Livestock and Crops

If an accident at a nuclear facility were to result in a release of radioactive material, your county emergency management agency or agricultural extension agent would provide you with information on how to protect your livestock and crops. Throughout the emergency, your local radio stations would provide the most current information.

To protect your livestock:

• Take care of milk-producing livestock first.
• Remove grazing animals from pasture and put them in a barn or other shelter, if possible.
• Cover supplies of feed and water (i.e., cisterns), if possible.
• Use only stored feed when available.
• If you must evacuate, provide plenty of food and water for your animals. Make sure shelters are well ventilated during hot weather. Farmers would have the opportunity to return to their farms for livestock care under the supervision of county emergency workers.

To protect your crops:

• Unharvested crops are hard to protect. If time and weather conditions permit, normal harvesting and processing might still be possible. Do not attempt to harvest or process crops when protective actions, such as sheltering or evacuation, have been advised for you and your family.
• Cover harvested crops, if possible, or store inside.
• Wash, scrub, peel, or shell fresh vegetables and fruits before eating.
• Do not process or distribute agricultural products until they have been sampled by government officials and found to be free of contamination.
• Your county or state emergency management agency or agricultural extension agent has additional information. The United States Department of Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency publishes a brochure entitled "Radiological Emergency Information for Farmers, Food Processors, and Distributors." (These brochures are available at your local Emergency Management Agency.)