Herd Health

First Case of Avian Flu Detected in Wisconsin Dairy Herd

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 20:27:43 GMT

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in a dairy herd in Dodge County, Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced Sunday. This marks the first confirmed detection of the virus in dairy cattle in the state.

Dodge County, Wisconsin

(USDA)

The herd was identified through routine National Milk Testing Strategy screening, not the surveillance required for moving cattle across state lines. The affected farm has been quarantined, and any cattle showing signs of illness are being separated for treatment.

Bird flu has already been detected in poultry flocks in Wisconsin. On Dec. 9, state officials reported HPAI in a flock in Marquette County, which is just one county away from the affected dairy herd.

HPAI in dairy cattle has been documented in the U.S. before, with the first detections reported in March 2024 in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas. Since then, there have been more than 1,000 confirmed cases across 18 states, primarily through targeted testing and monitoring programs. While the pace of new detections has slowed in recent months, one additional confirmed case has been reported in California within the past 30 days, indicating the virus is still a threat.

HPAI Confirmed Cases in the Last 30 Days

(USDA)

Total HPAI Confirmed Cases

(USDA)

A Wake-Up Call for Dairy Biosecurity

The Wisconsin case comes as new research from Farm Journal highlights ongoing gaps in dairy biosecurity practices nationwide. A survey of more than 300 dairy producers, presented at the MILK Business Conference, found that while many operations report having biosecurity plans in place, consistent implementation and regular review remain a challenge.

According to the survey, 68% of farms with at least 250 cows say they have a biosecurity plan, yet 34% of those producers acknowledge they do not routinely review or update it. The findings point to vulnerabilities at a time when disease threats such as HPAI, New World screwworm and bovine spongiform encephalopathy continue to raise concern across the livestock sector.

(Farm Journal)

“We need biosecurity efforts to be more impactful at the ground level,” said Kirk Ramsey, professional services veterinarian with Neogen, who reviewed the survey results. “Not only to prevent major outbreaks, but also to protect employees and families from what could be carried home every day.”

As emerging diseases continue to challenge dairy operations, the research reinforces the importance of consistent, practical biosecurity measures to reduce risk and protect herd health.

What are the Symptoms of HPAI in Dairy Cattle?

As monitoring continues, officials are urging producers to stay alert for early signs of illness within their herds, as prompt detection and response remain key to limiting further spread. Signs of HPAI include:

Drop in milk production
Loss of appetite
Changes in manure consistency
Thickened or colostrum-like milk
Low-grade fever

State officials are monitoring the situation and working closely with the farm to contain the virus and prevent further spread. DATCP emphasized there is no concern for the safety of the commercial milk supply, as pasteurization eliminates the virus. The CDC considers the human health risk low.

Read more on HPAI in dairy:

New Research Exposes Stagnant Biosecurity Efforts in the U.S. Dairy Industry

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 19:20:34 GMT

When it comes to biosecurity, U.S. dairy farmers are more reactive than proactive and some neglect the basics, making operations vulnerable to evolving disease threats, according to new research released Tuesday at MILK Business Conference .

The study found farm hygiene and herd health aren’t top of mind on all farms and one-third of farms don’t proactively review their biosecurity plans indicating a potential lack of ongoing commitment or adaptation.

There is a silver lining: More than 70% of large dairies say they are already working on improvements, meaning some in the industry are prioritizing biosecurity.

The recent research conducted by Farm Journal, which surveyed more than 300 dairy producers, looks at trends and potential vulnerabilities that might be affecting dairy farms nationwide. As disease challenges such as highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), New World screwworm (NWS) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) continue to mount, biosecurity remains a critical concern for the industry.

“We need biosecurity efforts to be more impactful at the ground level. Not only to prevent major outbreaks, but to even protect employees and families from the things being taken home every day,” says Kirk Ramsey, Neogen’s professional services veterinarian who reviewed the biosecurity survey results.

Biosecurity Plans Lag Behind Threats

The survey reveals even among farms with established biosecurity strategies, commitment to reviewing and adapting these plans is lacking. While 68% of farmers with at least 250 dairy cows report having a biosecurity plan, 34% admit they do not review their plans regularly.

(Farm Journal)

On a positive note, 72% of dairy operators with 250-plus cows report they are currently making improvements to their biosecurity versus 58% of smaller dairy operators. Those producers are making improvements for a host of reasons, including recent on-farm or neighboring farm disease outbreaks, veterinarian recommendation and government or regulatory authority guidelines.

One respondent shares because their farm is a “closed herd” they’re not making any improvements to their biosecurity plan. All of this hints at a broader problem: Ongoing biosecurity practices might not be keeping pace with evolving threats.

Back to the Basics With Farm Security

The survey also uncovers significant gaps in fundamental farm security. More than 20% of surveyed dairies neglect to secure access to barns and animal housing. Monitoring or restricting visitor access is also a blind spot for 16% of producers, and only 33% of producers use camera surveillance to oversee their facilities. Additionally, 38% fail to control or limit access to areas where feed is stored or provided.

(Farm Journal)

Gaps in Hygiene and Herd Health

When it comes to farm hygiene and animal health practices, 72% of larger dairy operations have hand-washing stations included in their biosecurity protocol, and 75% use separate equipment for handling feed and manure. Even though more than half of respondents use technology, such as herd activity monitoring systems, to help identify sick animals, the overall picture suggests room for improvement in daily hygiene and health protocols.

(Farm Journal)

Training and Education Should Be Proactive

The approach to biosecurity training also calls for reform. The findings show a reactive pattern, with 32% of farms providing training only in response to biosecurity issues, while another 30% conduct quarterly meetings. These figures reveal substantial portions of the industry lack consistent, proactive staff education, an essential pillar of effective biosecurity management.

Chief Science Officer Jamie Jonker, Ph.D., with National Milk Producers Federation says biosecurity on dairy farms is a continuous process that requires proactive updates and employee education to keep pace with evolving disease threats.

“The National Dairy FARM Program offers comprehensive biosecurity materials and evaluation tools as well as certified FARM Biosecurity evaluators who can draft tailored plans and guide training to ensure consistent implementation,” he says. “Leveraging these resources helps producers stay ahead of risks and maintain a strong, resilient operation.”

(Farm Journal)

Cybersecurity: An Emerging Concern

Beyond biosecurity, the increasing reliance on technology introduces cybersecurity challenges. Only 29% of farmers have collaborated with cybersecurity experts to protect their farm systems and data. As farms grow more technologically interconnected, safeguarding digital infrastructure is an emerging need.

