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WingTips | eNewsletter for MTGA Members |
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Bend, Don't Break |
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Learn about the work being done to help farmers and others in agriculture through difficult times. MN Farm Stress |
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In this Issue: |
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Advertise with MTGA! Looking to amplify your voice? Advertise with MTGA! Options in the bi-monthly printed magazine, Gobbles, and bi-weekly e-newsletter, WingTips. Contact Peter Scharpe for details at pscharpe@minnesotaturkey.com or 763-682-2171. |
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Classifieds |
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Worth The Read |
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Is Turkey on Your Menu? |
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Bite-sized turkey Meatball Subs
Looking for a great game day snack that quick? These bite-sized turkey subs are packed with flavor and simple to make. |
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Focus on Ag |
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This column features timely information on crop and livestock production, farm management and marketing, ag policy, renewable energy, and other timely ag topics. The column is written by Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst.
Column for: February 5, 2024 |
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Turkey Market Reports: February 2, 2024 |
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Calendar |
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Date: February 8th, 12:00pm(noon)-1:00pm
NTF 2024 Annual Convention Date: February 21-24 Location: Austin, Texas
Poultry Day at the Capitol Date: March 12th Location: St. Paul
PEAK Date: April 17-19 Location: Minneapolis
MTGA Summer Summit Date June 27-28 Location: Arrowwood Resort, Alexandria, MN |
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Now is the time to review biosecurity plans, refresh biosecurity training, and take other necessary preparations to protect your flock(s)! The below websites have an abundance of HPAI resources available to the industry. Looking for additional information on HPAI? Contact MTGA staff at info@minnesotaturkey.com or 763-682-2171. |
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We are here to help! 763-682-2171
Ashley Kohls Executive Director
Peter Scharpe Program Director
Jodi Ronnie Business Director
Brandon Severns Outreach & Member Services Coordinator |
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MDA announces new Protecting Livestock (Protect) Grant |
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At the end of January, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced a new grant program titled the Protecting Livestock Grant, also known as the Protect Grant. This grant is designed to help livestock producers protect their animals from diseases and other threats.
For the turkey industry, this one time grant program can partially fund projects to protect flocks from HPAI. A few project examples include installing Danish entry systems, truck washes, and exclusion systems to discourage wild birds from coming near domestic flocks. This grant could be used to help install laser systems or sound machines to scare wild birds or inflatable decoys to deter wildlife from entry the farm property.
The grant will fund 50% of a project's cost up to $10,000. A 1:1 cash match is required. The program has a total available funds of $500,000, making this a competitive grant.
All types of livestock producers are eligible to apply. However, priority consideration will be given to poultry producers and to elk and deer producers.
Poultry is being prioritized to protect flocks against HPAI specifically.
The application deadline is March 7, 2024.
For more information, head to the MDA website.
This grant is only available this year. MTGA will be working this legislative session to pass a bill that will create a permanent grant program. Please join us March 12 in St. Paul for Poultry Day at the Capitol and help advocate for a permanent grant program. |
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New OSHA Mental Health Fact Sheets |
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new "Workplace Mental Health" worksheet for employers to display in the workplace that employees can view. The worksheet is available in English and Spanish.
According to the CDC, more than 12 million adults contemplate suicide each year. More than 3 million adults actually make a plan to commit suicide and over 1 million adults make a suicide attempt. More than 48,000 people in the United States die from suicide each year.
The stigma of mental health can be changed and employers can help make that change. By making mental health a part of a company's culture, by engaging in conversations to ensure staff are at their best mentally and being able to support those that need help.
OSHA offers a voluntary Outreach Training Program that covers workplace safety, employee health and will now include mental health.
This Outreach Training program began in 1971 and continues to grow. More than 5.21 million workers were trained between 2016 and 2020. |
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Reminder: Tomorrow's HPAI Update Webinar |
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It has been five weeks (knock on wood) since there was a case of HPAI in Minnesota, but, as an industry, we cannot become complacent. MTGA remains committed to providing membership with the latest updates regarding HPAI.
Please join us tomorrow, February 8 at 12:00 pm (noon), via zoom.
Starting off the discussion will be Jason Gilsdorf with USDA Wildlife Services (USDA-WS). The USDA has developed a Wildlife Biosecurity Audit program designed to help growers identify potential gaps in their biosecurity and asses wild bird populations on their premises. Now that several assessments have been conducted and completed, Jason will discuss how the process works and what they have seen on farms. He'll provide examples of common issues that growers might be overlooking on their own sites and could address now. Jason will also address potential actions that USDA-WS can take to reduce wild bird numbers on your farm.
Following that conversation, Dr. David Suarez with the USDA Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory will talk about HPAI vaccine research currently being conducted.
Closing out the conversation, Dr. Shauna Voss with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH) will give an update on the status of HPAI in the state. She will also provide additional relevant information from the BAH and the work they do.
Don't miss this opportunity to stay informed and engaged. Register here for this webinar. Previous webinars can be viewed here. |
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Connect with MTGA |
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Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, 108 Marty Drive, Suite 1, Buffalo, MN 55313 |