Needful Provision, Inc. Tel. 1-918-868-5710
P.O. Box 1595 Fax 1-918-868-5709
Tahlequah, OK 74465 USA Email: npiinc2000@aol.com
EIN: 85-0433956 DUNS: 07-853-9710
05 June 2006
USDA/ RMA Risk Management Research Partnerships (CFDA No. 10.456)
Application Due: 08 June 2006 for Non-Insurance Risk Management
Tools
Project Title: “Solar-Powered, Biosecure, Low-Cost Poultry
House” (12-mo. project)
Summary: As presented on Form RD-1 (the first page). Budget:
$359,000.00
Focus: Prevention of Disease & Terrorism Losses Research
Location: Oklahoma
I. Objective(s): To work with USDA/ RMA in the development of
non-insurance risk management tools for use by agricultural
producers in mitigating risks inherent in any type of agricultural
production. More specifically, the main objective for subject
biosecure poultry housing project is to achieve this result
for U.S. poultry producers confronted with the real possibility
of major economic losses, if not total financial destruction,
due to diseases and/or terrorism. At the same time, supplemental
objectives include: 1) Development of low-cost, biosecure poultry
houses (and/or livestock barns) that are solar heated/ solar
cooled; 2) Energy conservation; 3) Creation of the means to
end problems of manure odors, and indoor poultry dust; and 4)
Incorporation of technologies that will easily, efficiently,
and economically recover & recycle poultry/ livestock manure,
and litter, to reduce environmental pollution. (The supplemental
features generally act to increase the economy, efficiency,
and effectiveness of subject risk management tool.)
II. Specific Risk Addressed: The H5N1 flu virus (bird flu)
is the worst flu virus ever known to man, according to Dr. Robert
G. Webster, a virologist at St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Infected wild birds are spreading
this virus to domestic poultry flocks, worldwide, from early
outbreaks in Asia. So far, the human cases of bird flu have
been linked to direct contact with infected poultry or other
birds. It is know that H5N1 is mutating, and Webster estimates
that it will take about 10 more mutations before bird flu begins
spreading from human to human. There are few if any effective
vaccines to provide bird or human protection from bird flu.
According to the “2006 U.S. Poultry Industry Outlook,”
by Dr. John C. McKissick, University of Georgia, U.S. poultry
products (for 2006) should total: 1) 36,325,000,000 lbs. of
broilers, 5,535,000,000 lbs. of turkeys, and 7,635,000,000 doz.
eggs. Thus, a bird flu pandemic could result in billions of
dollars in losses for U.S. producers due to the death of birds,
and the resulting public fear of poultry/ poultry products.
Other yet to be discovered diseases, and/or bioterrorist attacks
could cause similar damages.
III. Non-Insurance Risk Management Tool Proposed: Subject tool, based on a low-cost poultry house (40 ft. x 200 ft.), is a pony-wall arched structure formed by 14 guage steel tubing (w/ 4 ft. rafter spacing), with a 12.5 oz. grey covering, and end-walls, made from a sealed 2-layer fabric ---w/ 15 year warranty (manufactured by FarmTek). Said house has a 16 ft. wide skylight, and double-fabric ceiling (w/ insulation between) to form a solar attic where air is heated on cold winter days. The heated attic air is moved via two air tubes, running between two water-walls forming a divider wall running floor to ceiling, down the center of said house. These tubes allow air to exit on one end of the attic, and then enter the attic again at the opposite end. Photovoltaic-powered tube-fans force the air through these tubes, so heat from the hot air is transferred to the water-walls. On hot summer days, heated attic air is vented to the outside. To help prevent excess attic heating (in summer), a silver fabric may be used to cover the skylight and reflect heat away. (See Attachment I).
In addition to the above features, subject poultry house is
totally sealed with no openings other than air-lock entry-doors
to prevent any entry of outside air. Incoming fresh air is filtered
via means of a particle filter & Hepa filter. Thereafter,
a combination water and UV filter kills any bacterium or viruses.
The stale internal air, w/ poultry dust, is exhausted through
a special filter that collects dust and prevents any entry of
unfiltered outside air. These air control features provide near
total biosecurity, and provide protection from diseases and/or
most types of bioterrorist attack. Since the house is sealed,
a probiotic feed additive will be used for odor illumination.
