AVIAN FLU

Going on 3 years, avian flu finds a way to frustrate

Michael Johnson — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT

With high pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks occurring regularly for more than three years in the upper Midwest, those involved in the day-to-day fight understand this is a long-term battle with no easy out.

It's tiring to deal with as it jumps from avian to mammals and back again — each time kicking concerns up a notch. Across the country, the virus has affected 168 million birds since February 2022.

“Influenza viruses are just frustrating,” South Dakota State Veterinarian Beth Thompson said. “To be honest. It doesn't matter if we're talking about swine influenza, other influenza, they're a smart virus, and they'll figure things out.”

What influenza figured out, or what is more visible through increased testing, is the jump to dairy herds, which was first reported in South Dakota in April 2024 and was last reported in one herd in Minnesota in March of this year. In the last year, the virus has spread from dairy cows to humans in more than half (41) of the 70 reported cases. The virus has so far shown minor symptoms in humans including pink eye.

The virus has also stayed active throughout the year, largely absent of the large populations of migratory flocks. Cases persisted in South Dakota and Minnesota well into January this year. And as flocks have now made a return to the northern Plains, South Dakota had their first reported spring case of avian flu in a commercial turkey flock on April 8, affecting about 33,400 birds.

On the plus side, cases were hitting South Dakota harder last spring than this spring. Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen noted in a Legislative hearing recently that with the disease hanging around so long, they have to celebrate any reprieve they can get. Minnesota's last reported detection in a commercial flock was Feb. 12, 2025.

While that’s promising, efforts continue to address the severity of the virus. A new federal administration and new leaders of federal organizations have brought change, but maintained a focus on biosecurity.

For example, on April 10, USDA announced $15.3 million in funding was being released to projects that enhance prevention, preparedness, early detection, and rapid response to the most damaging diseases that threaten U.S. livestock.

“These projects will provide producers, veterinarians, and states with tools to better control, treat, and recover from foreign animal disease outbreaks,” said Michael Watson, APHIS Administrator, in a news release.

The projects go beyond avian influenza specifically to control animal diseases in general. However, an award of $357,281 to the University of Minnesota is meant to study barn-to-barn spread of a type of avian flu, Influenza A virus.

Funding more specific to avian influenza control includes an announcement in February of $1 billion from USDA meant to protect the U.S. poultry industry. Of that amount, half is going towards biosecurity measures, including expanded Wildlife Biosecurity Assessments and biosecurity audits. The USDA will also share up to 75% of the costs to address biosecurity concerns.

That announcement shared that among the 150 facilities that follow the safety measures prescribed through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, only one has had an outbreak of avian influenza.

Within U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins’ approach to controlling the spread is a focus on stopping wildlife from entering the farm and introducing the virus. Farmers who do not have an active infection on their farm are able to receive free assessments of their property to identify problem areas, according to APHIS staff.

“Biosecurity is the most important thing people can do to protect their flocks against the disease,” Jeanine Cogan, a consultant with APHIS said during a webinar about the assessments.

To bolster that biosecurity, USDA is offering two opportunities: A wildlife assessment and a general assessment. Producers can request one or both of the assessments that take a closer look at everything entering and exiting a farm. As of April 17, 567 poultry biosecurity assessments were completed since Jan. 1, 2025. That includes 17 in Minnesota; 12 in South Dakota; two in North Dakota; and 78 in Iowa. Producers can email poultry.biosecurity@usda.gov or call 844-820-2234 to request the assessments.

Vaccine role

The February funding announcement sets aside $100 million towards innovations in vaccines, therapeutics and other strategies to reduce instances of depopulation.

Minnesota Board of Animal Health Assistant Director Shauna Voss said the board supports advocating for the development of vaccines that would be approved by the USDA and supports the proper use of those vaccines. But vaccines are tricky when it comes to international trade.

“It does have some significant trade implications, and so until those agreements are updated and our trading partners are supportive of what we're doing, it has been off the table,” Voss said.

Those implications arise because of trade agreements with some countries who do not want avian influenza entering their country. Vaccinated birds may not show signs of HPAI infection, which could lead to the export of infected live animals or virus-contaminated products to areas that have not reported the virus.

Regardless of how helpful vaccines may be in the fight, Thompson said they are not silver bullets. The fact that the virus remains entrenched in the wild bird population and that this virus can change maintains the hard truth that this appears to be a long-term concern on the industry and consumers.