The insights from Farm Journal’s recent research paint a clear picture for the U.S. dairy industry: In an era of escalating disease threats such as H5N1 and NWS, a reactive or static approach to protection is no longer sufficient. Ultimately, this research serves as a pivotal reminder that biosecurity and cybersecurity are not one-time tasks, but dynamic, ongoing processes demanding continuous review and proactive management.

“Improvements in biosecurity will require a paradigm shift in how we see our individual operations’ vulnerabilities,” Ramsey says. “I believe there are some misconceptions around what biosecurity looks like. For many, it’s thought of as Tyvek suits and face masks, not clean boots and coveralls, and shower-in-shower-out facilities, not limited-farm entry. There are simple ways to create biosecurity plans into every operation, and there are experts in our industry building innovative solutions to the complexities of the cattle industry.”

Veterinarian Becomes Disease Detective: Nichols Connects Animal Disease and Human Health

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:24:05 GMT

Growing up on a New Mexico ranch, veterinarian and public health leader Megin Nichols says she learned early the health of animals, humans and the environment are deeply connected.

Initially planning to practice small animal medicine, she says her plans began to pivot when she met a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemic intelligence service officer who sparked her interest in public health. That realization led her to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Minnesota, with a focus on food safety and biosecurity. Her career has included roles in local, state and federal health departments, investigating foodborne illness outbreaks and developing strategies to prevent them.

“Life has a way of taking you in places you never anticipated,” she shared during the 2025 Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems Lecture Oct. 6 at Kansas State University.

Today, as the CDC’s director in the division of foodborne, waterborne and environmental diseases, she lends her expertise to efforts involving disease investigation, food safety, antimicrobial resistance and agriculture literacy.

Megin Nichols has more than 15 years of zoonotic disease experience and has served at the federal and state levels. She has served as the lead of the Enteric Zoonoses Team investigating multistate outbreaks of Salmonella and E. coli. Prior to joining CDC, Nichols worked as the Principal Investigator of the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance Program at the New Mexico Department of Health for five years.

(Angie Stump Denton)

One Health: Connecting Animal Disease and Human Health

Nichols’ work focuses on the One Health concept.

“One Health is recognizing the health and well-being of humans, of animals and our environment are all interconnected,” she explains. “One Health is something that many of us do every single day and are very, very aware of, especially if you have ties to agriculture and the land. But One Health as a concept oftentimes is difficult to fully understand.”

Nichols says One Health is:

Ongoing relationships with animal agencies.
Understand the culture of agriculture.
Having access to integrated human and animal surveillance.
Protocols for conducting joint response investigations.
Agreements for sharing biological samples and lab results.
Established lines of communication with agriculture and animal industry.
Plans for unified communication messaging.
Need to build linkages and trust before and outbreak.

“What happens in one area can significantly impact others — whether it’s a wildfire, a disease outbreak or environmental changes,” Nichols summarizes.

Pandemic and Disease Response Insights

Nichols was a leader in investigating and finding unique solutions for the livestock industry and specifically meat packing industry related to COVID-19.

“In April 2020, I got a call from my supervisor saying there are some meat, poultry packing plants that are going down because of labor shortages and illness,” she explains.

She selected and lead a team to figure out how to get the plants opened back up safely and to find unique solution to deal with the related animal welfare issues.

Summarizing the experiences, Nichols reports the estimated economic cost of COVID-19 is $14 trillion. Along with supply chain disruptions the industry experienced changes in consumer behavior, labor shortage and complex operations challenges. On a positive note, she says the industry did experience a lot of innovation and uptake of technology due to the pandemic, which resulted in innovative approaches to workplace safety and communication.

“We saw innovative strategies where if one person got sick, they looked around that worker and said, ‘OK, who do we need to monitor quickly for symptoms?’” she says.

Nichols also discussed the increase in salmonella outbreaks during the pandemic. She links the rise to the increase in backyard poultry ownership and the improper handling of backyard chickens.

“Many new chicken owners were unaware of disease transmission risks,” she explains.

Nichols also shared insights to H5N1 influenza and emphasized the complexity of tracking and preventing. She highlights the need for integrated, cross-species surveillance and communication strategies.

She also touched on emerging threats, including New World screwworm (NWS) . Her message emphasized the importance of prevention, control and preparedness.

She shares these five key strategies related to NWS:

Surveillance. Early dection through wound inspections and reporting in livestock.
Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Ongoing release of serile male flies to prevent reproduction.
Biosecurity. Movement control of imported animals and monitoring at entry points.
Public Awareness. Education for doctors, ranchers, veterinarians and travelers.
Rapid Response Planning. Multi-agency coordination to contain outbreaks swiftly and deploy sterile flies.

Agricultural Literacy, Communication is Key

“Growing up in the middle of nowhere, I also came to understand that not everyone appreciates — or even understands — where their food comes from,” Nichols says.

She shared a 1993 study that revealed significant gaps in public knowledge about agriculture. She summarizes understanding food systems involves knowing:

Where food comes from.
How it’s produced.
Its impact on economy, environment and technology.

Throughout her lecture she shared the importance of transforming complex scientific concepts into engaging, accessible insights that resonate with students, farmers, ranchers and public health professionals alike.

“It doesn’t matter how much information we have if we don’t get it out to the people,” Nichols says.

She stresses the importance of agricultural communication specialists in translating scientific information and engaging audiences.

“Don’t leave the communications to the scientists,” she says.

Nichols emphasizes that agricultural literacy and effective communication are crucial for bridging knowledge gaps and building public understanding of food systems.

She shares this advice for agricultural advocates:

Bring agricultural perspective to discussions by speaking up and sharing lived experiences.
Challenge misconceptions with personal stories by focusing on storytelling rather than technical details.
Understand your audience and use relatable language and provide context.

Nichols stresses the importance of preparedness and collaboration. She explains the importance of local-level discussions and community preparedness, suggesting that some of the most effective emergency preparedness conversations happen “at the coffee house” or during casual community gatherings.

U.S.-Mexico Border Battle Continues As the Threat of New World Screwworm Intensifies

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:29:05 GMT

With New World screwworm (NWS) confirmed just 70 miles from the U.S. border , producers, government officials and industry leaders are taking action. Finding NWS along one of the most heavily trafficked commercial thoroughfares in the world from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to Laredo, Texas, is a red flag for the industry. Emphasizing the importance of maintaining strong safeguards, it’s time to plan for not “if but when” NWS crosses the border.

On Monday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirmed protecting the U.S. from NWS is non-negotiable and a top priority for President Trump.

