Community emergency planning agencies typically address many issues in an effort to safeguard residents.  However, agricultural issues that can affect human health, safety, and welfare (e.g. zoonotic diseases; public health concerns due to mass carcass, crop, or product disposal; reestablishing animal ownership; responder safety; injury prevention) and protection of agricultural assets (e.g. workforce, crops, livestock, property) are often unaddressed in local emergency operations plans (EOPs).  Although all disasters begin locally, they can expand in scope and have effects regionally, statewide, nationally, and even internationally.  Therefore, addressing agricultural issues in community EOPs is a critical first step to mitigate the effects of potential disasters on the nation’s economy and public health. 

 Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) educational resources provide a foundation for local jurisdictions to begin to address agricultural emergencies.  EDEN is a collaborative multi-state effort by Extension Services across the country to improve the delivery of services to communities affected by disasters. 

For further questions or comments, please contact:

Billy Dictson, Director Office of Biosecurity, Southwest Border Food Safety and Defense Center for the College of Agriculture Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University at: bdictson@nmsu.edu

Andrea Husband, Agrosecurity Program Coordinator for the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky at andrea.husband@uky.edu