Other ideas

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reportedly told Fox News in March that the virus devastation could be curbed by not depopulating flocks where an infection is detected, rather allowing the virus to run its course and identifying birds with a “genetic inclination for immunity.” He also shared his opposition to the use of vaccines on poultry, warning that it can turn "birds into mutant factories."

The notion brought an investigation from House Democrats, who want to know more about how Kennedy is responding to the threat.

House Letter by Michael Johnson on Scribd

"Allowing avian flu to ravage flocks across the country is dangerous and reckless, and is an approach unsupported by scientists, public health officials, and veterinarians," a group of five House Democrats wrote in a letter to Kennedy.

While scientists are always looking for better ways to deal with diseases, animal health experts in Minnesota and South Dakota agree that the method Kennedy is describing leads to a cruel death for those poultry flocks.

Despite significant staffing cuts at USDA, so far staff have continued to utilize standard procedures such as a “stamping out” approach, or depopulation in events of infection.

“The USDA will continue to evaluate with states, producers, and industry the potential use of HPAI vaccine. However, stamping-out of HPAI-infected poultry will always be part of any HPAI response policy, even if a protective vaccination strategy is implemented,” according to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service policy.

Depopulation aligns with their goal “to detect, control and contain avian influenza in poultry as quickly as possible.” Depopulation is considered more humane than allowing birds to succumb to the virus, according to Voss.

“It’s important to remember that this virus is nearly 100% fatal within domestic poultry. And so while allowing it to kind of do the burnout approach might sound like a good theory, it's actually fairly inhumane to the animals who have to go through that and succumb to the virus,” Voss said. “And so depopulation is one of the chosen methods.”

Allowing the virus to spread means more birds going through what “appears to be a pretty painful death,” Voss said.

“You know, the gasping for air. It is a systemic infection, and so it affects all the organs. And once we start to see the death and mortality rates kick up on a flock, it goes pretty quick through a flock. But letting those birds suffer through that is not really the most humane thing that we could be doing.”

Voss adds that depopulation is also a chosen method for its ability to stop the virus from hanging around long enough to mutate. So rather than vaccines causing the mutation, Voss said it's allowing a virus to run through a flock that can cause the mutations.

“By the time we allow a virus to circulate in a flock, it creates a mixing bowl of that virus,” Voss continued. “That virus continues to replicate, and it will mutate, and potentially yields a virus that's a little bit more difficult to contain. The more viruses out there and circulating through a flock, we also increase the risk of spread between farms.”

A topic that is being discussed — and one Minnesota animal health professionals may be open to — is limiting depopulation to the infected flock in one barn, while surrounding barns on the premises may be monitored rather than culled out of precaution.

“So I think there's some room for discussion in there about how we did this," Voss said.

Thompson agrees and is hopeful Kennedy has been spending time talking to those in the industry who have personally seen the disease at work in a poultry barn.

Another factor at work in 2025, is the fact that as more federal staff are let go, there are fewer to support state staff. Analyzing the abundance of data is one area Thompson feels needs attention.

“So for example, I'm hearing from a couple of states that have had a lot more both in the dairy and poultry detections, that they have a lot of good (epidemiological) information, but at this point in time, they're having struggles finding either folks from other agencies, you know, like the federal government, coming in and helping out with analyzing some of that data,” Thompson said. It’s an issue felt across the country at this time, she added.

Thompson is confident that her agency will have the funding and cooperative agreements needed to handle the expected cases in 2025. It’s the frustrating potential of this virus to jump to other species and present the unexpected that brings about more concern and more attention from each additional industry that's hit.

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Minnesota House Ag committee reaches compromise on $172 million ag budget bill

Michael Johnson — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 20:26:39 GMT

ST. PAUL — Both sides of the Minnesota House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee worked through the weekend in an effort to nail down a bill they then passed unanimously to the House Ways and Means committee on Wednesday, April 9.

Co-chair Rep. Rick Hansen, DFL-South St. Paul, said the agriculture committee was lucky that both the Republican and Democratic caucus leadership could agree on a budget target of $17 million over the current budget amount. The committee was able to come in at that amount.

“Hopefully, we can keep a positive target in conferencing with the Senate,” he said.

