Given the geography and agroclimatic conditions of the Southeast, coupled with continued population expansion from in-migration, local foods markets may be a promising niche market for some farms in the region. The Southeast has more small farms than any other U.S. region. Using farm-level data, we address the question of how successful southeastern farms engaged in direct sales to consumers di...

This cross-sectional study evaluated risk factors associated with farm-level bovine leukemia virus (BLV) seropositivity in 563 dairy and 490 beef farms throughout Japan. Twenty randomly selected cattle on each farm were serologically tested, and farm epidemiologiocal information was obtained through face-to-face interviews. Due to the large number of zero-prevalence dairy and beef farms, data a...

Ongoing economic losses by and exposure of humans to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry flocks across Asia and parts of Africa and Europe motivate also outbreak-free countries such as Switzerland to invest in preparedness planning. Country-specific population data on between-farm contacts are required to anticipate probable patterns of pathogen spread. Information is scarce; in...

A total of 1 076 sera from breeding goats were randomly collected from 24 different farms and tested with CHEKIT®-ELISA (IDEXX Laboratories B.V., 1 119 NE Schiphol-Rijk, Nederland) for antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus. The farms were divided into two categories of twelve farms each,based on their previous history of observed abortions over the previous 12 months: those with low (< 5%...

As the global demand for seaweed-derived products drives the expansion of seaweed farming onto shallow coral ecosystems, the effects of farms on fish assemblages remain largely unexplored. Shallow coral reefs provide food and shelter for highly diverse fish assemblages but are increasingly modified by anthropogenic activities. We hypothesized that the introduction of seaweed farms into degraded...

OBJECTIVES This study describes the outbreaks of H5N8 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Korea during the first wave, from January 16, 2014 through July 25, 2014. Its purpose is to provide a better understanding of the epidemiology of H5N8 HPAI. METHODS Information on the outbreak farms and HPAI positive wild birds was provided by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency. The epidemiol...

Despite indications of a considerable spread of Maedi-Visna among sheep flocks in Germany, prevalence studies of this important infection are hardly available. Prior to any health schemes and guidelines, knowledge about regional disease distribution is essential. Depending upon herd size, 70 farms were randomly selected, of which 41 cooperated. A total of 2229 blood samples were taken at random...

The prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibilities of Campylobacter spp. isolates from bovine feces were compared between organic and conventional dairy herds. Thirty organic dairy herds, where antimicrobials are rarely used for calves and never used for cows, were compared with 30 neighboring conventional dairy farms, where antimicrobials were routinely used for animals for all ages. Fecal spec...

Fifty-nine Hereford cattle susceptible to tick-borne diseases were used as tracer animals to assess the tick challenge and pathogenicity of Theileria parva under field conditions in Zimbabwe. They were moved periodically in groups of five to three commercial farms (one group consisted of four) during seasons of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus nymphal and adult activity. All tracer cattle were herd...

The aim of this study was to compare energy consumption in dairy farms with different sizes. Sources of energy include non renewable sources such as fossil fuel, and electricity and renewable sources such as forage, concentrate, machinery, labor, and water. The required data were collected from 42 dairy farms in Tehran province, Iran and were analyzed to assess energy consumption based on diffe...