DAIRY

Are nanobubbles the solution to dairy wastewater efficiency?

Ariana Schumacher — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT

BROOKINGS, S.D. — Nanobubbles may be the answer to dairy wastewater treatment issues.

These gas bubbles are not visible to the human eye, but they work in a powerful way to improve the quality of the wastewater that is discharged from dairy manufacturing plants. Nanobubbles are tiny pockets of gas, like oxygen or air, suspended in a liquid. They can be formed naturally in crashing waves or waterfalls or can be created through nanobubble generators.

Nanobubbles, which are 2,500 times smaller than a grain of salt, have been utilized in a wide variety of ways in different industries for the past few years.

As dairy manufacturing grows, so does their effluent — or liquid waste discharge — treatment plant issues. A lot of companies don’t have the scale to increase their waste treatment at the same scale that they are increasing production.

Maneesha Mohan, South Dakota State University’s Alfred Chair in Dairy Manufacturing and an associate professor in the Department of Dairy and Food Science, has been researching nanobubbles in different industries for many years. Thanks to funding from the South Dakota Water Resources Institute, Mohan has been able to research the application of nanobubble technology in dairy wastewater treatment.

Nanobubbles are not like normal gas bubbles, Mohan explained. Nanobubbles are so small that they can stay stable within a liquid system for extended periods of time.

“Even days to a few months,” she said. “So basically, we can make them stay there for a while and interact with whatever is there in the liquid system for a longer period of time.”

In dairy effluent treatment, the high levels of organic acid, minerals and other matter makes it hard to be treated.

“There will be a lot of organic solids in your effluent and a lot of the cleaning minerals, acids and alkali that actually makes it very hard to handle the effluent,” Mohan said.

Dairy processing plants are often making multiple products, which means they have huge fluctuations in the amounts of organic matter and wastewater that they have. Sometimes, these processing facilities don’t have time to handle the waste, and they must hire someone to haul it away, which is expensive.

Dairy wastewater, if not properly cleaned, also becomes an environmental problem because it is discharged into bodies of water.

“It will affect whatever aquatic life and any other, you know, plants and animals that are surrounding these water bodies as well,” Mohan said.

Of course, the plants have to meet EPA standards, Mohan said, but it’s better to keep the nitrates, phosphates and all organic matter much below those levels.

By using nanobubbles, they are able to improve the efficacy of water treatment. The nanobubbles interact with the organic matter and minerals.

“They break it down and oxidize it, so basically, the effluent treatment plant can more efficiently handle all the effluent that the dairy processing plant is producing,” Mohan said.

There has been a lot of industry interest in this research, Mohan said. Valley Queen Cheese in Milbank, South Dakota, has been an industry collaborator in Mohan’s research. The company installed a nanobubble generator. They were able to test the efficacy of the nanobubble generator in the company’s effluent plant.

“It actually improves the efficacy quite a bit,” Mohan said.

There has been a 15 to 20% decrease in volume of biology oxygen demand and chemical oxygen demand after using the nanobubbles. Using air is a relatively inexpensive way to get this level of improved efficacy. It is also a more sustainable solution rather than hauling the wastewater away.

“Which is significant thinking that nanobubbles are pretty environment friendly because for that project we only used air as nanobubbles,” Mohan said. “We can use a number of gases, but it’s much more cheaper to use air.”

This technology is very new, but Mohan says she anticipates other dairy companies will start utilizing nanobubbles in the effluent plants in the future. She says they need more studies researching nanobubbles as well.

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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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Midwest Dairy partners with pizza companies to boost milk sales by over 3 million pounds

Ariana Schumacher — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 13:00:00 GMT

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — When you think of pizza, there is one key ingredient that makes it on the meal almost every time: cheese.

Midwest Dairy has been partnering with pizza chains around the region, including Pizza Ranch, Godfather’s Pizza and Marco’s Pizza. These pizza partnerships increased milk sales by 3,465,440 pounds of milk in 2024.

“Pizza is a great carrier of cheese, right? Cheese is a wonderful use of milk. Ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. So, it’s a great opportunity for our dairy farmers to sell more milk on the market” said Martha Kemper, Vice President of Dairy Experience-Business Development at Midwest Dairy. “As we can provide a delicious experience to consumers with that product, it’s what we would consider a win-win.”

When partnering with the companies, Midwest Dairy finds out what their needs are and what their key objectives to their new business model or products are.