Hansen said the two parties were able to agree on items that included joint priorities. Co-chair Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, and Hansen repeatedly thanked staff and the committee members for working together to bring this bill forward.

“What we have today is a compromise between both sides, both parties and a lot of good things in the bill,” Anderson said.

All told, the House bill proposes a $172.29 million appropriation from the general fund that funds the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Board of Animal Health, Agriculture Utilization and Research Institute and broadband development.

House Budget 2446 by Michael Johnson on Scribd

Compared to governor’s ask

By comparison, Gov. Tim Walz’s budget proposal requests $157.3 million in general fund appropriations, a difference of about $15 million.

The House is seeking $147.9 million for the Department of Agriculture, while the governor proposed $133.3 million.

For the Board of Animal Health, the governor proposes $13.2 million and the House proposes $13.5 million.

The governor and House propose identical transfers of $4 million to the ag emergency account, which supports response to animal health emergencies such as avian influenza outbreaks.

Both the House and the governor propose cutting $300,000 appropriated for a Climate Implementation Coordinator. Other significant cuts include canceling $500,000 from the Dairy Assistance, Investment, Relief Initiative program and removal of $3 million from the green fertilizer program.

Some of the larger appropriations proposed include:

$3.1 million for fiscal years 2026-2027 for First District Association’s dairy processing wastewater assistance, a project in Litchfield. $2 million for Farm to �� and Early Care. $2 million for Local Food Purchasing Assistance program. $1.7 million for the state meat inspection program for fiscal years 2026-2027 and 2028-2029. $1.5 million for county ag inspectors. $1.217 million for biofertilizer innovation and efficiency for 2026-2027 and increasing to $2.1 million for 2028-2029. $560,000 added to elk crop damage compensation for 2026-2027 and 2028-2029 fiscal years.

Related to avian influenza and disease:

$4 million transfer from the general fund in fiscal year 2026 to the agricultural emergency account. $450,000 for poultry farmers to purchase lasers or devices to prevent infection.

In public testimony, Department of Ag commissioner Thom Petersen shared his support for what is in the bill but made note of some items that did not make it in, including provisions for his department's food licensing modernization and grain buyers and storage license fee updates.

The grain buyers and storage license fees have not seen updates in 20 years, Petersen said.

He said not supporting these fee increases or receiving general fund dollars will lead to a cut in services.

“We are going to see layoffs,” Petersen said. Those layoffs would lead to delays in services.

Laura Schreiber, Land Stewardship Project government relations director, shared appreciation for seeing the farmland down payment assistance grant increase from $15,000 to $20,000. She mentioned the desire to see the timeline for the use of that funding extended from six months to a year.

Derek Ellis, an urban farmer, also brought up that desire in his testimony. He shared how it would be helpful in securing land, which can often take significant time and resources.

Anderson made note of this request as one he would like to work on, and Hansen said he would be willing to work with Anderson on possible inclusion as this bill moves forward.

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Here’s what to expect at the 2025 Minnesota State Fair

Estelle Timar-Wilcox / MPR News — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 12:40:00 GMT

The Minnesota State Agricultural Society Board of Managers met Thursday morning to discuss plans for this year’s State Fair. The board is comprised of one representative from each of the agricultural society’s regional districts, and it acts as the State Fair’s governing body.

Reporter Estelle Timar-Wilcox has been following the planning process and shared with MPR what to expect this year.

There are about 5 months until the State Fair. What’s happening at the fairgrounds right now?

Staff and maintenance crews are just starting to come back to the fairgrounds in the next couple weeks to start getting the space ready. Their big project this summer is renovating the Lee and Rose Warner Coliseum. They’re replacing the roof, updating seating, doing some more renovations in there. Organizers say construction will pause during the fair so the building can be used as usual, and then they'll finish renovations after this year’s fair.

As far as food and entertainment, organizers say that’s mostly booked at this point. They’ve announced a few of the Grandstand acts. So far, that includes country band Old Dominion, Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls, Def Leppard and the Steve Miller Band.

Fair prices at the gate are going up this year. What do we know about that?

Prices are going up to $20; that’s up from $18 last year at the gate. You can get tickets online now for $17, if you want to keep it a little lower for yourself. Fair officials say it’s just gotten more expensive to run it. Security costs have doubled since 2019, and they’re also spending about $20 million on that Coliseum renovation, plus work on the 4-H building and some other maintenance projects.

