Past NTF Chairman John Zimmerman and NTF President Leslee Oden join us on The Turkey Talk Show to discuss hot topics like aMPV and HPAI.
On this Episode of The Turkey Talk Sheila and Gretta share the news that the 2025 ITF Intern Grayce McClintock has joined the flock! She shares about her background, what she is going to school for and what she is looking forward to working with the ITF.
Sheila shares a personal story about her dog leaving a mess - a crappy situation. They decided it is much like the current turkey industry situation.
John Zimmerman gives us information about how he came into the turkey industry and how he got involved in the National Turkey Federation. John served as the President of the MGTA and through that started becoming more involved in DC. A lot of people have questions about what the National Turkey Federation does for turkey farmers. John explains how important it is to have people in DC, constantly watching what Congress is working on. He talks about testifying in front of the Senate - the last year has not been easy. The change of the administration and the egg prices has highlighted our industry.
Leslee explains that NTF is different than other National Associations because they represent the Allied Industry, the Processors and the farmers.
We are excited that a couple aMPV vaccines were approved but the work doesn't end there. We will have to work on getting an approval extension for next year. We also need the distribution to flow, we need training, so everyone knows how to use it. Conversations about how to make sure that the time frame it takes to get a vaccine doesn't take that long. What if this happens to the swine industry, the cattle industry. Let's ensure this doesn't happen again. The USDA 5 Point Plan is a good starting point - there is still more to talk about and work on but it's a starting point.
Sheila and Gretta wrap up the show with their Call to Actions:
Join us for our next episode when we visit with Dr. David Brown about mental health and handling stress! From our flock to yours - this is Sheila, this is Gretta. Thanks for tuning in for this episode of The Turkey Talk Show.