will be designed so that producers have the ability to select "aspects" of their operation they wish to evaluate, and to complete small portions of the assessment tool at any given time.

Included in the assessment tool will be a section on EMS development and implementation for those producers who would like to construct a complete EMS. Integrator and private group support will be crucial to locating 30 producers, from representative poultry producing regions, willing to participate in the study. The farmer's follow-up plans and on-farm interviews will comprise the evaluation.

The AI outbreak, which delayed on-farm assessments for several months, has finally abated, and we have scheduled our meeting with the poultry integrators for early October. The final modifications to the assessment tool prior to field-testing will occur after input from this meeting. In September we were able to increase public knowledge and awareness of Ag EMS's by having a display and handouts at the Virginia Tech Farm & Family Showcase, which attracted 38,000 visitors.

Integrator and private group support will be crucial to locating 30 producers, from representative poultry producing regions, willing to participate in the study. The farmer's follow-up plans and on-farm interviews will comprise the evaluation. The group in Virginia expects to be on farms by May or June 2002.

© 2006 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.