Then outside the gates, there’s also some talk of increased parking costs. Thousands of people usually find free street parking nearby, but the city of Falcon Heights is considering charging this year. They’ve got a proposal on the table to charge $25 for a day. The city would partner with an e-meter company, so you'd use an app to pay the fee.

Falcon Heights says that could bring in up to $200,000 in city revenue to help offset costs that they incur from crowds and wear and tear on the roads. City Council members said last night, they’re still thinking about it, and they’ll meet again later this month.

What about poultry and dairy farmers? How are they managing avian flu? Any word on what impact that might have on the fair?

Fair officials are monitoring the situation. They said they’re collaborating with health experts to get some input, but they said they’ll hold off on making any final decisions. State Fair CEO Renee Alexander said they will monitor the situation over the summer and see what’s happening at county fairs.

'Last year, the fair decided to keep birthing cattle and calves out of the Miracle of Birth Center as a precaution, and they made that call in early August. Milking cows also needed to test negative before coming to the fair.

As things ramp up, as we get closer to the fair, what else are you watching?

We’ll get more announcements of Grandstand shows and free entertainment. And then the one that everybody’s always really excited for is that new foods list, which we’ll probably get in early July.

And if you just can’t wait until August, the fair is hosting its fifth annual kickoff event in May. That’s kind of a four-day mini run of the fair. They’ll have some performances, a limited selection of fair food. That’ll run May 22-25, and there are limited tickets available each day to keep the crowds down too. You can buy tickets online for $13, or $16 at the gate.

This story was originally published on MPRNews.org.

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Minnesota state leaders give update on ‘unified front’ in state’s bird flu containment

Noah Fish — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 19:34:03 GMT

ST. PAUL — Shortly after the Minnesota Board of Animal Health quarantined a Stearns County dairy herd after samples collected as part of the state’s milk surveillance plan tested positive for H5N1, a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, state leaders held a news conference to address avian flu.

Gov. Tim Walz took to the podium Wednesday at the Minnesota State Capitol with Minnesota’s Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, Minnesota State Veterinarian Brian Hoefs and the Minnesota Department of Health Senior Infectious Disease Epidemiologist Malia Ireland to discuss the state’s response.

Funding

Petersen said the state Legislature provided an ag emergency account of $4 million to help deal with avian influenza, and that account is down to between $1 million to $2 million, depending on how much money will be reimbursed by the USDA.

Included in the governor's budget proposal is an additional $4 million to help with surveillance, salaries for responders, equipment maintenance and depopulation, if needed. Walz added that he expects the USDA to be able to assist with indemnity compensation for depopulation.

"It's a tough time to be in agriculture right now, and it's tough in Minnesota where we've gone from droughts to floods, and we have avian influenza, and we have trade uncertainties that play a role in this," Walz said. "I think the one consistent piece of this is that our producers know, and the people of Minnesota know, there is a unified front around biosecurity and protection of our agricultural business and the health of Minnesotans that is still very strong."

Petersen remarked that three years ago Wednesday, the state had its first case of avian influenza for that year. Before that, cases were found in the state in the first weeks of spring in 2015. Petersen said the state is familiar with what to do in this situation from those experiences.

"Minnesota is very well prepared in dealing with this because of what we went through in 2022, when we had over 100 cases that spring," he said.

The virus has changed since then, he said, and the state needs to prepare for a deluge in cases to respond appropriately, even when there's not currently a case of avian influenza in poultry in the state.

"We declared Friday as being free of HPAI," Petersen said. "But we're watching the migration very closely. I live on a river, and my anxiety level goes very high when I see the swans and the geese and everything that are returning at this time."

Hoefs said declaring the state's poultry free of HPAI to this point is a "small victory" and to expect more cases to come this spring.

"We hold our breath knowing that it's short-lived and the migratory season is upon us. That's when we expect this virus to return, and we are right on the cusp of it," he said. "I'm hearing from my colleagues in some of our Southern states, central Midwestern states, that are talking about the invasion, I'll call it. So we are bracing ourselves, but we will enjoy a brief period of quiet."

Protecting state's dairy, poultry industries

"Minnesota is No. 1 in turkey production, and we're in the top 10 in dairy production, and so our issue is where a lot of our dairy cows are, a lot of our poultry is," Petersen said.