Poultry manure, and old litter, will be recovered & recycled
using a very innovative system to make manure effluent “tea,”
for plant production, plus composting of the solids (for fertilizer
use). Since the sealed house must be cooled on hot days, use
of eight solar adsorption-desorption refrigerator/ freezers
operating on zeolite clay (see Attachment II). The entire house
is computer controlled so that light, temperature, and other
environmental features are automatically adjusted to optimize
poultry production.
IV. Applicant Organization: Needful Provision, Inc. (NPI), a
distinguished 501(c)(3) charity (founded in 1995), is skilled
in research, development, demonstration, teaching, and commercialization
of innovative self-help technologies designed to assist the
poor as well as agricultural producers. NPI’s founder
and President, David A. Nuttle, has donated 63 of his self-help
inventions to NPI ---and this includes the subject inventions.
Nuttle will be the Project Director (PD) for subject effort.
At the present time, NPI is in the process of commercializing
several of its self-help inventions using affiliated social
enterprises. In the case of subject innovations, commercial
licensee(s) will assist with the commercial development, while
planning to manufacture, market, and service this very unique
and effective biosecure poultry house. (Commercial licensees
are as shown in the attachments hereto.)
V. Applicant Activities: NPI/ NPI’s PD will be responsible
for the following:
a) In cooperation with RMA, finalize a partnership agreement
---
b) Develop plans (in cooperation w/ RMA & commercial licensees)
to manufacture, market, administer, maintain or service, and
update subject non-insurance risk management tool. (See Attachments
for details on said risk management tool.)
c) Describe the non-financial benefits such as national public
health and safety along with expansion of NPI’s non-insurance
risk management tools for agricultural producers, worldwide.
(RMA will have a substantial involvement in helping to create
these benefits.)
d) Implement, coordinate, manage, and document the timely completion
of approved research and development activities described in
a Work Plan shown hereinafter.
e) Abide by the plans and provisions contained in the partnership
agreement to be developed with RMA cooperation.
f) Report on program performance in accordance with said partnership
agreement.
g) As required, make a presentation to the FCIC Board of Directors.
h) Adhere to RMA guidelines for systems and information technology
development.
VI. RMA Activities: During the performance of the funded activity,
RMA shall be substantially involved as described below ---
a) Collaborate on the research plan outlined herein.
b) Assist/ approve selection of subcontractors and project staff
to assist NPI’s PD.
c) Review and approve critical stages of project development
before they start.
d) Provide assistance in management and/or technical performance
of the project.
e) Collaborate on any publications, presentations of results,
and distribution (or any marketing) of the subject non-insurance
risk management tool.
f) Assist in the collection of data and information available
in RMA databases.
g) Collaborate with NPI in the development of a proposal to
administer, maintain, and update subject non-insurance risk
management tool in the future.
h) Other activities as appropriate and in support of subject
effort.
VII. Commercial Licensee(s) Activities: With support from NPI’s PD, licensees will select the best materials & manufacturing procedures (for subject biosecure poultry house), and then construct one such poultry house for field testing. At the same time, licensees will write a plan for the commercial manufacturing, marketing, and service of subject innovation. (Basic poultry house components will be purchased from FarmTek.)
VIII. Poultry Partners Activities: Poultry Partners, Inc., an association of nearly 400 poultry farmers in NE Oklahoma, will nominate three members who will closely monitor subject innovation, and the poultry produced therein. These farmers will make their own individual reports regarding the observed failures and/or successes for subject biosecure poultry house. (It will generally be farmers who convince other farmers that subject innovation provides effective risk management.)
IX. Benefits Analysis: Since the H5N1 (bird flu) virus is known to mutate, vaccines are expected to offer little real protection. However, the subject invention can keep many infected wild birds from infecting poultry populations ---and thereby dramatically reduce rates of bird flu for poultry and human populations in the U.S., as well as overseas. It is therefore estimated that economic benefits, for subject invention, could exceed $9 billion. Even with a 90 percent error in our estimates, the economic benefit would still be nearly $1 billion. In terms of non-financial benefits, over 19 million of the estimated 20 million bird flu victims (during any U.S. bird flu pandemic) could be prevented from dying using the biosecure poultry house herein described. There are also many other non-financial benefits. NPI’s greatest non-financial benefit will be the increased capacity to help reduce production risks for farmers/ producers of priority livestock commodities. Given the real threat of yet to be discovered diseases, as well as the threat of bioterrorism, said benefits could be multiplied many times over, more than one time.
