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Click here for full Press Release
A Message from Ag Society Board to Lancaster County 4-H Families & Extension Board/Staff,
As your Ag Society Board we wanted to thank each of you for your part in a successful 2017 Super Fair where your participation was strong across the board and we are happy to report public attendance was up 17% as well. Congratulations on all your hard work and we are proud as a volunteer, elected board to support your efforts in one of the largest 4-H county fairs in the USA.
We wanted you to be the first to know that the board voted in our last monthly meeting to set the 2018 fair dates as the four days of Thursday, August 2nd to Sunday, August 5th. The schedule on these days will be nearly identical as what has been the first four days of the fair for many years with the focus to be on what has always been the core of our county fair—the 4-H days. After trying to offer an additional six days with open class competitions since 2010, the public has let us know loud and clear that their favorite part of the fair are the 4-H days, so we are going back to concentrate on those days and make them better than ever.
As we do this, we want to make sure the fair is not only a challenging learning experience for our 4-H’ers but also a fun, memorable experience for our 4-H families as well. We’ll always be looking for more ways to involve you in the planning, getting ready for and running the fair as is the tradition of county fairs across Nebraska and the USA. Please reach out to any of us or LEC staff with any ideas or suggestions anytime— click here for our board and staff list.
Thanks again for your participation in the Lancaster County Super Fair which, yes, will still be “super” during its four days due to all your efforts and success!
Regards,
Ron Dowding
President
O 402.441.6545 (LEC office)
C 402.580.9199 (to reach Ron)
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we'll get it to Ron
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In light of the recent equine herpesvirus strain 1 (EHV-1) outbreaks in the
Midwest, we wanted to provide an update to our equine community.
Update from Nebraska State Veterinarian
We talked with Dr. Dudley of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture's State of Nebraska Veterinarian office late last week and we have confirmed that, while EHV-1 is present in other states as we are all hearing, no EHV-1 cases have been diagnosed in Nebraska. Closest in proximity to us are confirmed cases in Iowa where the affected facilities are all under quarantines. Dr. Dudley said the trail of infection goes from Iowa back east towards Kentucky. Facilities and horse owners that were potentially in contact with EHV-1 have all been notified.
Though it is important to use proper biosecurity measures as always, we were assured by Dr. Dudley that an increased state of concern is not in order in Nebraska at this point.
Upcoming Horse Shows at the Lancaster Event Center
All future horse shows on the Lancaster Event Center schedule are still planned to be held, we are aware of none even considering to change their schedule and many in fact have more horse exhibitors than previous years. We are working with each horse show to create a stalling plan that keeps different shows' horses as separate as possible as we continue to work with each show lead to ensure
the success of each equine show.
Lancaster Event Center Biosecurity Measures Continue
For a year now, we have been using the highly recommended, natural, safe & effective disinfectant used in many horse facilities, called Nixall—folks have comment that it even smells pleasant! You can find more information at www.nixall.com.
We spray everything that comes into contact with horses (stalls, aisles, arenas, walkways, doorways) after every equine event. Disinfected stalls are zip-tied shut with a Nixall tag and after the stall is used, or simply the zip-tie seal is broken, we disinfect EVERY stall top to bottom (floor, walls, bars) before the next use.
We have been making this investment in the disinfectant materials and labor year-round for a year now. Upon arrival, horse owners will find that we are continuing to offer ready-to-mix Nixall in small bottles and cleaning kits (bucket,
gloves, rags) for purchase at a reasonable price as a convenience for our horse exhibitors, which we can deliver along with shavings.
What Horse Owners Can Do
We encourage horse owners to continue to keep vigilant, as is always recommended when traveling especially, on your own horse's health (working with your own vet on vaccinations, monitoring temperature, etc.) and stay informed about the EHV-1 virus. The Nebraska State Vet has just recently updated their site with many helpful documents for your information:
http://www.nda.nebraska.gov/animal/diseases/ehv/index.html.
Please contact your horse show lead if you have further questions, and we encourage horse lead to contact us at the Lancaster Event Center or the Nebraska State Vet with any further questions.
Statement from Nixall: Only EPA disinfectant that will kill all the CDC Super bugs that is NonToxic
to animals and humans! The US Marines and the University of Oregon have shown that the
active ingredient in Nixall is 100 times more effective than bleach. See nixall.com for more
information. DISCLAIMER This Lancaster Event Center Memo is for informational purposes only.
The document information was drawn from a variety of reputable sources and attention to detail
was taken in preparation, however, the Lancaster County Agricultural Society and the Lancaster
Event Center offer no guaranty of completeness or effectiveness of the recommendations and
protocols for achieving infection control at equine events.
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