Hoefs said the state has tested nearly 90% of Minnesota's dairy herd and only ended up with one detection of avian influenza. He and Petersen emphasized that pasteurized milk and properly prepared meat are safe to consume.

"The USDA and the FDA have been testing that, and the routine surveillance has not found any danger to the public in pasteurized milk and properly cooked meat, too," he said. "We have tested almost 1,500 dairy farms in the last three weeks, and we've had the one positive sample, and we'll continue testing those," he added, referencing the Stearns County case.

Petersen said work among state agencies is crucial to stop any spread of avian influenza.

"That partnership piece is very critical between the Department of Health, the Board of Animal Health, the USDA, and the different agencies in Minnesota, whether that's Fish and Wildlife Service, veterinarian services, FSA, and then the University of Minnesota is also a very key partner in this," he said.

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Egg prices have gone up, but they're still a good deal

Ann Bailey — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 11:30:00 GMT

Eggs are one of the staple foods in our family’s diet, so I don’t have to read news reports to know that prices have soared.

The bird flu, which has resulted in the deaths of millions of chickens across the United States, has led to the record high prices. The prices range from about $5 per dozen to $15 per dozen, depending on where they’re purchased, what the chickens are fed and how the birds are raised.

Though the prices are higher than I’m used to, eggs are still a great deal, in my opinion, and I haven’t changed my buying habits. There are a couple dozen in my fridge now and when those get low, I’ll buy a couple more dozen.

I think that the egg price seems exorbitant because we are used to cheap eggs and want the price to be only a couple of dollars a dozen, like it was before the bird flu outbreak.

Our perception results in a knee jerk reaction, which is to bemoan the per dozen price increase, instead of analyzing the nutritional content and number of people who can be fed with a dozen eggs. Preparing a main meal for six people that costs $6 and provides them each 14 grams of protein is a bargain in my book.

Speaking of perception, how many of us treat ourselves to a $7 foofy coffee drink without blinking an eye? Even a brewed coffee at coffee shops is usually more than $2. Most of us don’t question that because our expectation is that we have to pay the price for our caffeine habit.

The amount of protein in eggs is one of the reasons that I eat them in some form once a week for dinner. I prepare egg salad sandwiches, omelets or make crepes with them. Sometimes I stir up some scrambled eggs or frittata with veggies, make egg sandwiches or English muffins or bagels or avocado toast with eggs.

Eggs have 7 grams of protein and I eat two of them for my meal, so I figure paying $1 (the dozen I bought were $6 per dozen) for 14 grams of protein is pretty cheap.

Even if I paid $15 a dozen, which would amount to $2.50 for two eggs, that's still not breaking the bank for those 14 grams of protein.

Another way I use eggs is in baking, and the price of eggs hasn’t dissuaded me from doing that, either, nor has it tempted me to use any of the egg substitute ideas that are floating around the Internet. I don’t like the taste of the subs, so if I bought them, that would be their sole use, unlike eggs, which I can use to make my meals.

Getting a flock of backyard chickens would not be a good way for me to get cheap eggs, either. I’ve been there and done that and have no desire to do it again.

In my personal experience a small flock of chickens was not a cost-effective endeavor, because by the time the cost of a chicken house, the straw for the bedding and the layer mash to feed them is calculated, I paid enough for many year’s supply of eggs. That doesn’t include the labor or cleaning the chicken house and feeding and watering them.

Instead of trying to find ways around the price of eggs, I’ll keep buying them, confident that they aren’t going to break the bank.

Ann Bailey lives on a farmstead near Larimore, N.D., that has been in her family since 1911. You can reach her at 218-779-8093 or anntbailey@gmail.com.]]>

Avian influenza confirmed at Crow Wing County poultry farm

Staff reports — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 16:47:55 GMT

BRAINERD — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry from samples taken at a Crow Wing County farm.

According to a news release from Crow Wing County, the site was quarantined and the 120 birds on the premises were depopulated to prevent the spread of the disease.

The first Minnesota cases of avian flu were identified in March 2022. The last time there was a case in Crow Wing County was May of 2022, and there was a recent case detected in Wadena County in January of 2025.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health, which leads the state response to avian influenza, highlights the perseverance of the virus to continue infecting flocks. The board strongly encourages producers to focus on their biosecurity, which is a series of proactive steps to reduce the risk of disease affecting their birds.

