Farm-raised Fish Included in New Supplemental Ag Disaster Assistance Program

On June 18, 2008, the 2008 Farm Bill was enacted into Public Law 110-246. In the process, five new disaster programs were developed, referred to as Supplemental Agriculture Disaster Assistance programs. These are: Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish (ELAP), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), Livestock Indemnity Program* (LIP), Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) Program, and the Tree Assistance Program (TAP). The US Department of Agriculture has produced a Fact Sheet, which states:

“To be eligible for these programs, producers must purchase at least catastrophic risk protection (CAT) level of crop insurance for all insurable crops and/or Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage for non-insurable crops. Therefore, for the 2008 crop year only, producers who were eligible to obtain at least CAT level crop insurance or NAP, but did not, can “buy-in” to be eligible to participate in the applicable Supplemental Agriculture Disaster Assistance programs by paying the administrative fee that would have been applicable if the producer had timely applied for CAT or NAP.”

Those that wish to be eligible for these programs in 2008 must meet the buy-in deadline of September 16, 2008.

For more information about these programs and a more complete explanation of buy-in fees, see the Fact Sheet.

Please contact your local Farm Service Agency office about this program. You may be eligible for drought assistance.

Stocking Hybrid Sunfish

In the fall of the year, many people decide to stock ponds. There are different options when stocking fish. You can find out what North Carolina recommends by looking at the NC State University Fisheries and Pond Management Extension website.

One of the options involves stocking hybrid sunfish. Stocking hybrids seems to be a popular option. But it is important to learn more about hybrids before making this choice. I have found a great resource from Mississippi State University that discusses Managing Hybrid Sunfish.

First, a hybrid sunfish can be a cross from several sunfish (bluegill, redear, green, warmouth) species. The most common hybrid in the Southeast is the male bluegill with the female green sunfish.

Some important things to consider when stocking hybrids:

• Hybrids do have a trait called hybrid vigor. This can be seen in rapid and superior growth. Weights exceeding 2-lbs are common. And some may actually get to 3-lbs are greater, but this is not common.
• Hybrids are not sterile. They general produce more males than females limiting the reproduction.
• To see the full potential of the hybrid, it is necessary to stock them in a new pond or a completely renovated pond with no other bream species present.
• Hybrids must be stocked with a predator like largemouth bass or catfish.
• Security from poachers is a must. Hybrids are aggressive and highly catchable.
  

Luke Rides in July...

There are a group of boys that ride their bikes all over the France countryside in July. There is one boy that rides his bike on Lakeside Drive. This July was extra special for me. My son Luke learned to ride his bike without training wheels. It was a grand occasion. I was so proud! I hope he learns to love the bike like I do. I would love to have a little riding partner! Look at that race face!

Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP)

United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA) administers the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). The NAP is a program that provides some insurance to producers of non-insurable crops like fish when low yields, loss of inventory, or prevented plantings due to natural disasters.

Some eligible crops include:

• crops grown for food

• crops planted and grown for livestock consumption, including, but not limited to, grain and forage crops, including native forage;

• crops grown for fiber, such as cotton and flax (except for trees);

• crops grown under a controlled environment, such as mushrooms and floriculture;

• specialty crops, such as honey and maple sap;

• value loss crops, such as aquaculture, Christmas trees, ginseng, ornamental nursery and turfgrass sod;

• sea oats and sea grass; and

• seed crops where the propagation stock is produced for sale as seed stock for other eligible NAP crop production

The fee for the program is $100. The coverage runs from October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009. The deadline to file for the program is September 1, 2008. Contact your local FSA office to find out more about the program. You can also learn more about the program from the FSA website.
FSA NAP Factsheet

Meeting to Discuss Grant Possibility ($$$) for Farmers

A meeting will be held on August 12 to discuss the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI) Tobacco Communities Reinvestment Fund. RAFI will make cost-share demonstration grants to farmers, farm organizations, and community groups. The grant is available to farmers in Alexander, Beaufort, Burke, Caldwell, Caswell, Craven, Cumberland, Davidson, Forsyth, Greene, Guilford, Harnett, Iredell, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, McDowell, Nash, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Wayne, Wilkes, and Wilson counties.

