Archived Hot Topics
LIVESTOCK EMERGENCY RESPONSE CONFERENCE IN TUCSON DECEMBER 5-7, 2007
Consumers want to know about the safety of their food-from meat and produce to packaged goods. How prepared is the livestock industry in the Southwest to respond to a disease outbreak?  What information needs to be relayed quickly to the public?

An effective emergency response requires pre-planning and collaboration among many different stakeholders. Arizona has taken the lead by developing the Arizona Livestock Incident Response Team (ALIRT), a partnership between the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and Department of Animal Sciences, the Arizona State Veterinarian's Office, the Arizona Cattle Growers' Association and the United States Department of Agriculture. The team has developed a response plan that is the model for other states and regions.

The second annual National Livestock Emergency Response Conference, co-sponsored by ALIRT and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, is scheduled for Dec. 5 - 7 in Tucson . The three-day meeting will provide opportunities for a wide variety of emergency responders to expand their networks and enhance their response capabilities.

The event will feature up-to-date information on a diverse selection of livestock disease emergency response topics. Attendees will be able to participate in several scenario-based, ground training exercises. These will focus on hypothetical incidents that could occur along Arizona 's international border and at confined animal feeding operations, as well as on the impact on food safety.

The goal of the conference organizers is to provide information and training to a diverse audience, including veterinarians, livestock producers, cooperative extension, emergency planners, and state and federal agency personnel. Registration and program information can be found at http://ag.arizona.edu/ans/alirt/NLERCSchedule.html

Spring 2007 - Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
The disappearance of honey bee colonies in the U.S. , Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) made national news headlines during Spring, 2007. Researchers are looking for answers, and recently the subcommittee on horticulture and organic agriculture held a public hearing to review the status of bees. Testimony from scientists, bee keepers and producers was received by the 110 th Congress's House Committee on Agriculture. To see many of the news stories and research reports about colony collapse disorder, go to USDA National Agricultural Library.

November 9, 2006 - Recluse Spider

October 12, 2006 - A Battle Against Buffelgrass
Imagine hot fires that routinely race along roadways and rip into open space around Tucson, Arizona, fueled by dense, dry buffelgrass stands that seem to double every year. This scenario is one that The University of Arizona researchers fear will happen as buffelgrass and other invasive grasses, combined with climate change, break down ecosystems that are ill-adapted to flame. In the words of one ISPE faculty member, if left unchecked, buffelgrass invasion "will be the unhinging of the Sonoran Desert."

September 19, 2006 - E coli and spinach - U.S. Food and Drug Administration

July 5, 2006 - Glassy Winged Sharpshooter numbers increase - Arizona Department of Agriculture

June 26, 2006 - Pest Threatening Vineyards, Oleanders and Citrus Crops Is Back: Governor Napolitano Declares a State of Emergency - Arizona Department of Agriculture

April 20, 2006 - Arizona Wells Database - University of Arizona 

April 17, 2006 - Warning ! West Nile Virus Season Here: Horse Owners Need to Vaccinate! - Arizona Department of Agriculture

2006 - Avian Influenza - Arizona Department of Agriculture 

March 2, 2006 - Formosan termite scare - University of Arizona