Flock owners large and small should consistently utilize biosecurity to manage the health of their birds. The University of Minnesota Extension maintains biosecurity resources for commercial and backyard flocks. For more information, visit extension.umn.edu/poultry/poultry-biosecurity.

Poultry producers and backyard flock owners should contact their veterinarian immediately if they see any signs or symptoms of disease in their flock:

Decrease in feed or water intake Swelling or purple discoloration of head, eyelids, comb, wattle and hocks Decrease in egg production Sudden, unexplained death Extreme depression Very quiet Difficulty breathing

Veterinarians who receive reports of clinical signs of avian influenza should call the Minnesota Avian Influenza Hotline at 1-833-454-0156 or submit a sick bird report online. If it is after hours or on the weekend, call the Minnesota duty officer at 1-800-422-0798.

Subsequent highly pathogenic avian influenza cases will be posted on the board’s website at bah.state.mn.us/report-sick-birds.

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Gov. Tim Walz approves $1.2 million to study bird flu in Minnesota

Mary Murphy — Mon, 06 Jan 2025 18:14:36 GMT

ST. PAUL — Lawmakers and wildlife experts have set aside $1.27 million in state funds to help monitor the highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as “bird flu,” in Minnesota wildlife.

Gov. Tim Walz approved funds ON Friday, Jan. 3, from the lottery-generated Environment and Natural Resources Fund for researchers at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine to study the flu. The funding proposal was made by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources, a bipartisan committee of 10 lawmakers and seven citizens who decide where the funds from the state’s Environment and Natural Resources are allocated.

A release from the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources said the University of Minnesota’s researchers will partner with the Humane Society and other organizations in the state to ramp up testing and better understand the threat of the bird flu beyond Minnesota's wild and domestic bird populations.

“Rapidly evolving threats like HPAI don't go on hiatus between funding cycles,” said Nancy Gibson, co-chair of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources. “We are grateful that the LCCMR can provide Minnesota's wildlife professionals with timely support ... that allows them to do what they do best — putting their expertise to work bolstering Minnesota's immune system against HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza).”

Project lead Dr. Arno Wuenschmann with the University of Minnesota called bird flu a “ticking time bomb” for animal and human health, according to the release. Previous outbreaks typically ended in months, but the current outbreak of bird flu is two years in and has spread beyond birds to domestic and wild mammals in Minnesota, including dairy cows, red foxes, black bears and domestic cats, as well as humans, the release said.

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Unwelcome holiday guests: RSV, flu and COVID-19 on the rise

Craig Helmstetter / MPR News — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 18:19:51 GMT

ST. PAUL — Some unwelcome guests may be coming to your holiday celebration: influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19.

While none have yet reached the levels seen at this time last year, they are all on the increase once again.

According to data released by the Minnesota Department of Health on Thursday, Dec. 19, 47 people were hospitalized due to influenza and 34 were admitted with RSV during the first week in December. This is the highest number of hospitalizations for the two seasonal respiratory illnesses so far this season, up from just 17 and 21 admissions, respectively, in the prior week.

The flu mainly impacts older adults. RSV is most prevalent among young children and babies but can also be dangerous for older adults.

Last year, the season started slightly earlier and peaked for both the week of Dec. 30, when 295 people were hospitalized with the flu and 215 were hospitalized with RSV.

COVID-19 is not necessarily seasonal but has tended to peak in early winter here in Minnesota. According to the health department’s latest data, COVID-19-related hospital admissions are currently much lower than they have been in each of the past four Decembers — but they are on the rise.

In the first week of December, 191 people, mainly age 75 or older, were hospitalized with COVID-19. This is a notable increase from the 124 admissions reported for the last week in November.

Additionally, according to the University of Minnesota, COVID-19 levels measured in testing at the state’s wastewater treatment facilities are also up: 11% in the past week and 119% compared to four weeks ago. Increases are even more dramatic in certain regions of the state.

And, as if the rise in flu, RSV and COVID-19 aren’t enough, the H5N1 “bird flu” continues to circulate among birds as well as dairy cattle nationwide, leading California to declare a state of emergency. As reported by NPR, the bird flu has now infected more than 60 people nationwide, mostly with minor infections. But two recent cases, in Louisiana and British Columbia, both led to hospitalization.