“Once we can find alignment, that’s where we find our sweet spot,” Kemper said. “Really, the engagement has been around sales and promotion of dairy. It’s been around supporting them in their research and development. It’s been around developing some of these limited time offers and also around the sales and promotion, so helping them with some creative assets that appeal to consumers.”

Midwest Dairy started this partnership program with Pizza Ranch first in 2020.

“We take a consultative selling approach with our partners. You know, are there any opportunities for us to align? Is there a way that we can help them with maybe some key objectives that they have that we can help solve,” Kemper said.

Pizza Ranch, being primarily a buffet restaurant, needed help creating a better pickup option for their pizza during the pandemic, something that Midwest Dairy was able to help them establish.

“We were able to help them with that pivot and successfully launch a pickup process for their pizzas, and we’ve had a wonderful partnership since,” Kemper said.

Pizza provides a lot of ways to create innovative products to get dairy to consumers.

“In fact, think about our partnership with Marco’s Pizza. We actually helped amplify their promotion of new fiery flavor menu items. The basis of that fiery flavor was a Carolina Reaper cheese,” Kemper said. “If it sounds hot, it is. And that’s what was on trend, what consumers were looking for and a great differentiator for Marco’s Pizza.”

With this project, Midwest Dairy helped Marco’s Pizza with their in-store point of sale materials to promote the new product to consumers.

“It was a very successful what we consider an LTO, limited time offer, for them,” Kemper said.

Through this partnership, both the dairy industry and the pizza companies have been pleased with the results.

“One is our dairy farmer funders. I think they’ve been very pleased with the results and that we can demonstrate that there is incremental growth in this very already developed category,” Kemper said. “And I think our partners have been thrilled with our partnerships and that we bring some of that unique ideation as well as some additional promotional dollars that maybe they hadn’t budgeted for. So, we’re able to amplify the promotion for better results in the long run.”

As money is a growing concern for consumers, dairy plays a key role in getting them good food at affordable prices, Kemper said.

“I think dairy right now is in the right place at the right time,” she said. “As people are scrutinizing their wallet and their choices and still trying to provide the opportunity to eat out as well as eat in, I think there’s a great opportunity to engage with consumers on again, not only the value of cheese and dairy, but, you know, also the essential nutrition that dairy offers.”

Kemper said there is unlimited ways this partnership could continue to grow.

“I think you’re going to continue to see innovation in this space and I think as inflationary pressures continue to take hold, consumers are looking for a good value for their dollar, yet they don’t want to give up on the taste,” she said. “So, there’s been a lot of really great meal deals out there in this pizza space, and I really see that we’ll continue to have some engagements especially around innovation in this space with our pizza partners.”

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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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Stearns County dairy quarantined after positive test for avian influenza

Staff reports — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 19:15:40 GMT

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Board of Animal Health has quarantined a Stearns County, Minnesota, dairy herd after samples collected as part of Minnesota's milk surveillance plan tested positive for H5N1, a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the results Friday, March 21.

The herd will be quarantined until testing indicates the milk is no longer infected. Dairy farms are always required to dispose of milk from sick animals to remove it from the milk supply. In addition to disposing of milk from sick cows and isolating them, the quarantine also requires the farm to have three consecutive negative milk tests to be released from quarantine.

“While under quarantine, the herd will be able to apply for movement permits for animals and animal products such as waste milk and manure. Milk sold for pasteurization does not need a permit and is allowed to go to processing to facilitate business while keeping the risk of the spread of disease low,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Brian Hoefs. “Our surveillance and response approach to H5N1 is a team effort to ensure we’re covering all angles where it’s detected and limiting its ability to spread.”

Avian flu can cause reduced milk production in dairy cattle but is rarely fatal for cattle. However, it can spread from cattle to poultry, where it is highly deadly. Minnesota has had far more cases of avian influenza in poultry — mostly in commercial turkeys. Nearby states have seen heavy losses in commercial egg-laying flocks, which has caused tight supplies of eggs in many parts of the country.

The Board of Animal Health says there is no concern for the safety of the public milk supply, as all milk sold in stores is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses, and pasteurization has been shown to effectively eliminate active H5N1 virus present in milk.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is testing pre-pasteurized, or raw, cow milk samples already collected from each of Minnesota's approximately 1,600 dairy farms on a monthly basis. These routinely collected bulk milk samples, which are taken before the pasteurization process, are subsampled by industry labs and sent for H5N1 testing to the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota.

