Farmers planning prevention

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Ken Ruinard Independent·Mail
diti
Brian Bolt, executive director of the South Carolina Cattlemen's Association, looks back Monday at some of the prot
Angus cows he raises to breed beef cattle on Mountain View Road in Anderson. He said the state's other cat­ ere,
tle farmers are on the alert for any signs of the foot-and-mouth disease that has decimated British cattle herds. pIal

Area cattle experts remain alert for signs of disease

By Kelly Davis
Independent·Mail
Cattle farmers in the Upstate and
northeast Georgia aren't losing
sleep over it, but they are on high ·
alert for the dreaded foot·and·
mouth disease that has decimated
British herds.
Although foot·and·mouth disease
is not harmful to human health, it
quickly kills or severely sickens
cloven-hoofed animals such as
cows, goats and sheep, and could be
economically devastating for their
human caretakers.
"It will put me out of business,
but it won't hurt your health," cat­
tle farmer and stockyard owner
Richard Taylor said.
Not only does he keep hundreds
of head of cattle at his Honea Path
farm, but an average of 450 to 500 out Georgia.
calves, cows and steers from all Much vigilance against foot-and­
over South Carolina and Georgia mouth in the United States has
also pass through Taylor been voluntary on the part of the
Stockyards each week. cattle industry, said Brian Bolt, ByA
With 41,200 head, Anderson has executive director of the South IndeJ)\
more cattle than any other county Carolina Cattlemen's Association
in South Carolina, according to a and operator of Bolt Farms on IV
Jan. 1 estimate by the U.S. Mountain View Road in west Mon(
Department of Agriculture. Anderson County. job a:
Anderson, Oconee, Abbeville and If any of his 129 brood cows or pal, a
Pickens counties combined had their calves were to get foot-and· istral
89,400 cattle, compared to nearly mouth disease, he is ready to quar­ Ande
half a million statewide. antine the farm and have the ani­ Mr
Franklin County is Georgia's mals killed and buried. over
fourth largest cattle county with "No. i, the problem has to be Lowe
· 23,500 head. There were 72,600 cat­ minimized," he said. "The impact Hopk
tle in the northeast Georgia bor­ on the beef industry overall would Colun
der counties of Franklin, Hart, be worse than the loss of one herd." 2,000
Elbert, Habersham and Stephens, dents
compared to 1.3 million through­ Please see Cattle, Page 5A Bra
pal a
leave

Report: Airline service Weatherhoand for ecast

Senate • a'
continues to decline campalg~
By Jonathan Salant the Transportation Depart­ High: 60s
The Assc~iated Press ment, the report found that Low: 50s
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WASHINGTON - Airline last year: \ \\ \
\
The Associated Press
\
\ ., Rain
jjghts arrived behind sched­ • Flights of 10 major carri­ ...
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Details, 68 WASHINGTON The
.tie more oft n .and more pas- ers were on time 72.6 percent
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Cattle farmers have prevention plan I ,
From Page lA animal·derived protein, Mr.
Voluntary and government Taylor said. He has been ask·
efforts combined have cre.ated ing his approximately 2,500
a very effective deterrent to sellers to sign letters to that
the disease, he said. effect as they come to his
stockyard.
South Carolina State
Veterinarian Dr. Jones Bryan To keep the disease out in
said he has participated in the first place, the USDA is
several national conference increasing its vigilance of
calls with other state vets and live-animal imports, has
agriculture commissioners on recently banned imports on
the issue. used farm equipment from
Among U.S. safeguards is a the United Kingdom and is
ban on so-called "garbage reviewing other possible
feeding," or using byproducts routes the disease may take
from slaughtered livestock in into the country.
cattle food to boost protein. Also, anyone traveling
That is how England's out­ from the United Kingdom has
break appears to have started, been asked to stay off farms Ken Ruinard Independent·Mail
Dr. Bryan said. five days before departure Brian Bolt, executive director of the South Carolina
The nation's largest pack­ and five more upon arriving. Cattlemen 's Association, scratches the nose of one of his
ing houses sent word in The virus can live 24 hours on Angus cows Monday on his family farm in west Anderson
March that after April 1 they clothing and 48 hours in the County. He said the nation has effective precautions against
would only buy beef never fed human respiratory tract. the foot and mouth disease so deadly to cattle.