UPDATE ON SCREWWORM THREAT:

Protecting the United States from New World Screwworm is non-negotiable and a top priority for @POTUS.@USDA landed boots on the ground this morning in Nuevo Leon, physically inspecting traps and dispersing sterile flies after the detection of the…
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) September 23, 2025

“The southern border remains closed to livestock trade, and we are aggressively expanding trapping and surveillance,” she wrote. “At the same time, we’re expediting operations at our sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Texas .”

On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins reported 80,000 sterile flies were released on “spot” and nearly 200 surge staff had been deployed to Mexico.

Thank you, @IngrahamAngle, for paying attention to this important issue. Due to multiple failures from our southern neighbors and failure to act in the last Admin, the devastating parasite New World Screwworm is knocking on our southern borders door. We’re not waiting, we’re… pic.twitter.com/ZO5Vx5oes8
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) September 24, 2025

Mexico’s Response To New World Screwworm

According to Reuters, Mexican’s agriculture ministry said there is no risk of adult screwworm fly emergence due to the early detection of the infected bovine, which was confirmed on Sept. 21. The infected animal was in a shipment of 100 animals originating from the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, according to the statement.

Fly traps in northern Mexico have not detected a single screwworm fly.

U.S.-Mexico Border Remains Closed to Cattle Trade

The Mexican border closure remains a topic of debate. The September Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found 80% of ag economists surveyed oppose reopening the border to Mexican cattle due to screwworm risks.

(Farm Journal)

The border closure has created significant division within the cattle industry with producers, feeders and industry leaders on both sides of the fence.

“We have some cattle people that are glad it’s closed. We’ve got others who are hit pretty hard and are not happy about it,” explains David Anderson, Texas A&M professor and extension specialist — livestock and food product marketing.

NWS is a threat the industry can not ignore, says the ag economist with more than 30 years under his belt.

“I think this is the most serious problem the industry has faced since I’ve been a livestock economist,” he stresses.

From his perspective, keeping the border open with heightened monitoring and surveillance could have potentially been more effective than implementing a total closure.

“If we go back and look at data from the early ‘70s, when we had a big screwworm outbreak in the U.S. and Mexico, the border was open,” he says. “I probably would have leaned to not closing the border to begin with. I understand why you would want to do that, but I don’t know that it’s ended up reducing the likelihood that we’re going to get screwworms, and yet we’re paying a price for that.”

According to Anderson the economic consequences to the border being closed are:

Significant loss of approximately 26,000 imported cattle weekly
Estimated 18% reduction in cattle placements in Southern plains
Contributed to tighter beef supplies and higher consumer prices
Substantial economic hit to cattle feeders and ranchers

At this point, he’s quick to admit keeping the border closed is the best option.

When it comes to reopening the border, Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist with Oklahoma State University, suggests the decision is not straightforward.

“Given everything I’ve experienced, it’s probably prudent to leave the border closed,” he says.

He adds any reopening should be “under very, very controlled, limited circumstances.”

Peel emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach with Mexico.

“We’re kind of in it together, and so whether it’s here or there, we’ve got to work together,” he summarizes. “We’re going to need to control it in both places. Otherwise, it’s not going to benefit either one of us.”

He also points out not everybody in Mexico is sorry the border is closed. For example, cattle buyers in Mexico can source cattle cheaper because the border is closed.

“Keeping the border closed does affect the movement of cattle south of the border ... it builds a backstop for cattle movement north,” he adds.

Peel notes cattle from Central America to Panama have increasingly made their way to the Mexican market, which validates NWS movement in Mexico and why recent confirmation has occurred.

“The longer this goes on, the more the Mexican industry will adjust,” he says. “It might permanently change the way the [U.S. and Mexico] work together.”

Texas Rancher Weighs In On Impact of New World Screwworm

Texas rancher Wayne Cockrell says the parasite’s entry into the U.S. is inevitable, suggesting that winter and colder weather might temporarily delay the spread until next April or May. Cockrell, who serves as the Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association director and chair of the cattle health and well-being policy committee, recently joined AgriTalk to talk about NWS.

“We would much rather stop this on Mexico’s southern border than our Southern border,” Cockrell says.

Mexican feeder cattle traditionally represented 30% of Texas feedyard inventory, he adds, but with current restrictions, feedlots are adapting.

“I think a lot of those feedyards have moved to the dairy-cross side,” he adds. “They have had to change the way they do business.”

Noting the broader economic implications of the border closure, 1.2 million fewer cattle for Texas represents “about two weeks” of impact nationwide, according to Cockrell.

“Winter and sterile flies is what we need now,” Cockrell summarizes.

Your Next Read: The Smell You’ll Never Forget: A Calf Infested with New World Screwworm

Second Michigan Farmworker Tests Positive For H5N1 Virus

Thu, 30 May 2024 21:40:19 GMT

A second human case of HPAI (H5N1) was confirmed in a Michigan farmworker on Thursday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This is the third human case (two in Michigan, one in Texas) associated with an ongoing multistate outbreak of H5N1 in U.S. dairy cows. In all three cases, cow-to-person spread is suspected but none of the cases is related.

Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, says government officials are working closely with producers to understand the scale of the virus in dairy operations across the state.

“We’re learning more every day about the epidemiology of this virus and just how it spreads. I think it’s a manageable situation on the dairy side for us right now, but we have continued concerns around just how we can best mitigate the further spread,” Boring told AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Thursday, prior to the CDC’s latest announcement.

Boring reports that Michigan has confirmed the virus in 23 dairies, primarily in the west-central part of the state.

The virus had been confirmed in at least 66 dairy herds in nine states earlier this week, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture: 20 herds in Michigan, 15 in Texas, eight in New Mexico, nine in Idaho, four in Kansas, four in Colorado, four in South Dakota and one each in Ohio and North Carolina.

Biosecurity Practices Are Helping
The H5N1-infected farm workers were not wearing a face shield or other personal protective equipment (PPE), according to Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the chief medical executive of Michigan’s health department.

That “tells us that direct exposure to infected livestock poses a risk to humans, and that PPE is an important tool in preventing spread among individuals who work on dairy and poultry farms,” said Bagdasarian, in a prepared statement.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains the public health risk from H5N1 is low, the agency encourages the use of its recommended precautions by people exposed to infected or potentially infected birds and animals.

The use of good biosecurity measures is helping contain the virus and prevent its spread, Boring emphasizes.

“These biosecurity systems work; pasteurization works,” Boring says. “The screening to make sure that we don’t have infected animals of any kind with any disease making it into the food system works.

“As the FDA has talked about, this continues to be a communicable virus and where this continues to move – potentially further impacting human health down the road – is a real concern,” Boring adds. “That continues to be a driving force for us to address the virus on the animal side.”