The H5N1 testing is part of a five-stage National Milk Testing Strategy being implemented across the country by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

"Identifying which dairy herds are infected is important so we can prevent disease spread and protect both animal and human health," said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen. "Regular sampling and testing will allow the MDA and partners to identify where the virus is present, monitor trends, and prevent spread of the virus in order to protect unaffected dairy herds and poultry flocks."

The Board is notified of any preliminary detections of the virus in samples and responds by sending a case manager to the affected farm to issue a quarantine and guide the producer through the entire response process. The Minnesota Department of Health also monitors the health of people who have direct contact with infected animals or their environment and provides public health recommendations to help reduce the risk of infection.

MDH also provides testing, antivirals, and personal protective equipment as needed. The risk to the public from this virus remains low at this time. People who work with or have direct contact with infected animals or their environment are at most risk for getting sick.

Dairy farmers should monitor their herd and contact their veterinarian immediately if cows appear sick. H5N1 symptoms in dairy mostly affect late-stage lactating cows and include fever, a drop in milk production, loss of appetite, and changes in manure consistency.

Biosecurity reduces the risk of disease spreading onto or off farms. Measures to follow include keeping a log of farm visitors and ensuring they follow farm protocols; milking any sick cows last after the healthy herd; keeping feed covered and cleaning up feed spills immediately; and providing cows with a clean source of water away from wildlife, especially waterfowl.

Farmers can request a one-time distribution of PPE from MDH if they’re unable to get it through their regular sources. People who have questions about avian influenza and human health can contact MDH at 651-201-5414.

The Board will report any new detections and updates on cow cases in Minnesota on its website. This herd was previously infected in July 2024 and will not be categorized as a new herd on the website dashboard. Instead, it remains categorized as “Stearns MN 010,” and any new information will be posted in that row of data.

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Animal disease outbreaks bring on emergency declaration in Minnesota

Staff reports — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 17:03:44 GMT

The impact of three animal diseases in Minnesota is being felt, and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Rural Finance Authority Board is responding with interest-free loans.

The RFA has declared an emergency for avian metapneumovirus, highly pathogenic avian influenza and the H5N1 flu virus. This makes zero-interest Disaster Recovery Loans available for Minnesota farmers whose operations have sustained livestock losses due to the diseases from Feb. 12, 2025, to Feb. 12, 2026, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture news release issued Friday, Feb. 14.

“The RFA Board’s declaration is an important step in helping Minnesota farmers affected by these three animal health diseases,” Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen said in the release. “I encourage those who have faced livestock losses to explore these zero-interest loans.”

Avian metapneumovirus is a highly infectious respiratory disease affecting poultry. It causes significant immunosuppression in birds, which leads to secondary infections and often high mortality. Minnesota has reported 871 aMPV-positive tests since April 2024, which is likely an undercount of actual cases across the state. The disease is a burden to producers who lose birds and have no means of financial support like they do with HPAI and other diseases.

HPAI is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild birds and is fatal. It’s a major threat to the poultry industry, animal health, trade and the economy worldwide. The first cases of the current HPAI outbreak in Minnesota were confirmed in March 2022. Since then, there have been 185 cases affecting 9.1 million Minnesota domestic birds, mostly turkeys. There have been four HPAI cases reported in 2025.

H5N1, the same virus that causes HPAI in poultry, can also affect dairy cows and other animals; however, it rarely kills cows. The H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle appeared in a Texas dairy in March 2024. The first Minnesota case appeared in June 2024. No cases have been reported in 2025.

The Disaster Recovery Loan Program offers affordable financing to support Minnesota farmers after declared disasters or hardship events, such as animal disease outbreaks.

These funds are available to farmers for expenses not covered by insurance, including replacement of flocks or livestock, building improvements, or to cover the loss of revenue when the replacement, improvements, or revenue loss is due to the confirmed presence of one of the three animal diseases. Eligible farmers will work with their local lenders to secure the loans from the RFA.

More information, including full eligibility requirements, can be found on the Disaster Recovery Loan Program webpage at https://www.mda.state.mn.us/disasterloan.

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Minnesota prepares for statewide testing of milk for avian flu virus

Michael Johnson — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 14:00:00 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Detections of avian influenza in poultry and H5N1 in dairy continue to keep livestock producers, health professionals and leaders like Minnesota Department of Ag commissioner Thom Petersen up at night.

The disease has remained on the landscape since 2022 and continues to show up in the state’s poultry and dairy farms. Increased testing and a call for continued emergency funds were some topics Petersen and state veterinarian Brian Hoefs recently brought before the Minnesota Senate Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband and Rural Development.

