Seminar to address outbreak among livestock

What would happen if there were an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease among DeKalb County livestock? In 2007, there was an estimated $319 million worth of livestock in the county, the No. 9 producer of cattle and No. 1 producer of hogs in the state. To the farmers who raise that livestock, emergency preparedness means more than buying flood insurance.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture is hosting a seminar Wednesday at Kishwaukee College to address the risk of a disease outbreak among livestock, department spokesman Jim Kunkle said. The seminar will discuss the threat of disease outbreak, what producers can do to protect their livestock and how the state would address an emergency, he said.

“We’ve got a pretty big livestock industry here, and we want to protect it,” Kunkle said in a phone interview last week. “We’ll be talking about things producers can do to protect themselves to both prevent an outbreak and, if we do have a major animal disaster in the area, what they can do to keep their farm safe.”

The event is the second such seminar planned in the state. A similar meeting will be held in Freeport on Wednesday, and one is planned to be held in Geneseo on Thursday, according to a Department of Agriculture news release. Kunkle said the goal is to have a total of 10 meetings all over the state over the next three months.

First responders such as police and firefighters are encouraged to attend the seminar, too, Kunkle said, to learn about the state’s disaster plan in the event of an agricultural emergency.

“We’re trying to educate people so they understand what our response would be and what they can do,” he said.

If you go

What: Emergency preparedness for livestock producers seminar

When: 6-8:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Kishwaukee College Conference Center, at Malta Road and Route 38, Malta

Information: 800-897-1163, ext. 35, or e-mail ILproducerinfo@ses-corp.com. Reservations are appreciated.