• Use optimal procedures for harvesting, handling, and storage of all crops.
• Make sure that feed bunks and storage areas are inaccessible to rodents, birds, dogs, cats, and other wildlife.

Photo: Louis Bedor III

• Check for and dispose of moldy or spoiled material in silos, bunks, and bins. Upright silos need to be emptied to thoroughly clean.
• Bags of feed or feed ingredients should be stored off the floor (e.g. on pallets).
• Opened bags should be placed in or emptied into barrels with tight lids.
• Use steel feed bins rather than open-front commodity shed bays to reduce shrinkage (i.e., loss to wind, rodents, or birds) and prevent contamination.
• Clean in and around storage areas between batches of feed.
• Rotate inventory to limit the amount of pathogens in stored feeds.
• Keep covers on barrels and bins; make sure water is not getting into storage areas.
• Address any moisture problems periodically. Ensure that the storage environment is appropriate for feed.
• Protect all feeding areas from animal carcasses and manure.
• Follow optimal feed management practices.
• Use smooth feeding bunks to minimize the surface area that could be colonized by pathogens.
• Dispose of feed refusals if not eaten within 24 hours. Do not feed refusals from adult animals to youngstock. This is an important Johne's disease control measure.

Photo: Julie Smith, DVM, Ph.D

Water quality and trough management

• Clean water troughs, buckets, or cups daily or weekly. Replace with ones that are easier to clean if this is a bottleneck.
• Disinfect waterers at least twice a year.
• Protect all water sources from animal carcasses and manure.
• Make sure a regular cleaning schedule of water troughs and tanks is being followed.