Vaccine Development
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced officials are moving forward with a plan to produce 4.8 million doses of an H5N1 vaccine for human use.

According to an article in Reuters , human exposures to the virus in poultry and dairy operations could increase the risk that the virus will mutate and gain the ability to spread easily in people.

The article noted that the U.S. and Europe are “taking steps to acquire or manufacture H5N1 bird flu vaccines that could be used to protect at-risk poultry and dairy workers, veterinarians and lab technicians, government officials said, moves influenza experts say could curb the threat of a pandemic.”

H5N1 Virus Found in Beef for First Time, FSIS Says

FSIS’ Final Results of H5N1 Testing Confirms Meat Supply is Safe

The complete conversation between Michigan’s Boring and AgriTalk Host Chip Flory is available here:

US to Test Ground Beef in States With Bird-Flu Outbreaks in Dairy Cows

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:59:33 GMT

The U.S. government said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing but remains confident the meat supply is safe.

Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have said the overall public health risk is low, but is higher for those with exposure to infected animals.

Scientists believe outbreaks are more widespread in cows than officially reported based on findings of H5N1 particles in about 20% of milk samples. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that preliminary results of gold-standard PCR tests showed pasteurization killed the bird flu virus in milk, though.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will analyze retail ground beef samples with PCR tests that indicate “whether any viral particles are present,” according to a statement. Some
dairy cows are processed into ground beef when they grow old.

The USDA on Monday began requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for bird flu before being moved across state lines as officials seek to contain the virus.

The department said this weekend that testing is not required for cows that are shipped over state lines directly to slaughter facilities from barns where they are sold. Those
cattle only need documentation showing they were inspected by a veterinarian.

The USDA said it inspects each animal before slaughter, and all cattle carcasses must pass inspection after slaughter to enter the human food supply.

Last week USDA said it had found bird flu in a lung tissue sample from an asymptomatic dairy cow that was sent to slaughter from an infected herd. The animal did not enter the food supply, according to the department.

The USDA is now collecting beef muscle samples at slaughter facilities of dairy cattle that have been condemned to determine the presence of viral particles, according to the statement. Any positive PCR tests for retail or slaughter samples will be evaluated for live virus, the USDA said.

The USDA will also use a “virus surrogate” in ground beef and cook it at different temperatures to determine how the virus is affected, according to the statement. It said cooking meat to a safe internal temperature kills bacteria and viruses

Colombia restricted the import of beef and beef products coming from U.S. states where dairy cows have tested positive for avian influenza as of April 15, according to the USDA.

There are no known cases of bird flu in beef cattle so far.

The human case in the current outbreak was in a Texas farm worker who suffered conjunctivitis following exposure to dairy cows.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)

H5N1 Mandatory Testing For Interstate Movement Of Dairy Cattle In Effect

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:19:16 GMT

Effective today, the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) federal order
requires mandatory testing for the interstate movement of dairy cattle.

The following information and direction are from the HPAI Detections in Livestock Page :

Prior to interstate movement, dairy cattle are required to receive a negative test for Influenza A virus at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) laboratory.

Owners of herds in which dairy cattle test positive for interstate movement will be required to provide epidemiological information, including animal movement tracing.

Dairy cattle moving interstate must adhere to conditions specified by APHIS.

USDA-APHIS says these steps are immediately required for lactating dairy cattle, “while these requirements for other classes of dairy cattle will be based on scientific factors concerning the virus and its evolving risk profile.”

Mandatory Reporting Laboratories and state veterinarians must report positive Influenza A nucleic acid detection diagnostic results (e.g. PCR or genetic sequencing) in livestock to USDA APHIS.

Laboratories and state veterinarians must report positive Influenza A serology diagnostic results in livestock to USDA-APHIS.

USDA-APHIS will provide reimbursement for testing at NAHLN labs, including samples submitted for:
(1) dairy cattle suspected of disease due to clinical signs,
(2) pre-movement testing,
(3) producers interested in the disease status of their asymptomatic animals, and
(4) samples taken from other animals on dairies associated with this disease event.

USDA Now Requiring Mandatory Testing and Reporting of HPAI in Dairy Cattle as New Data Suggests Virus Outbreak is More Widespread

A Message to the Ag Industry about H5N1

Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities

North Carolina Reports First Case of HPAI in Dairy Herd

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 19:59:16 GMT

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) has detected Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd in North Carolina.

The North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Troxle, said in a press release he is waiting for more diagnostic information from the NVSL and will work collaboratively with federal partners and dairy farmers in the state.

“We have spent years developing methods to handle HPAI in poultry, but this is new and we are working with our state and federal partners to develop protocols to handle this situation,” he said. “It is important to note the FDA has no concern about the safety or availability of pasteurized milk products nationwide.”

North Carolina is the seventh state to officially confirm the presence of HPAI in a dairy herd.

The other six states with NVSL-confirmed reports of HPAI in dairy are:

Idaho: 1 case
Kansas: 3 cases
Michigan: 2 cases
New Mexico: 4 cases
Ohio: 1 case
Texas: 9 cases

In addition, the National Milk Producers Federation reports that eight states now have dairy cattle importation requirements or restrictions:

The Federation adds that there is “no concern about the safety of the milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health because products are pasteurized before entering the market, per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Only milk from heathy animals is authorized for distribution into interstate commerce for human consumption. Additionally, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, including influenza, in milk.”

More information and HPAI dairy-specific resources are available at the Federation’s website, www.nmpf.org

Rare Human Case of Bird Flu Confirmed. Officials Believe it Began on Texas Dairy

Get the Facts Straight on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Minnesota Goat Confirmed to Have Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Six Questions One Industry Veterinarian Says She Is Asked Most Often About HPAI

AABP Decides to Reference Cattle Disease as Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV)

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 20:17:20 GMT

On Sunday evening, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), released a letter to its media partners to update them on how the organization will reference the emerging cattle disease, currently confirmed in dairy herds in six states, moving forward.

“Because this infection in cattle is not the same as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), after thoughtful consideration and discussion with many experts, the AABP will now refer to this as Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV), which more accurately depicts it,” wrote Geni Wren, director of marketing and communications for the organization, in an email accompanying the letter.

The letter was developed and signed by AABP executive director, Fred Gingrich, DVM, and president Michael Capel, DVM.

Gingrich and Capel are asking other organizations, state animal health officials, diagnostic labs, and state and federal agencies to use Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV) “so we can be consistent with our messaging and better distinguish the disease syndrome in cattle from the pathogenesis in birds. We believe it is important for the public to understand the difference to maintain confidence in the safety and accessibility of beef and dairy products for consumers,” they wrote.