X. Work Plan(s): To accomplish all the above, in a 12-month period, NPI’s Project Director (PD) will undertake work as outlined below ------ and explained on Form RD-2 presented herewith:
1) Collaborate with RMA in the completion of RMA contributions
to subject project (as listed in paragraph VI above).
2) Undertake NPI’s project work as indicated in paragraph V above.
3) Review recent literature, patents, and patents pending to
assure that subject invention offers the very best options for
biosecure poultry housing. Then, if later required, update the
subject invention and associated patents/ patents pending.
4) Assist commercial licensees as regards selection and testing of appropriate materials as well as manufacturing processes to initially produce one prototype of said biosecure poultry house --- and then to prepare for commercial production, marketing, service, and possible later update, of this house, once proven effective.
5) Coordinate with Poultry Partners in the selection of three NE Oklahoma poultry farms who will observe the performance of said poultry house, as well as performance of the poultry operation therein.
6) Collect data, and video surveillance information, for analysis in determining the sustained (long-term) effectiveness of subject biosecure poultry house..
7) Report research results to RMA, and make recommendations on commercialization of said biosecure poultry house.
8) Expand and/or improve the current U.S. Patent No. 4,552,212 (dated 12 November 1985), and apply for a new patent by David A. Nuttle ---the original solar attic inventor and PD. Said patent work being for the purpose of improving the commercial potential for the subject biosecure poultry house. Other features of subject poultry house are now protected by patents pending and/or Trade Secrets. (Technologies held as Trade Secrets, by the inventor, will be added to new patent applications.)
9) Complete a licensing agreement, with commercial licensees, for the commercial use of subject technology in a manner that will make it easily available and very affordable for poultry and/or livestock producers.
10) Inform poultry farmers, and the public, about the availability and benefits of the biosecure poultry housing system developed to help deter a bird flu pandemic, while also offering protection against other harmful diseases as well as bioterrorism threats.
XI. Budget & Budget Narrative: Attached hereto showing uses and justification for the $359,000.00 in expenditures for a 12-month project as herein detailed. (High initial costs are generally attributed to design, engineering, & prototyping requirements.)
XII. Matching Requirement: RME has no requirement for NPI to
match or partly match their funds provided. For this reason,
NPI has not determined the in-kind value of the technology provided
(U.S. Patent No. 4,552,212, patents pending, and/or associated
Trade Secrets).
XIII. Key Personnel: David A. Nuttle, PD, has a BS degree in agriculture, plus over four decades of agricultural development work in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and the U.S. Nuttle is the founder and President of NPI. The subject biosecure poultry house innovation, and 62 other unique agriculture related technologies were all invented by Nuttle. During his youth, Nuttle was FFA State Farmer, and National 4-H Field Crop Champion, while farming with his father, Charles A. Nuttle. During the last two years, Nuttle has been assisting 580 Hmong (Asian) poultry farmers in the Ozarks (NE Oklahoma, NW Arkansas, and SW Missouri). Nuttle is a published author, and recently has been updating his “Universal Survival Handbook” used extensively by a number of individuals, military forces, and aid organizations. Due to recent work for NPI, Nuttle has become very familiar with the problems faced by poultry farmers ---to include the problem of greatly increased biosecurity to help protect against a bird flu pandemic. (Subject bird repelling device is considered as a type of biosecurity system for all types of diseases as well as bioterrorism.)
Charles A. Gourd, PhD., NPI’s Technology Transfer Specialist, will be working with Nuttle in support of project objectives. In addition, Dr. Gourd shall develop a program to help transfer subject technology to poultry farmers. Dr. Gourd previously worked with the Cherokee Nation, the Organization for American States, and the United Nations on technology transfer programs for rural and tribal populations. This prior experience will be very helpful since many of the local poultry farmers are Native Americans or minorities such as the Hmong. Dr. Gourd will also provide a back-up for NPI’s Project Director (PD).
XIV. Options to Defend Against Bird Flu & Bioterrorism:
A national pandemic
flu response program is now under development. Vaccines are
not expected to be very effective due to known capability of
the H5N1 (bird flu) to mutate. Since spread of this virus occurs
via wild bird populations, the virus cannot be stopped. After
10 mutations, if the virus spreads from humans to humans as
predicted, the quarantine of infected populations will provide
some help in reducing the numbers of people infected. Tamiflu
and/or respirator masks offer only very limited protection.
