Russ Seifert's Maple View Farm has always been a favorite stop on the annual spring farm tour in Orange County, but the threat of foot and mouth disease has him playing it safe.
"Nobody told us to shut the farm down to visitors. We weren't ordered to do it or anything like that. It's just something we're doing as a precaution," he says.
The Foot and Mouth virus was first detected in Great Britain in February. It has since spread to Ireland, France and the Netherlands. The disease only effects cloven hoofed livestock, and it is generally not harmful to humans.
Seifert says he is prepared either way to lift the precautions or make them stricter.
"We're be stopping more than just the public. We'll probably have to put in some type of bath for the tires on the vehicles," he says.
Federal Emergency Management officials say it is "highly likely" the virus will enter the country.
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