The letter is available in its entirety for review here:

Texas-Sized Problems Hit the Lone Star State, but Ag Commissioner says ‘Things are Getting Better’

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 21:26:34 GMT

Already this year, farmers and ranchers based in the Texas Panhandle have dealt with some Texas-sized problems that have impacted their livelihoods.

In March, the Smokehouse Creek Fire burned more than a million acres and killed thousands of cattle, primarily in the Panhandle and in Oklahoma.

Cal-Maine Foods, the largest producer and distributor of fresh shell eggs in the U.S., announced on Tuesday that chickens at its facility in the southwest part of the Texas Panhandle, in Parmer County, tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). As a result, Cal-Maine had to cull nearly 2 million chickens − 1.6 million hens and 337,000 pullets.

Dairy producers in the Texas Panhandle have also grappled with outbreaks of HPAI in their cow herds in recent weeks. To date, the USDA has confirmed the H5N1 strain of HPAI in dairy cattle on seven Texas farms.

In addition, one dairy worker has contracted an HPAI infection and displayed mild symptoms, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported Monday.

“It’s a mild, mild case and the only symptom he had was pinkeye,” Sid Miller, state commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, told AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Thursday. Miller said it’s unknown how the individual was infected.

You can listen to their conversation here:

What’s Going To Happen Next?
Flory asked Miller whether he believes state agriculture department investigators are in front of the latest issues with HPAI in dairy cattle.

“I think so,” Miller replied. “We’ve got about 10 months before the ducks and geese come back, so I think we’ll have it figured out by then.”

Miller speculated that waterfowl caused the dairy and poultry HPAI infections.

“Cowboy logic would tell you that cattle were drinking from the same ponds where waterfowl were present,” he said. “Or, maybe waterfowl had been in the feed boxes eating grain or something (along those lines). So, we’ve got to take better biosecurity measures to make sure that we eliminate all those possibilities.”

Despite the challenges Texas agriculture has faced the past few months, Miller is cautiously optimistic.

“Things are turning around and getting better. They really are,” he said.

One concern the livestock industry has now is whether HPAI will impact beef cattle at some point.

“You’ve seen what’s happened in the cattle markets,” Flory said. “They’re looking at it like this is a major problem for beef.”

Miller replied that he doesn’t anticipate there will be an HPAI problem in Texas beef cattle, which consist primarily of feedlot cattle in the Panhandle.

“The cattle that get it are the older lactating cows, and we don’t have those in the feedlot,” Miller said. “I think we’re OK, but we’re certainly going to research that.”

Food Safety Precautions
Miller said one of the Texas Department of Agriculture’s primary responsibilities is to make sure food produced in the state is safe for consumers. None of the affected milk, meat or eggs ever reached the marketplace.

“If you want to take some precautions, you might lay off the raw milk and unpasteurized dairy products, because that’s about the only way (HPAI) could get there,” Miller said. “But it’s not in the food chain. It’s not going to create a shortage of milk and dairy products. There’s no shortage of eggs. So, consumers, just rest assured. Don’t be alarmed. This is really not going to affect you.”

In a statement last week, the Centers for Disease Control said it considers the human health risk to the U.S. public from the virus to be low, though people who work with livestock are at higher risk of infection. The agency also advised against eating unpasteurized dairy products, such as raw milk or cheese, from animals with suspected or confirmed cases of HPAI.

More news on HPAI is available here:

Rare Human Case of Bird Flu Confirmed. Officials Believe it Began on Texas Dairy

HPAI Now Detected on Ohio Dairy: Strange Bird Flu Concerns See Growth

New Regulation: Dairy Cattle Entry into Nebraska Now Requires Permit Amid HPAI Bird Flu Concerns

Twelve Cases of HPAI in Dairy Cattle Confirmed in Five States

HPAI Now Detected on Ohio Dairy: Strange Bird Flu Concerns See Growth

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 16:45:08 GMT

Ohio has become the sixth state where dairy cattle have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu. A recent news release from the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) reports presumptive positive results from dairy cows in Wood County.

According to officials, the cows arrived in Wood County on March 8 from a dairy in Texas. That dairy later reported a confirmed case of HPAI. The Ohio dairy operation alerted state officials when the livestock began showing signs of illness. State officials are awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We have official confirmation that we do have a case at a dairy in Wood County of HPAI, which is an influenza,” says ODA Director Brian Baldridge. “We’ve been working with this in the poultry industry for about the last two-and-a-half years and it has found its way into the dairy industry. We are working diligently with the dairy, with their vets and with our Animal Health division and our state veterinarian, Dr. (Dennis) Summers, on this issue.

According to the USDA, HPAI has now been detected in five other states, including:

Texas
Kansas
New Mexico,
Idaho
Michigan

“Clinically sick dairy cattle from affected herds range from 1% to 20%, with an average of 10% of the milking herd affected. There are no confirmed reports of death loss in dairy cattle directly attributed to these detections. Most sick cows begin recovering within a few days.”

“Federal and state agencies continue to conduct additional testing from sick animals and in unpasteurized clinical milk samples from sick animals, as well as viral genome sequencing, to assess whether HPAI or another unrelated illness may be underlying any symptoms,” the ODA reports.

The agency notes that clinically sick dairy cattle from affected herds range from 1% to 20%, with an average of 10% of the milking herd affected. Currently, there are no confirmed reports of death loss in dairy cattle directly attributed to these detections with most sick cows recovering within a few days.

HPAI symptoms in dairy cattle include:

Sudden drop in milk production.
Some severely impacted cows are producing thicker, more concentrated, colostrum-like milk.
Drop in feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen function, accompanied by loose feces and some fever.
Impacted herds have reported older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows, fresh cows or heifers.
Some herds have reported pneumonia and mastitis.

Officials are strongly advising dairy producers to use all standard biosecurity measures. They note it’s important for producers to clean and disinfect all livestock watering devices and isolate drinking water where it might be contaminated by waterfowl. Farmers are also being asked to notify their herd veterinarian if they suspect any cattle within their herd are displaying symptoms of this condition.

For more on HPAI, read:

Twelve Cases of HPAI in Dairy Cattle Confirmed in Five States

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 18:54:11 GMT

To date, 12 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been confirmed in dairy cattle in five states.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has made the confirmations in dairy herds in four states: Texas (7), Kansas (2), Michigan (1), and New Mexico (1).

In addition, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture announced March 28 that it had identified its first cases of HPAI in a Cassia County dairy cattle operation. The affected facility had recently imported cattle from another state and herd that had HPAI.