"This isn't going away," was a phrase Hoefs repeatedly brought up in speaking of the avian influenza virus, which he called an emergent priority for the Board of Animal Health.

The most recent case was confirmed on Jan. 24, 2025, at a commercial turkey flock in Wadena County, Minnesota, where 300,000 turkeys were affected. Since it’s start, 183 sites have confirmed infections in the state.

"This is kind of supposed to be our downtime," Hoefs said. But detections continue in the state's bird flocks. The agency expects a spring wave to hit the state again when spring brings a return of migratory birds.

While the last detection of the avian flu virus in Minnesota's dairy cattle herd was in July 2024, the virus detections in the country, largely in California at the moment, remain a concern.

"And California is a hot mess of dairy and poultry industry lumped on top of each other in a very concentrated area," Hoefs said.

Minnesota's ag emergency account was down to about $1.7 million as of January 2025. The largest expense in the last six months was $281,343 for highly pathogenic avian influenza response contractors, which is a portion of expenses reimbursed by the USDA.

Petersen emphasized that in dairy, the disease typically causes milk production to drop as the cow becomes ill.

“It’s not necessarily fatal,” Petersen said. “It can be fatal.”

Minnesota has not seen a significant change in milk production from a year ago. Production was flat despite 7,000 fewer milk cows due to higher production per head, according to the Milk Production report released in December 2024 by the USDA.

The American Veterinary Medical Association reports that mortality/culling rates of infected dairy cattle is 2% or less on average.

“But it is fatal then to neighboring poultry farms,” Petersen continued. That movement between the two farm settings was a significant concern and one illustrated by an overlaying of both turkey and dairy farm maps, which showed they are both often found in similar regions of the state.

So even if dairy producers are not concerned about the virus, the movement from dairy back to birds is a concern, especially for the top turkey-producing state in the country.

While Minnesota’s dairy producers have reported few cases, Colorado served as an example of a state that was inundated with infections. They had about 70 out of 100 dairy farms infected with the virus in 2024, according to Petersen. In July 2024, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment-licensed dairy cow farms in the state were required to submit weekly bulk-tank samples for testing.

“They did a robust testing program, and, to me, they tested out of it, and I think that’s really important," Petersen said.

Minnesota planned to start similar testing in February, according to Petersen. The actual start date is being delayed until federal funding agreements with the USDA can be arranged.

"Since we do not have the agreements finalized, the testing rollout will not begin at the start of February and is on hold. We will provide updates when we have those agreements in place and have determined a start date for the testing program," according to MDA.

This is part of a five-stage National Milk Testing Strategy being implemented across the country by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. This involves using bulk tank tests that are already gathered by producers monthly to show a snapshot of included states.

Stage 2 involves determining a state’s status and implementing state-specific surveillance. If states test positive for the virus, they move to Stage 3, where a rapid response plan is developed to trace and eliminate the virus. If the virus is not detected in Stage 2 or eliminated in Stage 3, they move to Stage 4. That stage includes sampling to demonstrate the absence of the virus. Once all states move from Stage 4, they move to Stage 5 and begin 3 months of risk-based, targeted sampling to demonstrate disease absence/elimination.

"I think we can be not surprised if it comes back that Minnesota does not have this strain of the virus, which would be a great thing," Hoefs said. "If it does show up in Minnesota we will approach the disease response similar to how we did this summer."

The Department of Agriculture is leading the surveillance efforts utilizing the current milk samples.

Milk testing history

In April 2024, USDA issued a federal order mandating testing of lactating dairy cattle prior to interstate movement. That federal order is still in force. The Dec. 6, 2024, federal order expands on that testing requirement by mandating that any entity that sends or holds milk for pasteurization (such as a dairy farm, bulk milk transporter, bulk milk transfer station, or dairy processing facility) provide raw (unpasteurized) milk samples for influenza A testing to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, upon request. APHIS will leverage existing milk sampling infrastructure as much as possible to minimize the burden of sample collection for producers, processors, and regulatory officials, according to the USDA.

This order also mandates that laboratories and state veterinarians report positive results, including from raw milk, to USDA. It also requires herd owners with positive herds to provide epidemiological information about their herd to USDA. Hoefs said the Board of Animal Health will inform producers if a sample from their farm tests positive for the virus.

