Ag Alert May 12, 2021

Survey collects data on swine health, management California swine producers may be selected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to participate in the National Animal HealthMonitoring SystemSwine 2021 Small Enterprise study, which is be- ingconductedby theNationalAgricultural Statistics Service. Due to market disrupt ions f rom COVID-19, the original timelines for the NAHMS Swine 2020 Study were revised, with the study nowbeginning this year. farmers will participate, will concentrate on swine operations with fewer than 1,000 pigs, andwill takeplace this June and July.

agement, the department added. Summary estimates from the Large Enterprise segment will provide insights on how the majority of U.S. pigs are pro- duced, their health status and veterinary or biosecuritymeasures taken tomaintain their health, USDA said, adding that the Small Enterprise segment “will reveal any changes in this more traditional part” of theU.S. swine sector. Objectives of the Small Enterprise seg- ment include estimating the use of newer husbandry technologiesbeingadoptedby smaller U.S. swine operations and provid- ing informationonthegrowingniche-mar- ket products these operations produce. USDAveterinaryepidemiologistCharles Haley said USDA aims tomeasure objec- tivelyhowswineproducers’ livelihoodsand production parameters were affected in 2020andprovidethat informationtoevery- one. Estimates gleaned fromthese studies cancombatmisinformation, suchas about housingandmedicationuse, headded. Farmerswill have theoptionof complet- ing the swinequestionnaireandmailing it back postage-free or filling out a web ver- sion, usinga link thatwill beprovidedwith the initial mailout. A reminder will bemailed June 28 and, in early July, NASS will start calling pro- ducerswhodidnot respond, toattempt to schedule an interview. Questions about the study may be directed to Haley at 970-225-1377 or charles.a.haley@aphis.usda.gov. New rule affects livestock herders A proposed rule would update regula- tions forhiring livestockherdersunder the H-2A agricultural visa program. The U.S. Department of Labor said last week it plans to change its procedures as the result of a 2019 court settlement. Four sheepherders and an organization repre- senting Hispanic immigrant workers had sued the agency in 2015, challenging as- pects of its previous rule. The Labor Department said its revised rule intends to ensure that adjudication of temporary or seasonal need for herders “is conducted in the same manner for all applications for temporary agricultural labor certification.” In particular, the agency said, it would examineonacase-by-casebasis “whether anemployer’sneed to fill aherdingor pro- duction of livestock on the range position is of a temporary or seasonal nature,” as current regulations define those terms. Although it said recurring, year-round activities “cannot be classified as tempo- rary,” the Labor Department said it recog- nizes “that someherder employersmaybe able to establish a need to fill positions on a recurring annual basis, consistent with thedefinitionof employment of aseasonal nature” in its regulations. Public comments on the proposal will be acceptedby June7 via theonlineportal at www.regulations.gov.

USDA said both segments of the study will provide participants, people in the business, academia, trading partners and animal-health officials with valu- able information on the nation’s swine population. The information will also serve as a basis for education and re- search related to swine health andman-

The2021studywill reportontwodistinct U.S. swinepopulations,accordingtoUSDA: ALargeEnterprisesegmentof thestudywill lookat swineoperationswith1,000ormore pigs, andwill takeplacebetweenJune2021 and January 2022; the Small Enterprise segment of the study, in which California

Questionnaires and instructions for fill- ing them out will be mailed to California swine producers with fewer than 1,000 hogs theweek of June 15.

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20 Ag Alert May 12, 2021