Fred Gingrich, DVM and executive director for the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), says the virus identified in affected dairy cows is the same virus that has affected the U.S. poultry industry since 2022.

“The assumption is the initial herds were affected by wild migratory birds,” Gingrich told Chip Flory, host of AgriTalk, on Tuesday.

Gingrich adds that government agencies, veterinarians and livestock industry groups have more questions than answers at this point about how HPAI is infecting herds, and they are not ruling out cow-to-cow transmission.

“Clinically, it looks like that’s what is happening. Some of the newly infected herds outside of Texas had purchased animals from areas there that had affected herds. That indicates that we probably have some cow-to cow transmission,” Gingrich says. “What’s not known is how does that transmission occur? Does it occur through oral secretions, through the manure, urine, or aerosolized in respiratory secretions like it is in birds? Or is there some mechanical transfer when cows are in the parlor together?”

Adopt Good Biosecurity Practices
The many unknowns at this point make the need for producers to adopt good biosecurity measures more important than ever. Gingrich says the AABP and the National Milk Producers Federation have teamed up to release a set of biosecurity guidelines for producer and veterinarian use. The guidelines and recommendations are available at bit.ly/3TGYMul.

The key points in the guidelines, Gingrich says, encourage dairy producers to minimize any opportunity for the transmission of HPAI by: minimizing livestock contact with wild, migratory birds, isolating new animals on the farm, limiting any visits to your farm to only essential workers and practicing good, general biosecurity measures.

“If you’re moving either your own cattle home from a heifer grower, or you’re purchasing animals, talk to your veterinarian about any potential screening that you might want to do for those cattle, which is just a good practice for any potential disease,” Gingrich advises. “Certainly, you just need to be careful about herd purchases when we have unknowns with an emerging viral event.”

Producers should use the same general precautions, Gingrich adds, for beef cattle and other livestock as well.

“Currently, there are no reports of HPAI in the U.S. beef herd, but certainly producers and veterinarians should be on alert to monitor and watch for any symptoms,” he says.

Five states, Delaware, Idaho, Nebraska, Tennessee and Utah, are taking additional precautions to increase their biosecurity measures. Dairy Herd Management’s Taylor Leach reports the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has issued a restriction on the importation of dairy cattle because of the recent HPAI outbreaks. Learn more here: New Regulation: Dairy Cattle Entry into Nebraska Now Requires Permit Amid HPAI Bird Flu Concerns

Silver Linings In The Clouds
When dairy cows are affected by HPAI, they tend to be only a small percentage of the total herd.

“It only affects about 10% of the cows in a herd, and it does not cause mortality, and we’re thankful for that,” Gingrich says.

Furthermore, any risk to the U.S. public from consuming dairy and meat is very low, because pasteurization destroys the virus.

Looking Ahead
Moving forward in the days and weeks ahead, Gingrich recommends that producers work closely with their herd veterinarians and sign up for HPAI alerts as they are released by the Centers for Disease Control, USDA and other federal and state agencies.

“I think the first thing is to be on the lookout for the disease symptoms in your herd; don’t hide it. We all need to work together to continue the investigation. If you have a sudden drop in appetite and milk production in your herd, the first person you should call is your veterinarian and work through to get a diagnosis, whatever that might be,” he says.

“Secondly, we want dairy farmers to know that the veterinary community cares about you. And we certainly understand that this is a scary time. So make sure that you’re relying on your veterinarian and USDA and organizations like AABP for reliable information,” he adds.

Gingrich offers counsel for veterinarians as well. “Be aggressive with diagnostics, as the investigation is ongoing. Make sure that you are working with your diagnostic labs and state animal health officials to collect the appropriate diagnostics that we have posted on the AABP website. If you’re an AABP member, we have a reporting portal where you can identify the herds with this syndrome.”

Learn more about this evolving issue in the following articles. You can also listen to the AgriTalk discussion between Dr. Gingrich and AgriTalk Host Chip Flory at the link below:

Rare Human Case of Bird Flu Confirmed. Officials Believe it Began on Texas Dairy

APHIS Now Thinks Wild Birds Are to Blame for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza’s Arrival on Four U.S. Dairies

Strange Bird Flu Outbreak, HPAI, Now Detected at Idaho Dairy

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 13:40:13 GMT

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) announced that HPAI, known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has been found in dairy cattle in Idaho. This now brings the number of affected states to four, adding more evidence the virus may be spreading cow to cow.

The cows were recently brought into the Cassia County dairy from another state that had found HPAI in dairy cattle, according to the ISDA.

The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that an investigation into mysterious illnesses in dairy cows in three states—Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas—was due to HPAI and that wild birds are the source of the virus.

Symptoms of HPAI in cattle include:

Drop in milk production
Loss of appetite
Changes in manure consistency
Thickened or colostrum-like milk
Low-grade fever

At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health. The pasteurization process of heating milk to a high temperature ensures milk and dairy products can be consumed safely.

The ISDA encourages all dairy producers to closely monitor their herd and contact their local veterinarian immediately if cattle appear to show symptoms. HPAI is a mandatory reportable disease, and any Idaho veterinarians who suspect cases of HPAI in livestock should immediately report it to ISDA at 208-332-8540 or complete the HPAI Livestock Screen at agri.idaho.gov/main/animals/hpai/ .

For more on HPAI, read:

Rare Human Case of Bird Flu Confirmed. Officials Believe it Began on Texas Dairy

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 18:03:41 GMT

Just a week after discovering that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, also known as bird flu, was the cause of illness for several dairy herds throughout the Texas Panhandle, New Mexico and Kansas , the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is now reporting that a human case of avian influenza A(H5N1) virus has been confirmed in Texas. The case was identified in a person who had direct exposure to dairy cattle presumed to be infected with the disease.

The patient, who experienced eye inflammation as their only symptom, was tested for flu late last week with confirmatory testing performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the weekend. Currently, the patient is being treated with the antiviral drug oseltamivir. The DSHS reports that the human case does not change the risk for the general public, which still remains low.

According to the CDC, this is the second human case of H5N1 flu in the U.S. and the first linked to an exposure to cattle. Symptoms can include a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, fatigue, eye redness, shortness of breath, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or seizures. The illness can range from mild to severe, and health care providers who come across someone who may have the virus should “immediately consult their local health department,” according to the alert.

“The risk to the general public is believed to be low; however, people with close contact with affected animals suspected of having avian influenza A(H5N1) have a higher risk of infection,” the alert said.

