A poultry research farm run by USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Fayetteville, Ark., has become the first of such facilities to receive organic certification, ARS said in a news release.
Scientists at ARS' Poultry Production and Product Safety Research Unit began developing the agency's Organic Poultry Research facility last year and more recently received organic certification.
Researchers Anne Fanatico and Annie Donoghue will use the facility to study ways of using natural compounds to reduce food-borne pathogens and diseases in poultry. The pair is leading a group of researchers conducting similar efforts nationwide.
ARS said pathogens such as salmonella and campylobacter are primary concerns for organic poultry farmers, but safe, effective and approved organic treatments for birds are in limited supply.
Research conducted with the University of Connecticut and the University of Arkansas have indicated natural compounds like caprylic acid, a fatty acid naturally found in milk and coconuts, and essential plant extracts all have antimicrobial efficacy against enteric pathogens in poultry. Such compounds could help solve food safety concerns in organic production systems, ARS said.
Fanatico and Donoghue also have formed the Organic Poultry Advisory Board, enabling them to work directly with organic producers to address pathogen and disease issues on an organic poultry farm.
Specs
The Organic Poultry Research facility was developed collaboratively between ARS and the University of Arkansas. The facility is a fixed poultry house with large, grassy yards and has capacity for 20 floor pens — each 10 feet by 10 feet — and each one has a 4-foot by 2-foot opening to an outdoor yard. Each enclosed outdoor yard is 1,000 square feet. The building is naturally ventilated with glass windows allowing natural light. The yards have vegetation all year due to the warm climate and are designed for high use, ARS said.
The unit meets both the livestock requirements of USDA's National Organic Program and the animal welfare recommendations for poultry by the National Organic Standards Board and the Organic Poultry Guidance Document of the Accredited Certifiers Association. NOSB and ACA encourage plenty of outdoor access.
