Crescent-News.com - Area Farm Briefs

REYNOLDSBURG -- The Ohio Department of Agriculture recently received its first-ever U.S. patent for discovering a method to identify a potentially fatal strain of Equine Herpes Virus. The patent acknowledges the department's pioneering work in identifying the strain and gives way to future research on developing vaccines.

Scientists from the department's Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) worked quickly to isolate and characterize the Equine Herpes Virus strand that caused the notable equine disease outbreak at the University of Findlay in 2003. The outbreak, which was a rare case of the virus that led to neurological disorder, was fatal for 13 horses and caused neurological disease in 100 more.

The virus, which is common in horses, only typically causes respiratory and reproduction problems. Currently, vaccinations are available to prevent these troubles but are not available to prevent neurological problems that certain strands of the virus can cause.

The discovery of the identification method by ADDL virologist Dr. Yan Zhang lead to the invention and patent of a test to identify the Equine Herpes Virus strand that causes the rare neurological symptoms. In addition, Zhang has laid the groundwork and has even suggested a method for producing the first vaccine to protect horses from neurological effects of the virus.

New on-farm opportunities: New on-farm opportunities, from raising meat goats to starting a vineyard to managing honey bees, will be the focus of an Ohio State University Extension-sponsored event intended to help farmers capture the growing trend of locally grown, fresh-from-the-farm products. The 2008 Mid-Ohio Valley Agriculture Opportunities conference will take place April 26 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Washington State Community College in Marietta. Registration is $30 and includes lunch and all conference materials. Sessions include: direct marketing meat products, beekeeping opportunities and challenges, extending the growing season, top 10 opportunities in direct marketing, berries from May to October, and more. For more information on the conference, contact Eric Barrett at 740-376-7431 or barrett.90@osu.edu.