Airline service
continues to decline
A new study found that complaints
by airline passengers are on the instead agreed on a package of substantial improvements in
rise , along with the number of voluntary standards. customer service.
baggage that was mishandled . among major airlines, followed
by Alaska and Southwest. The department's inspector "To ignore the positive steps
Passengers bumped, per 10,000 America West received the general reported in February that have been taken is simply
2000 1.04 lowest ranking. In 1999, that customer service had disingenuous and misleading
Southwest was the highest­ improved but still had a long to the public," said Michael
1999 0.88
ranked airline and United was way to go. Wascom, a spokesman for the
Complaints, per 100,000 the lowest, with Delta third The Senate Commerce Air Transport Association, the
passengers from the top. United was Committee approved a bill this trade group for the major air­
ranked next to last this year. year to make the airlines' vol­ lines. "No one can argue that
2000 ~\i:f;~?;!fu1:~%r~411 2.98 untary consumer guidelines a we are not fulfilling our com·
"We're obviously pleased to legal contract with passengers; mitments."
1999 2.48
be recognized," Delta require airlines to disclose on­ In addition, airline industry
Mishandled bags, per 1,000 spokesman John Kennedy time performan.c_e of tJjghts
said. "It acKhowledges Delta's ' when customers1 buy tickets or ?fficials (ire e]{llected . to
2000 5.29
improvement in customer ser· make announce thIS week that volun­
1999 5.08 reservations; and tary service commitments will
vice. What we're doing ... is to require the industry to estab­ become part of the legal con­
On-time flights, by percent' focus our efforts on customers' lish a timetable for reducing tract with passengers begin­
2000 ,. '" ,",. , 72.6 needs in these critical service thenumbet offlights delayed at ning May 1; and a new task
1999 76.1
areas." least 30 minutes. Legislation force of airline, airport and
America West spokeswoman also has been introduced in the Federal Aviation
Quality of passenger service, Patty Nowack said the airline House. Administration representa­
by airline has dramatically improved ser­ The professors said they tives has been set up to develop
2000 1999 1998 vice since the end of 2000. believed Congress ultimately ways of providing timely and
Rank/airline rank rank "If the study was conducted would pass some legislation to accurate information about
L .DeJ.!? __.__ . _____ _~._.. ____4___ in the first quarter of 2001, you help airline passengers. delays and cancellations to pas­
2. Alaska 5 8 would see America West's per· "We cannot see many years sengers.
~·.~.·.·.·$.9..·~.thw..~.§f.·.·.·.·~.·.·..... -.·.~~:. .···
.....·. _.f:.~····-.~·.·~. . . .Q... ... formance going against the of continuous airline quality Industry officials have
~L _ll~Al~.gy? . ____.. _..€ L___..J..... trend," Ms. Nowack said. diminishing without some sort blamed the problem largely on
5. Northwest 4 9 "We've improved our on-time of regulatory action," said the
6. Arrierican·- --.. ·--y--- --3 ..
an air traffic system inade­
performance, have less mis­ report's other co-author, Brent quate to handle the sharp
· 't:'¢6ntr6~6taC ··::::: g . . . ...:2 ....
handled bags and fewer cus­ Bowen, director afthe aviation
§,,:IWf)__ ._ _. ____.__...~ ..... _ ..Z.__ growth in airline traffic.
9. United 10 10
tomer complaints." institute at the University of The number of passengers
·iO:·Ame·iICaWest' ·······-s·· ·· ·····6····· When Congress was consid­ Nebraska at Omaha. on U.S. airlines rose from 600
.. Of the 10 major carriers.
ering legislation in 1999, the Airline industry officials million in 1995 to 733 million in
airlines and the noted that the inspector gener­ 2000, the Federal Aviation
SOURCE: Compiled from AP wire reports. Transportation Department al in his February report cited Administration says.

Departure will leave key positions open in district

From Page lA Limestone College.

school, said Hugh Smith, the During his tenure, Crescent
district's interim superinten­ has gained a "school-within-a­
dent. school" for ninth-graders and a
"There are a lot of people Satur.dav SA 0 1 ~ h n ...