Health officials continue to encourage vaccinations to help prevent severe illnesses from influenza, RSV and COVID-19. And for anyone with respiratory illnesses to seek medical advice and to “stay home when you are sick and take precautions to prevent spread.”

This story was originally published on MPRNews.org
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Even in a year of H5N1, showcasing dairy is still a priority at Minnesota State Fair

Michael Johnson — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 19:25:31 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — Making it to the Minnesota State Fair with your family in tow can be a feat in and of itself. Imagine bringing along your family, 15 cows and two calves to stay for the full 12 days of the fair, plus two extra days in preparation of the start of the Great Get Together.

That was the task Kristen Reiman Duden was up for and one she called an honor Thursday, Aug. 22, on the first day of the fair. Reiman Duden was standing out in front of her cattle answering questions of the public in the cattle barn and took a few moments to chat with Agweek between having cows cycled through the milking parlor where each cow is milked in front of bleachers full of people on the other side of giant glass windows.

Reiman Duden shared that she’s a fourth-generation part of the farm, which is part of Brickton Genetics, where she and her husband Thomas own 40 registered Jersey and Holstein cattle near Princeton, Minnesota.

Every year, the Minnesota State Fair showcases a different breed as part of the parlor herd. This year the featured breed was Jersey. The Minnesota Jersey Cattle Association asked if anyone would like to be featured, and Reiman Duden stepped up to the plate.

“I always thought it would be cool that someday maybe we’d be able to feature our herd here,” Reiman Duden said.

To be featured at one of the biggest celebrations of dairy in the world is a rare opportunity.

“I love the Minnesota State Fair … I’m just really proud to be here and to showcase our cattle,” she said.

They brought 15 milk cows and two calves. A few of the cows they brought were from other nearby farms. They stretch out in front of the milking parlor area where hundreds of cows will be milked daily during the fair. On Thursday, that included more than 50 4-H cattle.

Reiman Duden said their cows come from their 40 milk cows that make up the Princeton farm that are part of Brickton Genetics. The business gets its name from the old town of Brickton, Minnesota, where bricks were once made from the clay-filled ground there. The farm has been operating since 1933.

Being on display for more than a million people during the fair can be a lot of pressure. It takes a group of cows that’s calm and used to the crowds.

“The fun thing is is most of these animals have all been shown by 4-Hers or FFA kids. So they’ve been leashed, they’ve been walked, they’ve been worked with. So that’s what we really pride ourselves that we have a really calm set of cattle.”

They are milked at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. daily. They will likely have other special appearances throughout the fair.

While the cows need to be pleasant and handle the milking schedule, Reiman Duden said the team of people caring for these animals are working around the clock to make sure they all look clean and orderly. They’ll be working here until the final milking on Labor Day at 4 p.m.

“It’s a huge honor, it’s a lot of work, but it is a labor of love,” Reiman Duden said.

She thanked friends and family for helping them get here and she thanked the many hands that were helping to make sure people’s questions were being answered around the clock about their herd and their passion.

Destined for greatness

The Jersey cows on display are known for their quality milk often used for making cheese. It just so happens that’s where all the milk coming out of the state fair is going this year, to First District Association in Litchfield, Minnesota.

Making sure it gets there was Chuck Godding, of Advanced Dairy LLC. Advanced Dairy is contracted to supply service and supplies necessary to keep the milk parlor operating each day of the fair. They took full responsibility of this service last year. He said the calibration of equipment and cleanliness are key as the Minnesota State Fair is a qualifying event for the World Dairy Expo.

“We do that as a dealership just because it looks better on their books to have it done by an authorized dealer, if anyone would complain about anything,” Godding, a voluntary milking systems specialist said. Every ounce of milk matters in this setting so precise milking matters.

Godding was at the fair on Thursday to watch his grandchildren show beef cattle and will return again next week to be on call as part of the DeLaval staff that handle any parlor issues that arise. He said the opportunity to have dairy cattle on display in front of such big crowds was a privilege that herdsmen should be proud of. The setting, literally surrounded by thousands of people at all hours of the day, is far from a rural setting most are used to. But bringing the agriculture to the crowds matters, Godding explained.

“I do like what you see in this barn here,” Godding said standing in front of the cattle barn. "This barn does a really good job of representing agriculture to the non-agricultural Minnesotan.”

