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Ag security planning conference planned for Alliance; one of only seven in nation
Published Friday, April 17, 2009 at 08:54 AM
A “Strengthening Community Agro-Security” Planning Conference to be held in Alliance on April 27-28 is one of only seven opportunities in the United States for agriculture producers to bring their voice to the process of community readiness planning. The main goal of the conference is to develop county-based disaster plans that accurately reflect actual industry characteristics rather than a government template, according to one of the organizers, UNL Extension Educator Scott Cotton of Dawes County. “This conference provides an avenue to show how important agriculture is in Nebraska counties and why it needs to be protected,” he said. “Having formatted agriculture disaster plans for counties reduces the time to mobilize help and federal funding.” The workshop is sponsored by University of Nebraska – Lincoln Extension and the Extension Disaster Education Network’s (EDEN) Strengthening Communities through Agrosecurity Planning Committee (SCAP). It will be held at the Knight Museum, 908 Yellowstone Ave., Alliance, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on April 28 and from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on April 29. Attendees are asked to register on – line By Friday, April 17, at http://cariregistration.unl.edu/ . The registration fee is higher after Friday or at the door. Those who need financial assistance should call the Dawes County Extension Office. For registration information: email cari@unlnotes.unl.edu or call 800-328 – 2851. Registration can be made via credit card or arrangements can be made for agency invoicing. For more information, call Cotton at 308-432 – 3373 or e-mail scotton2@unl.edu. This will be the third in a series of eight national pilots for this training workshop. Agenda items include: The need for an Agriculture Emergency Annex to county emergency operations plans. Emergencies that could occur in each county and the damage they could cause to the agriculture and to the economy of the county, state and adjacent areas. Development of an agriculture emergency annex to the county emergency operations plan. Attendees also will be provided with a toolbox to use in developing an agriculture emergency annex for their county. The Nebraska Pilot includes Sioux, Dawes, Sheridan, Box Butte, Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Banner, Kimball, and Cheyenne, counties, as well as Fall River County in South Dakota and Niobrara/ Platte Counties in Wyoming. According to Cotton, the emergency manager and the county Extension agriculture educator from these counties are encouraged to attend. He added it would be helpful if the Extension family and consumer educators also attended. County emergency managers and the Extension ag educator have been encouraged to invite and encourage attendance to this training from city police, Nebraska State Patrol, county sheriffs, farmers, animal control offices, brand inspectors, fire departments, Game and Parks, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, sale barn owners, feedlot owners, county commissioners, food processing plants, National Guard, dairy owners, bankers, ranchers, county attorneys, city attorney, county finance officials, city managers, state Department of Health inspectors. These individuals will form a “county team” to develop each county’s agriculture emergency annex. Each county team should have seven to 12 people.

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