While the disease is new to the dairy industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says there is no safety concern to the commercial milk supply. Consumer health is also not at risk, the department said. The milk from impacted animals is being dumped or destroyed and will not enter the food supply.

“Milk from impacted animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the human food supply,” agencies said. “In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. FDA’s longstanding position is that unpasteurized, raw milk can harbor dangerous microorganisms that can pose serious health risks to consumers, and FDA is reminding consumers of the risks associated with raw milk consumption in light of the HPAI detections.”

The virus was detected in dairy herds in Texas and Kansas last week and has since spread to additional herds in at least five states, all of which include:

Texas
Kansas
New Mexico
Idaho
Michigan

This leads some scientists to believe that the virus may be spreading cow-to-cow.

Texas officials are guiding affected dairies about how to minimize workers’ exposure and how people who work with affected cattle can monitor for flu-like symptoms and get tested.

In addition, officials are strongly advising dairy producers to use all standard biosecurity measures. They note it’s important for producers to clean and disinfect all livestock watering devices and isolate drinking water where it might be contaminated by waterfowl. Farmers are also being asked to notify their herd veterinarian if they suspect any cattle within their herd are displaying symptoms of this condition.

“Unlike affected poultry, I foresee there will be no need to depopulate dairy herds,” says Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. “Cattle are expected to fully recover. The Texas Department of Agriculture is committed to providing unwavering support to our dairy industry.”

For more n HPAI, read:

New Regulation: Dairy Cattle Entry into Nebraska Now Requires Permit Amid HPAI Bird Flu Concerns

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 20:21:50 GMT

In an effort to increase its biosecurity measures, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has issued a restriction on the importation of dairy cattle because of the recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu.

According to a statement issued by Governor, Jim Pillen, the new order requires all breeding female dairy cattle coming into the state to have a permit issued by the NDA first. To obtain a permit, dairy producers will need to contact the NDA and consult with their local veterinarian. The new importation order will be in place for 30 days (until April 30, 2024) and will be re-evaluated at that time.

Currently, HPAI has been detected in lactating dairy cattle in states such as Texas, New Mexico, Michigan, and Idaho, as well as Nebraska’s bordering state, Kansas.

“Animal health and disease control are essential to the livestock industry and health of Nebraska’s economy,” says Sherry Vinton, NDA director. “NDA is closely monitoring this HPAI illness in livestock. We will do what’s right to advocate for Nebraska producers, to protect the health of Nebraska livestock, and to minimize the impact HPAI will have on dairy producers in the state.”

In addition to applying for a permit to import cattle into the state, the NDA recommends dairy producers adhere to strict biosecurity practices and quarantining new animals into herds for 30 days, if possible. If dairy producers notice symptoms such as a sudden drop in milk production, changes in milk color/consistency, decreased feed intake, and other clinical signs, they should contact their herd veterinarian and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture immediately.

“The health and safety of livestock in Nebraska is top priority,” says State Veterinarian Roger Dudley, DMV. “At this time, it appears the HPAI illness found in dairy operations in some states only affects lactating dairy cows and is not being seen in other segments of the cattle industry. Now, more than ever, is the time to enhance biosecurity measures on farms and ranches to help protect livestock from illness.”

For more on HPAI, read:

Mystery Illness is Now Affecting Dairy Cows in Texas, New Mexico As Industry Searches for Answers

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 18:33:49 GMT

Dairy farmers in the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico are grappling with quite the mystery. Something is causing milk production to nosedive, and veterinarians and state officials can’t pinpoint what it is. In affected cowherds, the issue impacts nearly 10% of the animals, causing reduced feed consumption and a 10% to 20% decline in milk production.

A Texas dairy farmer told Farm Journal the mystery illness acts similar to the flu and impacts only older cows. Currently, the majority of cases are being reported in Texas and New Mexico. However, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), the nation’s largest cattle veterinary association, told Farm Journal they have some veterinarian members in Kansas who have also reported symptoms, but those reports are unconfirmed.

“It appears that the disease peaks in about three to four days and lasts 10 to 14 days. Older dairy cattle appear to be more clinically affected, with a more severely affected lactation,” says Dr. Fred Gingrich, cattle veterinarian and executive director of AABP. “And although it’s not consistent with every herd, it appears that it’s mostly affecting animals that are in mid- to late lactation. It’s pretty unusual that we have something going on in older animals, and it’s not in fresh cows.”

Gingrich says AABP understands the need for urgency in finding answers for dairy producers.

“We understand right now that the primary impact of this disease is economic. These herds lose about 20% of their milk production for 14 to 21 days, which is a huge economic loss,” Gingrich says. “I think we always like to look for the bright side in a situation, and we don’t appear to have mortalities associated with this disease. That’s not happening, which is really great.”

As the industry works to uncover the factors causing the disease, Gingrich says what makes pinpointing the cause so difficult is trying to decipher what the main symptoms of the illness are versus the secondary symptoms and related issues.

“It’s not a pneumonia outbreak, as far as we can see, and it’s not a mastitis outbreak. I think that some of those things that we’re seeing on farms are probably secondary to the initial agent that’s causing cows to go off feed, and every dairy farmer knows that a cow that doesn’t eat is at risk to get other syndromes and other diseases. I think that’s what’s occurring right now.” he adds.

Gingrich says diagnostic labs have already done several tests, along with more pending samples. “Right now, the test results are what we would call inconclusive,” he says. “There’s nothing conclusive as an exact diagnosis as to whether this is caused by a pathogen of a bacteria or a virus.”

What We Know

According to the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), here’s a summary of what the industry knows at this time:

The symptoms of the illness last between 10 and 14 days.
The exact cause of the illness is undiagnosed and still unknown.
Clinical signs include a sudden drop in milk production.
Some severely impacted cows are producing thicker, more concentrated, colostrum-like milk.
The problem causes a drop in feed consumption with a simultaneous drop in rumen function, accompanied by loose feces and some fever.
Impacted herds have reported older cows in mid-lactation may be more likely to be severely impacted than younger cows, fresh cows or heifers.
Dry cows and heifers do not appear to be affected.
Some herds have reported pneumonia and mastitis.

Texas officials say they are working with USDA to further monitor and evaluate reported cases.

“We’re trying to rule out infectious diseases in anything that might be related to feed or water or any kind of supplementation that these animals are receiving,” Dr. Lewis R. “Bud” Dinges, TAHC executive director and Texas state veterinarian, told Farm Journal.

“We’re trying to gather some management data as far as what herds are affected, what’s common to all the herds that are affected, and trying to do a good epidemiologic investigation here,” Dinges says. “It doesn’t appear to be an infectious disease, and we haven’t seen anything to prove that we need to stop movement on these cattle as of right now.”

