Risk*A*Syst

         We woke up in Atlanta and did not need to be anywhere until later in the afternoon, so we went running and then we had breakfast at a nearby coffee shop.  After recognizing the state emblem on our car, the shop owner vented to us about the baiting ban that still exists in northeast Michigan and how much the TB eradication program hurts producers in the area.  We sympathized with him about added regulations, but stressed that producers in the northeast lower peninsula only make up about 2% of the cattle industry in Michigan—if TB ever really started spreading, those producers would be put out of business by the rest of the cattle producers.  Regulations have to be better than unemployment, in my opinion.

Evidence of deer on the farm

         We drove to the USDA Service Center in Alpena to go on a Risk*A*Syst with Emily, a USDA employee.  MDA is trying to shift its TB program model from being reactive (trying to contain TB infections) to proactive (stopping infections from even occurring).  Most new TB infections in Michigan are not from cattle-t0-cattle spread, but from white-tailed deer.  The deer are reservoirs for bovine TB and when they either come into contact with cattle, or more frequently, come into contact with cattle feed and leave their saliva behind for cattle to ingest, new infections start. 

Feed that is secured from deer

        A Risk*A*Syst is where a trained USDA or MDA employee goes to a producer’s property and highlights risky management practices that will increase the likelihood of deer infecting cattle.  So in this case, Emily went to a nearby property and looked at how feed is stored, where cattle are fed, water sources, and where cattle are allowed to graze.  The idea is that no one can ever keep deer off their property, but producer’s can mitigate the risk of deer infecting cattle through certain practices.  For example, these producers fenced off their thick woods to keep cattle from grazing in places that are likely being grazed by deer.  Obviously, deer can come into cattle pastures, but they are less likely to remain in open fields for long and sunlight kills the bacteria, so open fields are less risky than dense, dark woods. 

Fence keeps cattle out of the woods and the wetlands

        If a producer passes their Risk*A*Syst, they can become “Wildlife Risk Verified.”  This certification makes it easier for producers to move cattle in Michigan and it reduces their testing requirements.  The property we visited already had management practices in place to reduce their risk, so their verification was pretty simple.  They only fed what their cattle could eat in a single day, they fenced off their woods, and their feed was stored either inside or had wildlife security fences surrounding it.  Emily said other farms are often not as progressive as this producer and it can take months for producers to make necessary changes in order to be verified.  In addition, there is a lot of resentment by producers that feel that the government doesn’t have the authority to tell them how to manage their property.  Emily stresses that this verification is not required and it’s only there to help producers.  As we mentioned to the coffee shop owner, making changes is better than being out of business.
            We ended the day driving back to the Holiday Inn in Gaylord. 

Feeders that are kept indoors and fed daily are
at low risk for TB infections