As he sat with his grandkids and their cattle he watched them walk up to people and ask if they would like to pet the cattle or answer any questions.

“I think those little things are really important so that agriculture can be in a positive light. Because these kids that are involved in agriculture, they work hard,” Godding said.

With many kids starting the day at 5 a.m. and continuing until the fair closes at night, their work is on full display. From catching cow manure with buckets to maintaining a clean setting to answering questions that run the gamut.

During the fair there will be upwards of 400 dairy cows milked. Godding estimated numbers were down somewhat due to the H5N1 virus. There have been up to 650 cows milked during the fair.

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Minnesota dairy cow exhibitors scurry to get cows tested before show time

Michael Johnson — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 19:38:59 GMT

WADENA, Minn. — The Wadena County Fair kicked off on Wednesday, June 19, and Kami Hoemberg was as busy as ever trying to get her show animals checked in and ready for a few days of work and play.

She’s an expert at showing livestock at age 15 because she’s been doing this since she was 4. But a bit of a wrench was thrown into the mix this year.

Kami found out on June 13 that in order to show her prized milk cow, Heather, she’d have to quickly find a vet, who would have to take a milk test, deliver it to a lab and get a negative H5N1 test back before she could trailer her cow into the fairgrounds six busy days later.

The requirement came through from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health in an effort to limit the spread of the H5N1 virus among dairy cows and was effective June 18. Per the requirement, all lactating (currently producing milk) dairy cows must have both a negative H5N1 test result and a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection to attend any exhibition in Minnesota. The virus has been reported in 102 dairy herds across 12 states since late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Three dairy farm workers have also contracted the virus.

“While H5N1 influenza in dairy cases are still being studied across the country, initial insights show milk and the udders are a hotspot for influenza virus on infected cows, which makes showing lactating dairy at events a higher risk,” said Senior Veterinarian of Cattle Programs Dr. Katie Cornille in a news release. “Requiring a negative test before an exhibition reduces that risk.”

University of Minnesota Extension educator for Wadena County Kim Dailey works with the 4-H families closely, and as soon as she was notified of the new requirement she began making calls to the nine dairy families planning to show at the fair the following week. Wadena County is one of just three counties in the state having their fairs the same week that the new requirement went into effect. Others include Morrison and Norman counties.

Kami’s cow, Heather, comes from Amy and Ryan Roller’s farm, Red Root Holsteins, near Hewitt, Minnesota. Kami is their niece. The Rollers considered having their kids show a milk cow, but with the tight turnaround for testing, they opted out this year.

Brittani Oyster, Bertha-Hewitt �� ag teacher and a mother of 4-H youths, said their family wasn’t planning on bringing a milk cow to show this year either. They made that decision prior to new requirements coming into place. The Oyster family recently returned from the 2024 Minnesota State Holstein Show June 11-15 at the Stearns County Fairgrounds in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Oyster noted a significant decrease in dairy showings this year. She attributes that to the concerns over the H5N1 virus.

“There were definitely a lot of people that did not bring their cows for that fear,” Oyster said.

Dailey was hopeful that all families would be able to get testing done in time for showing but also had her concerns knowing how hard the youth had prepared for the fair. Normally, animals are to be checked in on Wednesday, but exhibitors were given a variance that as long as they had a negative test prior to 9 a.m. on Friday, they could still get in.

“Our only issue this week is going to be the timing. We just have such a quick turnaround,” Dailey said. Dailey was told it takes 12-36 hours to get test results back. "I'm optimistic, that's all I can be."

Hoemberg said one of the big concerns for her when she heard about the requirement was making sure they could get a veterinarian to visit quickly. They had one over the next morning to administer the test. Confirmation of a negative test didn't come until Wednesday morning after Cami had done all her trimming and prep work to make sure Heather was ready for showing.

The negative test was expected, yet a relief, as Kami had to work quickly to get all her animals in a row. She’ll be at center stage at 9 a.m. Friday for the dairy show, showing Heather for the third time, and showing livestock for the 11th year in a row.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health reported that H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was confirmed in a Benton County dairy herd on June 6. It was the first positive test in Minnesota. The Board asks dairy farmers to closely monitor their herd and contact their veterinarian immediately if cows appear sick. The Board reports any new detections and updates on cow cases in Minnesota on its website.

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