Working together against HPAI

By Matt Reese

This winter presented some significant challenges for Ohio’s poultry industry, but an emphasis on bird health and care continued throughout. Hertzfeld Poultry Farms in Wood County is a diversified operation focused on the production of high-quality eggs.

“We were officially incorporated in 1966, but farming was part of our family well before that. I am actually the fourth generation of Hertzfelds at this company. My brother, Jordan, is also part of the operation and then we have a handful of family members that are integral in what we do from processing to the feed to the farming, so there there’s a lot of family that that makes up the moving parts at this operation,” said Thomas Hertzfeld III. “There are a lot of divisions and departments that have to work together to provide the eggs for our consumers. It’s just been one family member after another stepping up throughout the generations to build on the legacy that we hope has been a good one for the region, for the state and for people in general that are consuming eggs. We have a grain facility, we have a feed facility. We produce some of our own feed and then, to supplement the needs that we have for the birds, we also purchase feed.”

High quality feed is a vital part of the operation.

“Soy especially is an integral part of the health and the diet of those birds. We are working throughout the departments and making sure that we are keeping these birds healthy, not only in what they eat and the feed that they consume, but also in their overall health and well-being,” Thomas said. “Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, has been a challenge that we’ve been facing as an entire industry. It affects everything from the feed and nutrition, the movement of our trucks, the way in which we’re farming, and the biosecurity concerns. Each and every day here on our farm we are paying attention to washing in, washing out and making sure that our feed and grain locations are up to speed and are clean and sanitized. The feed ingredients for the birds, including soy, are important in maintaining the health of those birds.”

Jordan Hertzfeld said HPAI issues last winter impacted every part of their operation, but also the entire supply chain beyond their operation.

“It starts with biosecurity on our farm, so obviously everything is washed out and we’re making sure every truck entering our facility has gone through the proper biosecurity measures when they deliver that feed. When we’re talking about our truck drivers that travel throughout the state and the country, we make sure those trucks have the proper biosecurity and follow the proper protocol for where they’re going to reduce the spread of the HPAI.,” Jordan said. “We talk to other farmers daily to make sure we’re coordinating and we’re not crossing paths. It’s about being a good steward in our operation and in our community. Constant communication about biosecurity has to happen individually at our farm, but it needs to go beyond that to other operations and to the community to make sure that the spread is reduced.”

This coordination in some cases extends all the way back to row-crop operations producing the feed.

“Even on the row-crop side, there are impacts. This is an issue that affects everybody in the entire supply chain and why it is important to build upon all components of agriculture, really working together to address this issue,” Jordan said. “We’ve all got be on the same page to make sure that we’re all following the same guidelines and make sure everybody’s doing their part, including the farmers of the row-crops to reduce that spread of HPAI.”

Did you know soybeans are the secret sauce behind Ohio’s booming poultry farms? Each year, poultry consume a whooping 937 million bushels of soybean meal nationwide! This high-protein powerhouse keeps chickens and turkeys thriving, making Ohio #2 in egg production and #9 in turkey farming. From farm to table, soybeans power the farms that feed families.
Brought to you by Ohio soybean farmers and their checkoff.