Quarantine Lifted, Instream Flow Rule & Investing In Your Workforce

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

The emergency avian influenza quarantine put in place in parts of Benton and Franklin counties has been lifted. After visiting 1,800 premises in the quarantine area and testing samples from birds at more than 70 locations a team of WSDA and USDA veterinarians have determined that the avian influenza virus detected in two Benton County backyard flocks in December has not spread beyond those two sites. Regular movement of poultry and poultry products within Benton and Franklin counties can now resume. Restrictions do remain in effect for parts of Clallam County where a second quarantine was put in place after avian influenza was detected in a backyard flock there January 16. No commercial flocks have been affected by the virus.

After careful consideration of studies completed by state biologists that describe how to protect fish habitat the state Department of Ecology has adopted an instream flow rule for the Spokane River and the Spokane Valley Rathdrum Prairie aquifer system. The rule will balance the needs of a water users by setting a regulatory threshold to determine when there is water available for new uses. The rule does not apply to any historical uses or existing water rights.

The Washington Farm Labor Association Labor Conference and the Workforce Summit will be taking place February 11 and 12 in Wenatchee. Here's WAFLA's Dan Fazio.

FAZIO: We'll have all the top attorneys, housing providers, bus companies, government entities there presenting - and anyone who is using the H2A program or considering using that guest worker program should definitely attend. For more information visit wafla.org.

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray with the Ag Information Network of the West.