The National Milk Testing Strategy is being implemented in 36 states as of Jan. 17. In the upper Midwest, Minnesota and Iowa are included, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin are not part of the current sampling. Minnesota was added to the list on Jan. 8 along with 14 other states. To find out more about how the sampling works and future steps, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/.

Commissioner Petersen reminded Senate members that following proper cooking techniques of meat and pasteurization of dairy products is shown to eliminate the virus and risk for human consumption.

While avian influenza remains of utmost concern, Hoefs listed other non-emergent priorities that are on the minds of the Board of Animal Health including African swine fever, rabies, tularemia, investigation of kennels and farmed cervids.

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Butter remains at the heart of this small-town co-op

Michael Johnson — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 13:30:00 GMT

MILLERVILLE, Minn. — A service essential to the community nearly 100 years ago remains an enduring part of it today in Millerville.

Near the epicenter of this central Minnesota community sits the Millerville Co-op Creamery Association. And several times a month a handful of people continue to handcraft butter here like they have since 1929 — with cream and salt. It's a combination so simple yet so successful.

“It works because the community around here really supports it and it’s a co-op so a lot of the community are members of the co-op,” said Jody Dahlseid general manager of retail, butter and branding for the co-op. “We’ve learned how to make this awesome butter and we’re still doing it now.”

It’s a small but mighty part of what’s become a full-service cooperative for this region. Here the community and surrounding areas have access to a retail shop with frozen meats, chilled cheese and hand-crafted butter. There’s Millerville merchandise, grilling supplies, automotive and even live bait that are part of the Miller True Value hardware store side of the business. The co-op also has another Miller True Value branch serving the next-door community of Brandon, Minnesota.

Next to the creamery building is the agronomy side of the cooperative and behind both is the shop offering auto mechanic services for the area. All are under the Millerville Co-op Creamery Association umbrella. It’s a popular spot in the town of 115.

A lot has changed over nearly 100 years at the creamery. Most recently a change includes appointments of Dahlseid to her position and Jerry Grothen as general manager of the agronomy and auto service divisions. Both bring an abundance of skills that they hope continue to move the business forward.

Thursday, Jan. 16, was butter packaging day at the creamery and both general managers along with staff member Lucy Bitzan were doing their part to turn huge blocks of butter into packaged bricks that consumers buy in the store. Each time they make a batch, they churn out about 1,500 pounds of the stuff.

The creamery got its start when the countryside was covered in smaller dairy farms. Most of those dairy farms are no longer there. That means that the cream now comes from Land ‘O Lakes in Melrose, Minnesota. It's still milk from the region, but not quite as locally sourced as it once was. The cream undergoes a process here that includes a three-day pasteurization method. Once butter is formed into blocks, packaging day includes slicing the butter by hand, then wrapping and boxing by hand.

Dahlseid said they hope to one day bring some automation to the process to reduce labor costs and because having staff available to complete the work isn’t always easy. But the way they make the butter won’t be changing anytime soon.

As the reach of Millerville Co-op Creamery butter has expanded to over 60 retailers, it’s easier to find the butter. That includes 10 locations in the Fargo-Moorhead area to the south side of the Twin Cities. There’s hope you can find it beyond that region soon. Dahlseid said she’ll be leaning into social media more to help get their product into the hands of more people.

“So hopefully we’ll get new fans for our butter all over the country,” she said. “We’re looking for growth, and I really see that with focus on local foods.”

Dahlseid said the creamery here is more than a business. It’s really part of the identity of the community.

“This creamery is part of the heritage here in Millerville,” Dahlseid said. “It would be really sad if this ever went away. And it’s not going to go away on my watch.”

There’s more than 400 members in the cooperative hoping to see it continue to rise above challenges that may come along.

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Milk from Minnesota dairy farms to undergo mandatory testing for bird flu

Kirsti Marohn / MPR News — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 20:33:27 GMT

Agriculture officials next month will begin mandatory testing of milk from Minnesota’s dairy farms for highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered national testing of raw milk in a federal order in December, beginning with six states. The testing has now expanded to 28 states, which produce nearly two-thirds of the nation's milk supply.

The USDA says the goal of the testing is to gain a clearer picture of the presence of the H5N1 virus in dairy herds, and help inform response efforts to prevent it from spreading further.

Avian influenza has been confirmed in dairy cattle in 16 states, including Minnesota, which had nine cases last year. In California, more than 700 dairy herds have been affected, and Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in December.

