State turkey director says bring on the heat

By BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

As she talked with a reporter, Gretta Irwin happened to peer out the window at a nearby thermometer. The dial read 85 degrees.

?That?s good,? the executive director of the Iowa Turkey Federation said.

?Why?? asked the reporter.

She explained that warm to hot weather is one sure way of stopping the Avian influenza, the nasty bug that began invading Minnesota bird farms in February and made its way to Iowa shortly thereafter.

?I?m feeling comfortable that higher temperatures will help us because it kills the virus,? she noted. ?When you get a string of days of over 80 degrees, it shortens the lifespan of the virus.?

Thus far, southeastern Iowa has been fortunate. The virus, which is transmitted airborne, has not crossed Interstate 35 to invade the numerous turkey production farms in southeast Iowa.

Irwin said she has been working with producers concerned about the virus since April 14. She is trying to remain optimistic, knowing that the disease is threatening the livelihood of many state poultry producers.

?This has been very stressful for farmers,? she began. ?Farmers who are having to depopulate are facing uncertainty over repopulating. Even farmers who are not directly affected by this are under stress.?

Thus far, the virus has claimed one million turkeys in Iowa. That?s about 10 percent of the state?s production.

Iowa, Irwin said, has three pockets of large production areas. In northwest Iowa, the producers are near Storm Lake, home to a Tyson turkey processing plant.

Secondly, there is another belt in the Ellsworth-Jewell area, or just north of Ames. Producers in that area use the West Liberty Foods processing plant in Mt. Pleasant.

The third pocket is the Wayland-Washington-Mt. Pleasant area, which also utilizes West Liberty Foods? plants.

Irwin said if the virus becomes more widespread it will have a ripple affect in communities, impacting employment and Main Street.

This week, she met with members of Gov. Terry Branstad?s staff and lenders to brainstorm avenues to help producers impacted by the virus.

Basically, those producers who have had the virus invade their flocks are without a paycheck for nine months. Once the infected site is depopulated, repopulation cannot begin for four months and then 21 more weeks are needed to raise the birds.

?I?ve been getting a lot of calls from farmers concerned about the financial aspect,? she reflected. ?Farmers are wondering how they can get through nine months without pay?When it comes to livestock diseases, there is not much to help with that.?

There is no insurance that protects against disease, she said.

Lenders and the governor?s staff, she remarked, have been sympathetic. ?When we met this week, we were meeting with different lenders in Iowa to see how we could help. The bankers and lenders understand and have been very sympathetic and definitely will work with those (producers) impacted.

?The governor?s office, both the state and U.S. Department of Agriculture, have been wonderful. The response has been excellent,? she said.

Irwin said that unemployment insurance is also a possibility, although a presidential disaster declaration would be needed for that.

Although the Avian influenza will provide a hiccup to turkey production growth, Irwin said the industry has grown by 1-1-1/2 million birds the last five years, now measuring about 11 million birds.

?There has been slow, steady growth in Iowa,? the official said. She attributed the growth to increased consumer demand for turkey products. ?Raising corn and soybeans in the state is also a huge plus for us.?

Likewise, the domestic market has grown. Americans consume 18 pounds of turkey per year. The national turkey federation committee, Irwin said, has set a goal of Americans eating 20 pounds of turkey per year by the year 2020.

?Foreign markets continue to be strong,? she remarked. ?Other countries like the dark meat products better while in the U.S., the light meat is favored.?

The flu bug has slowed foreign exports somewhat as some countries have banned U.S. turkey products. ?But with the decreased demand, it has kind of balanced things out (with loss of production numbers due to the virus).?

Mexico, China and the Asian countries are the leader buyers of turkey products.

Although some have speculated that there will be a dramatic rise in turkey product prices due to Avian influenza, Irwin begs to differ. ?If you look nationally, I don?t think you are going to see a dramatic change in pricing.?

And if you are thinking ahead, there will be turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

?Iowa doesn?t do (process) whole birds. There will be plenty of turkeys and turkey products available for the holidays,? she predicted.

Although the Avian virus has created a speed bump, Irwin sees continued growth in the turkey industry.