Objectives: 

Objective 1. Collect names, addresses, and GPS location [MBAH questionnaires] and other relevant attributes concerning poultry management, facilities, and practices about commercial poultry farms in Mississippi [CVM questionnaires]. 

Objective 2. Establish a database of all commercial poultry farms in Mississippi and enter data from completed MBAH and CVM questionnaires. 

Objective 3. Utilize database to determine a) accurate reporting, control, and eradication plans for reportable poultry diseases [MBAH] and b) geographic and other attributes that are associated with poultry diseases [CVM]. 

Synopsis of 2001 Research Activities Per Objective:

Objective 1. Epidemiologists with the State Veterinarian's office visited poultry farms and collected names, addresses, and GPS locations [MBAH questionnaires] from about 80% to 85% of all poultry farms in the state. In addition, CVM questionnaires requesting addition information were left at several of these farms. 

Objective 2.  The information received as a result of Objective 1 has been entered into a database. 

Objective 3.  To be addressed after completion of Objectives 1 and 2. 

Significant Findings/Results Per Objective to Date:

We are still in the data collection phase of the project, therefore, no specific findings/results have yet been determined. A Garmin GIS unit has been purchased to serve as a backup unit for MBAH epidemiologists. Project personnel have taken the ITS Advanced Microsoft Access short course. Both the MBAH and CVM survey instruments have been revised, printed on pads, and distributed to the MBAH epidemiologists.  

Objective 1. Epidemiologists with the State Veterinarian's office (MBAH) visited poultry farms and collected names, addresses, and GPS locations. Data from 1762 farms have now been collected. This represents about 80% to 85% of all poultry farms in the state. The epidemiologists also left CVM questionnaires with some of these farms. Information in these questionnaires will be used to study the epidemiological basis of poultry diseases that occur. To date, 50 of these completed questionnaires have been received. One of the poultry companies in the state was visited in an effort to try and collect data on all their farms. Hopefully, by using this approach, the advantages of the project will become more apparent and, thereby, encourage growers of the other companies to participate. 

Objective 2. The data from all 1762 MBAH forms received have been entered into the database (1303 of these were entered this year). All information has been proofread for accuracy against the original forms. The database has been modified to include the information on the CVM forms. 

Objective 3. To be addressed after completion of Objectives 1 and 2. 

Applications of broader impacts of significant findings, including economics:

This database will be used by poultry health professionals to aid in the control of quarantine-able diseases and to detect spatial and other epidemiological factors. The occurrence of catastrophic poultry diseases, such as velogenic-viscerotropic Newcastle disease (VVND), avian influenza (AI), and infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) have far-reaching consequences for the poultry industry. In addition to the direct losses due to morbidity and mortality, these diseases have global implications; namely that many countries embargo poultry meat from locales affected with these diseases. If one of these diseases should strike Mississippi, the information contained in this database will be used to precisely locate affected farms and nearby farms that are at risk, as well as the remaining poultry in the state. Collecting GPS locations for poultry farms will enable regulatory officials to establish precise quarantine boundaries so that the disease can be contained and eradicated expeditiously and efficiently. It should be noted that quarantine plans based on these principles will enable the state to demonstrate to appropriate agencies that it has a valid plan for handling such crises, thus minimizing the impact of outbreaks and reassuring those importing Mississippi poultry of our ability to handle such problems. 

This database will be used to detect spatial and other epidemiological factors that adversely affect profitability. Although less dramatic than quarantine-able diseases, poultry are constantly afflicted with significant challenges to their health. These challenges have a direct and inverse relation to the profitability of the commercial poultry. The GIS/epidemiological database will provide health professionals an organized means of looking for relevant associations between diseases and the various parameters recorded in the database. This is a unique means of studying diseases that has not been used by others. Comparing the location and epidemiological features of affected vs. non-affected farms should provide direct answers to which features are/are not associated with disease occurrences and/or suggest what criteria should be examined by in vivo research trials. Once answers are found, then effective countermeasures can be implemented to minimize or prevent losses due to these diseases. 

Publications:   

none as yet 

Presentations at professional meetings to date: 

Montgomery, R. D. and J. A. Watson. Proposal to Conduct a GPS and Epidemiological Survey of Mississippi Poultry Industry. Mississippi Poultry Association Research Committee, February 2000. Jackson, MS. 

Montgomery, R. D., C. R. Boyle, J. A. Watson, C. R. Sadler, D. L. Magee, and J. R. Steil. Using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) ns Computerized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Technologies as Adjuncts to Monitoring and Analyzing Diseases in Commercial Poultry. Advanced Spatial Technologies in Agriculture Conference, Mississippi State University, December 3-4, 2001. 

Unrealized or unsuccessful endeavors of project:  

The success of this project, as currently designed, relies heavily on the participation of the MBAH and its poultry epidemiologists. All information needed for Objective 1 was obtained early in 2001. However, information from two of the fifteen complexes has been misplaced and will have to be repeated. Furthermore, a second year of MBAH annual farm visits has been delayed because MBAH has a small number of staff relative to its workload. 

The other portion of Objective 1-collecting additional information from the poultry farms for epidemiological purposes-as well as adding it to the database (its portion of Objective 2) and all of Objective 3 has more involved problems. First of all, delays in getting the CVM questionnaire in a finalized form delayed its inclusion into the first round of MBAH farm visits.  Other problems exist as well. To some degree, the success of these objectives depend also on participation of the MBAH epidemiologists and can progress no faster than their participation.  Probably the most significant factor for the lack of success so far has been the lack of grower response. There are many reasons for this. It is impossible for the primary investigator to personally visit each grower and collect the data requested. Without this personal aspect, I believe it will be very difficult to get the growers to participate adequately in this project. Either the importance of the project and the questionnaire are not explained to them when the MBAH visits their farm or, as is frequently the case, the growers are not present when their farms are visited and the questionnaires are left. Other explanations include the following: grower animosity with the companies and the impression that the project benefits the company rather than the growers; fear of interference with the growers ability to make a living due to excessive environmental or regulatory enforcement; and the use of too many similar questionnaires. We are exploring ways of working through the aforementioned difficulties with obtaining data. 

Project success relative to original objectives:  

Based on current results, Objective 1 is progressing satisfactorily as far as MBAH is concerned. The remaining portion of the project still has a reasonable chance of success, but the original goal of obtaining all growers’ participation may need to be changed. 

Conclusion: 

The GPS locations for all poultry farms in the state has been collected and will shortly be in the database (goal one). Following this, the information will be turned over to the State Veterinarian and serve as a major instrument in any disease containment/eradication efforts conducted by his office. (In addition to poultry, the State Veterinarian plans to collect locations on all major animal species located in the state, as well.) 

Goal two—collecting epidemiological attributes from all the poultry farms in the state—was designed to be conducted at the time that the data for goal one (GPS locations) was being collected.  However, because of concerns over the proprietorship of that data and maintaining its privacy, goal two’s initiation was delayed. So far, only a limited number of farms have been contacted and only a limited number of responses have been received. The coming year will determine if this part of the project will succeed.

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