The meeting will be at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service-McDowell County Center in the Extension Conference Room at 6:30 pm. Jason Roehrig from RAFI will be the speaker. The McDowell County Center is located in the County Administration Building on the 2nd floor at 60 East Court Street, Marion. For directions to the McDowell County Center, please call 828-652-7874 or 828-652-8104.

Cost-share support of up to $10,000 will be awarded to individual producers and support of up to $20,000 will be awarded to collaborative farmer efforts. Demonstration grants will be awarded through a competitive selection process. Grants will be awarded to innovative projects which show farmers a new direction or opportunity.

Priority will be given to projects that benefit farmers under 40 years of age with at least three years of farming experience and to farmers who had income from tobacco.

Deadline for the grant application is October 1, 2008. Funds will be available to farmers in December 2008.

For complete eligibility requirements and guidelines, visit RAFI-USA’s website at: http://www.rafiusa.org/programs/tobacco/2008cfp.pdf.

Jason Roehrig
919-621-0534
jason@rafiusa.org

RAFI-USA is a private, non-profit organization based in Pittsboro, North Carolina. RAFI cultivates markets, policies and communities that support thriving, socially just and environmentally sound family farms.

Five Things You Don't Know About Me!

Well so it goes...I was tagged in the blogosphere by John Dorner, NC Cooperative Extension-IT Trainer! Since I am "it", I am supposed to tell 5 little know facts about myself, then tag 5 other bloggers that I wish to know better.

1. I was a chemist before I became fish-momma. Yes, I wore safety glasses and a lab coat.
   
2. I only started fishing as an adult.
3. Cats are my favorite pet. They are just so independent.
4. Stocking groceries at Winn-Dixie has been my favorite job so far. I did it while I was in graduate school. No offense current employer.
   
5. I love to play the ponies. Bred in Kentucky. Trained at Keeneland.
6. Bonus--Don't like cartoons.

You have been tagged. And now you are IT...Personally, I would rather play Kick-the-Can, but I was a good sport! Now it's your turn.

1. Cliff Ruth
   
2. Douglas Clement
3. Callie Birdsell
4. SandiBird
5. Daniel Cleary
   

Bacterial Coldwater Disease

Skip Thompson wrote about Bacterial Coldwater Disease in his last version of Trout Aquaculture Newsletter volume 19 number 1. Here is what he has to say about it...

Bacterial Coldwater Disease (BCWD) is usually seen when water temperature is between 60-70 ^oF. One sign of the disease is the erosion of the tail (caudal) fin. Another sign is a discolored area above and slightly in front of the anal fin that becomes an ulcerated lesion that looks like a 'scooped-out' area.

BCWD usually affects trout less than 6" in size but chronic mortality can be seen in fish larger than 6". As the disease progresses, trout can be seen with the entire caudal fin missing with erosion of the peduncle or fleshy part just in front of the fin. Another name for the disease is peduncle disease.

Prevention & Control

BCWD can apparently enter trout eggs and is not sensitive to a standard treatment of 100 ppm iodophor (Wescodyne, Argentyne, etc). Instead eggs should be disinfected with Hydrogen Peroxide at 100 ppm (4.1 mL/gal of water at 35% active ingredient) (28.7 mL/gal of water at 5% active ingredient).

Routine flow-through treatments at 1.0-1.5 ppm Hyamine^® or other quaternary ammonium compounds reportedly are effective in prevention and in the early stages of infection. However, this approach is not effective once the disease has progressed to erosion of the peduncle and caudal fin.

Stress associated with rearing density contributes to higher level of mortality. In fact, the level of mortality usually will decrease if the trout are simply split into two or more raceways, lowering the density. Mortalities and trout showing the symptoms should be removed quickly since dead trout shed almost 70 times more bacterial than live trout.

If you choose to use an antibiotic, Terramycin^® (oxytetracycline) is not effective when used at the approved rate of 2.5-3.75 g/100 lbs of fish for 10 days. However, Terramycin^® is reportedly effective when used at 16.5 g/100 lbs of trout for 10 days.

Aquaflor^® was approved for use in March 2007 against BCWD at 0.454 g/ 100 lbs of trout for 10 days, and the withdraw period is 15 days. It is worked well in North Carolina. In most instances with BCWD, it is best to first reduce the fish density and then use the antibiotic.