DOVER, DE- Delaware Agriculture Week, an annual event that provides farmers with valuable opportunities to learn and advance in their industry, is set to kick off next week. However, all poultry events have been canceled due to ongoing concerns over Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The decision comes after recent cases of the virus were discovered in Delaware and Maryland, raising alarms within the poultry industry.
Georgie Cartanza, with the University of Delaware, acknowledged the rarity of canceling these events but emphasized the necessity of the action.
“It’s unusual that we would cancel the poultry sessions. But when there is an active disease outbreak, we want to take every step possible to prevent unnecessary risks.”
The discovery of HPAI in snow geese, along with local cases, has heightened concerns, as poultry plays a critical role in Delaware’s $13 billion agricultural economy.
Stacey Hofmann, with the Delaware Department of Agriculture, stressed the importance of protecting the industry.
“It is an important driver to our economy, and it feeds thousands of people as well as providing jobs to people on Delmarva. So we are very sensitive to this and making sure that this virus doesn’t spread any further.”
Despite the cancellations, Cartanza reassured that most Ag Week events will continue as planned, with virtual opportunities provided for poultry growers.
“It really is an opportunity to get all those different parts of agriculture together and offer that. Just the poultry sessions—we felt it wasn’t worth the risk. So we are going to offer virtual opportunities for growers.”
Delaware Agriculture Week runs from January 13th to January 16th at the Delaware State Fairgrounds, offering a valuable opportunity for farmers to connect and grow, despite this year’s challenges.