“That’s really a concern, is a jump from poultry to dairy, so (we’re) wanting to make sure and assure the public,” said Thom Petersen, Minnesota’s agriculture commissioner. “Also, controlling the disease is really important too, because we’re seeing what’s happening in California.”

In Minnesota, the virus has been far more destructive to the poultry industry, where it has caused the deaths of millions of commercial turkeys and chickens as well as backyard flocks since 2022.

The disease isn’t fatal for most dairy cattle, but can cause low appetite, decreased milk production and thickened or discolored milk.

Petersen said they will begin testing milk from dairy farms around Feb. 1. The department will work with labs to pull samples of raw or unpasteurized milk that farmers already routinely submit for testing, so there’s not an extra burden to farmers, he said.

Petersen noted Colorado’s success with a mandatory testing program adopted last year.

“They were able to identify, work with the farmers and try to contain it as much as possible, and then get to where they had no cases,” he said. “That’s kind of the hope is to try to isolate as quickly as possible.”

Testing also allows the department to notify surrounding farms that the virus is in their area, especially if they have workers or vehicles moving from farm to farm, Petersen said.

Some farmers across the U.S. have been reluctant to test animals or milk, fearing economic repercussions. But in Minnesota, dairy farmers are on board with the state’s testing plan, said Lucas Sjostrom, executive director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association.

“We want this disease stamped out, and USDA has determined that testing is the best way to do that,” he said. “We’re going to know where the disease is, if it’s present at all, and we’ll be able to stamp it out faster.”

Sjostrom said he supports Minnesota’s plan for testing every single dairy farm in the state by using samples farmers already are submitting once a month, rather than having officials visit farms or processors.

“When we’re worried about a disease like influenza, having more people at a farm or a processing plant is not ideal,” Sjostrom said.

It’s not yet clear what the testing will show. Sjostrom thinks it’s likely that there were more cases of H5N1 in Minnesota dairy cattle than were reported last year. Many of its symptoms are similar to other metabolic disorders than routinely occur on farms, he said.

Petersen said right now, there aren’t indications of the virus in Minnesota’s dairy cattle.

“We’re not seeing signs of the virus in the Upper Midwest at this time, but that can change quickly, and we need to be prepared for that,” he said.

Pasteurization, or heat treatment, inactivates the virus, so consuming pasteurized dairy products is considered safe.

However, Minnesota law does allow the sale of raw milk on farms, and those supplies won’t be included in the initial testing, Petersen said.

“I do urge Minnesotans that do drink raw milk to have conversations with their farmers about what they’re doing to protect themselves as well,” Petersen said.

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Area schools buying milk from Ten Finns Creamery; milk produced by A2 cows

Kevin Wallevand — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 00:19:49 GMT

MENAHGA, Minn. — You can definitely call this dairy farm a Finnish family business.

Right on the Otter Tail-Wadena County line, you'll find Ten Finns Creamery.

The young farm couple and their 13 children have turned their cows and their creamery near Menahga into the talk of the dairy industry. All because of science and breeding.

What it comes down to, Ten Finns Creamery says, is your tummy.

These cows at Ten Finns Creamery are unique.

"We have 160-170 cows that are all A2," said Joel Hendrickson, dairy farmer and owner of the creamery.

Hendrickson used careful selection to choose bulls and raise cows for milking that only produce the A2 protein — not the A1 protein, which can be a belly buster for some.

"Most people who think they are lactose intolerant, it is not the case, they are A1 protein intolerant," Hendrickson said. "And years ago, the doctors blamed it on lactose, they didn't know anything about A2 or A1 proteins. It was all blamed on lactose. What I have seen from testimonials, eight out of 10 people aren't (lactose intolerant), they are A1 protein intolerant."

Joel and his wife, Amanda, are busy — milking cows, running a creamery, and raising 13 children, who range in age from a few months old to 18. But they are big believers in what they do.

"I am convinced that if all the dairy cows were A2, we would have a healthier population," Joel Hendrickson said.

It's not just the grocery stores selling milk from Ten Finns Creamery. ��s in the region are becoming involved, too.

At New York Mills on Tuesday, Nov. 19, kindergarten students were loving their Ten Finns Creamery milk, in chocolate and strawberry.

And all the milk was coming from the fifth-generation Finnish dairy farm, which now sells 1,000 gallons of milk a day in stores all over the region.

More information can be found on their website, www.tenfinnscreamery.com.

The University of Minnesota has studied the A2 protien. Here is its report: A2 milk and A2 genetics

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