Infected poultry populations would need to be destroyed in a
safe manner. Biosecure poultry houses could be used to better
isolate poultry populations, and that what this project seeks
to help accomplish. As American poultry farmers begin to utilize
such biosecure poultry housing, protection against other diseases
---and protection against bioterrorism--- will be greatly improved.
XV. Alternative Biosecurity Means: Bioterrorism, against agricultural targets, will typically utilize some type of delivery agent, such as wild birds in the case of bird flu. In a related project, NPI is developing a bird repelling system that uses multiple threats that cover a wide area, and threats may be easily varied ---as in the case of flute discs used, used on subject invention, along with a wind driven flute, designed to panic wild birds (see Exhibit A). Such techniques are considered an alternative biosecurity means. No alternative biosecurity means, other than bird repelling, is known to be really effective.
XVI. Possible Negative Factor: Part of the evaluation needs
to be determining if there are any negative consequences as
regards poultry reared in a sealed type of environment. (Poultry
farmers would not be likely to purchase and use any system that
could dramatically lower poultry production.) Poultry companies
are expected to be slow in helping growers convert from old
housing systems to the subject biosecure poultry house. Most
contract growers will not the financial resources to quickly
make
a change to biosecure housing. Employment of subject risk management
tool is thus expected to be gradual. (Given the long-term nature
of disease and bioterrorism threats, a gradual solution is far
better than no solution.)
XVII. Evaluation Techniques: Camera surveillance will be the
primary means to determine the before and after behavior of
poultry populations in biosecure houses where birds live under
very controlled conditions. Records on the production and behavior
of poultry, living in biosecure housing, will also be maintained
in order to document any negative consequences for the poultry.
XVIII. Possible Consequences of Not Conducting the Research: A failure to test, and then employ subject innovation (if proven successful), could result in billion dollar losses to the poultry industry ---and loss of several million Americans due to death from the bird flu, other diseases, and/or bioterrorism hazards. The threat presented is real, and documented by scientific evidence.
XIX. Attachments: As listed in the Table of Contents, presented herewith.
XX. Request for Approval: USDA/ RMA is hereby requested to approve and fund this project to develop a non-insurance risk management tool to mitigate damages from bird flu (the H5N1 virus), unknown disease threats, and/or bioterrorism.
Submitted by: David A. Nuttle
President & PD
EXHIBIT A
AN ALTERNATIVE NON-INSURANCE RISK MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR BIRD
FLU (NPI’s Supplement to Subject Biosecure Housing ---a
Separate NPI Project.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Patent No. 4,656,770 entitled “Bird Repelling Means,”
by David A. Nuttle,
(dated 14 April 1987) Inventor
(2006 Expanded and Updated Patent Pending, by subject inventor.)
Abstract
This invention is a combination of visual and aural devices
to create panic in selected bird species. This is accomplished
in part through a body simulating a Tiger Cat which is weathervane
mounted. The body includes bright orange stripes and has predatory
eyes. Streamers depicting panicked birds are attached to the
tiger’s tail, and an internal wind driven flute produces
a variety of noises. Additionally, reflectors are used on the
propeller shaft to simulate light reflection from a gun barrel.
Further, random or scheduled explosions, from an automatic acetylene
exploder, and bird warning and distress calls are broadcast
over loud speakers for the species of birds being repelled.
--------------------
N.B. Easily changeable flute discs are used to program the frequency
and types of noises produced by the wind flute. As an option,
the wind flute can also be operated by a small 12-volt electric
motor, powered by a small photovoltaic panel. The invention
comes with several discs, each with different types of sound
programs, and these may be used to constantly vary sounds presenting
a major threat to birds.
Advantages
The presentation of multiple, variable, and sustained threats ---to selected wild bird species--- provides effective, long-term, repelling of birds over a large area.
Disadvantages
Cost of the device is too high for short-term bird repelling
requirements. Noise factors will deter use of this invention
in or near urban areas. In some cases, use
of this device may have a negative impact on a few species of
domestic birds.
Suggested Uses
As indicated above, the suggested primary use is to help keep wild birds, infected with bird flu, away from poultry flocks/ houses. Other uses include keeping wild birds away from airports and large commercial gardens and orchards, as well as repelling birds away from the production areas for priority commodities.
--------------------------
N.B. Inventions for subject proposal are shown as attachments.
The above Exhibit is to show a possible supplement to subject
biosecure poultry housing.