This is Bob Bragg with the Farm News and Views report for the week of January 20.
Maybe it has nothing to do with President Donald Trump's rhetoric about annexing Canada, taking over Greenland, and the Panama Canal, but it may have encouraged some state legislators to consider poaching counties from other states.
For example, in Iowa, Republican State Senator Mike Bucha is proposing to expand that state through the purchase of nine rural southern Minnesota counties.
Also last week, the Indiana House of Representatives Speaker, Todd Houston, introduced a bill that would establish the Indiana-Illinois Boundary Adjustment Commission, which, if passed, would propose recommendations concerning adjusting Indiana's western boundary to envelop seven rural eastern Illinois counties.
Proponents of this move contend that those rural counties are not sufficiently served by the Illinois legislature, which is dominated by urban representatives oriented toward urban rather than rural concerns. If those seven Illinois counties were to be purchased by Indiana, the state would acquire almost 5,500 farms and nearly 2 million acres of fertile farmland.
Since February of 2022, 131 million domestic birds in the U.S. have been affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza, more commonly called bird flu, with cases found in all 50 states.
Although the incidence of the disease slowed down for much of 2024, cases have risen since the start of last November and continue to increase into January of 2025. The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported 95 new cases of the disease in 23 states during the past 30 days.
The USDA suggests that anyone involved with poultry production, from small backyard flocks to large commercial producers, should review their biosecurity measures to assure the health of their birds.
Precautions include:
- Reviewing the 14 National Poultry Improvement Plan biosecurity principles and creating a biosecurity plan for their premises.
- Washing hands before and after coming into contact with poultry.
- Avoiding close contact with poultry (e.g., snuggling or kissing the birds).
- Preventing poultry from coming into contact with wild birds, their feces, and feathers.
- Excluding rodents from poultry houses and pens.
- Cleaning and disinfecting all poultry equipment before and after use.
It’s also important to recognize the signs of disease, monitor flock health daily, and quarantine sick birds immediately.
The USDA also asks poultry owners to report sick birds without delay. The USDA can test birds free of charge to determine if they may have a serious poultry disease.
Signs of avian influenza include:
- Birds dying without clinical signs.
- Lack of energy.
- Decreased egg production.
- Soft-shelled or misshapen eggs.
- Swelling or purple discoloration of the head, eyelids, comb, and hocks.
- Nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, uncoordination, and diarrhea.
The USDA has a resource for poultry owners with images to help identify discoloration and other clinical signs of bird flu infection.
As farmers and ranchers move into unknown territory with a change in administration in Washington, an AgWeb poll of producers found that a majority of them think they’re looking at some tough sledding this year. This could also affect equipment manufacturers and farm input suppliers.
For example, almost 80% of farmers who responded to the poll indicated they plan to forego the purchase of new equipment, while 60% of respondents intend to reduce outlays for crop inputs and technology upgrades.
Author James Baldwin wrote, “The future is like heaven. Everyone exalts it, but no one wants to go there.”
Now, until next week, I’m Bob Bragg.