Signs to Look For

Gingrich says both dairy producers and veterinarians should be on high alert and stay vigilant with biosecurity measures.

If you’re a dairy producer, Gingrich says these are some signs to look for:

Rapid onset of cows that aren’t eating
Either a drop in rumen activity or more feed in the bunk at the end of the day
A substantial loss in milk production

“These things are key,” says Gingrich. “Don’t just think you might have a bad batch of feed or that you have a respiratory outbreak and just need to vaccinate. If you see any of these issues, immediately call your veterinarian. I think that is important. I think the other thing that is important is, as with any disease, make sure you’re documenting it with good recordkeeping on who’s affected, when they are affected, et cetera. Good recordkeeping on sick cows applies to any disease. So I would encourage you to do that, as well.”

TAHC officials say they are working to find answers and will also continue to test.

“The unknown is not what we want to hear,” says Dinges. “We’re working on this around the clock to find an answer to what’s causing this in these cows.”

Track Your Time and Boost Farm Efficiency

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:51:32 GMT

Ensure your investment creates profitability

As much as 20% of your farm’s total cost of production is labor. Are you and your employees maximizing each hour? What is your ROI on that cost?

“If you’re not measuring something, you will never be able to improve it,” explains Chris Barron, a national financial consultant for Ag View Solutions , Iowa farmer and Top Producer columnist. “Time tracking is not for babysitting employees, it’s for managing the business professionally.”

Most farm operations have multiple profit centers, such as row crop production, a few hog buildings and a custom trucking enterprise. In using a time tracking app, such as TSheets , Timecamp , Harvest , Everhour or Time Doctor , you and your employees can easily note which hours are allocated to which enterprise.

“The whole purpose of time tracking is proper allocation from one profit center to the next, so you know where the profitability is coming from,” Barron explains. “We use TSheet and one of the reports I get at the end of the year is the total hours for every employee by each category.”

Listen to an episode of the Ag View Pitch where Chris Barron discusses tracking time:

Don’t let the process of tracking time overwhelm you, Barron suggests. When you start, keep it simple. Identify the profit centers to track and main responsibilities. Over time, you can determine areas where you many need to add manpower or even reduce it.

“Put everybody in the organization on the time tracking,” Barron says. “Then you can ask if the person doing each job is the most efficient. A lot of times that information isn’t evident until you track the time and compare each other.”

As with any business metric, the hard data may show your perception is different than the reality.

“I’ve personally tracked my time for three years now, and my perspective of the number of hours I was putting in was way different than what I actually put in,” he says. “That has helped me to structure my time more effectively.”

Know Where Your Hours Go

A personal time log is not about figuring out how much time you waste, explains Laura Vanderkam, time management expert and author . “It is about making sure we are not telling ourselves stories about our lives that are not actually true,” she says.
Use a time-tracking app, a spreadsheet or even a simple notebook. Three or four times a day, log what you’ve done since the last check in. Broad categories are fine, consistency is what matters, Vanderkam says. After a week, look at your log and add up some of the major categories (ex: work, sleep, time in the truck, reading, TV, exercise, etc.). Then ask yourself:

What do I like most about my schedule?
What do I want to do more of with my time?
What do I want to get off my plate?

“The answers are different for everyone, but having a clear sense of where the time goes, and how you feel about it, can help you make choices that get you closer to the life you want,” Vanderkam says.

Read More

Tick, Tock: 7 Ways to Maximize Your Time

Dripping Water Hollows Stone and Little Steps Finish Big Projects

Management Tip: Eliminate This Huge Time Waster

If You ‘Doctor’ Livestock, a New Rule Will Determine How or If You Can Buy Antibiotics

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 20:24:27 GMT

A move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon change the status of “medically important” antimicrobial drugs currently available over-the-counter (OTC) to prescription (Rx) use only.

The FDA guidance for industry #263 goes into effect on June 12, 2023.

If you have a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR), you will be able to get a prescription from your veterinarian to purchase antimicrobials from them or a distributor and use them, according to the FDA. Antibiotics are one category of antimicrobials.

If you don’t have a relationship with a licensed veterinarian, you won’t be able to purchase such products, many of which have long been available over-the-counter at your local co-op and farm supply store.

What Animals, Which Products?

The guidance applies to all food animals, including cattle, hogs, ruminants (goats/sheep) and poultry. In addition, it also applies to animals not intended for food, such as horses, pet rabbits and backyard chickens.

Products affected by the guidance include injectables such as penicillin, sulfa-based drugs, boluses, intramammary mastitis tubes and some topical products. Common brand names for some of the products include LA-200, Bio-Mycin and Terramycin, among others.

All such products will be available for your use on the farm through purchase from your veterinarian or with a veterinary prescription.

Why The Guidance Is Going Into Effect

Veterinarians are working to get the word out to farmers now to help them prepare and make a smooth transition next summer, says Sandra Stuttgen, a veterinarian and associate professor at the University of Wisconsin Division of Extension.

She says FDA’s ultimate goal is to keep antimicrobials effective for both human and animal health -- termed the One Health Initiative by the World Health Organization -- and prevent resistant bacteria from making such products ineffective.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States alone, at least 2 million people become infected annually with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. At least 23,000 people die each year as a result of these infections. The non-therapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs in animals that enter the food supply contributes to this problem, the CDC says.

The FDA supports judicious use of medically important antimicrobials in all settings. “Labeling changes as a result of GFI #263 are one example of how we can assist farmers and ranchers to strengthen their stewardship efforts when using these drugs,” FDA notes. (Learn more here: GFI #263: Frequently Asked Questions for Farmers and ... - FDA )

Some products will remain available for purchase over-the-counter, according to University of Nebraska’s Becky Funk, DVM, and Jesse Fulton.

They say some antiparasiticides, injectable and oral nutritional supplements, oral pro/prebiotics and topical non-antibiotic treatments will not be affected and will remain available through OTC marketing channels just as before.

Next Steps To Take

If you have an existing relationship with a veterinarian, you’re unlikely to notice much of an impact on your livestock management practices.

If you don’t have a veterinarian start talking with local practitioners and establish a relationship with one now, Stuttgen encourages.

“The veterinarian gets to know you and your (animals), and you can sit down with them to write standard operating procedures and routine drug orders so you can have an inventory on your farm,” she says. “So when Sunday afternoon happens and the (animal) gets sick, you don’t have to call the vet to come out, because you already have the relationship in place.”

3 Causes of Blood Calf Stools (Calf Scours)

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 17:44:07 GMT

The sight of bloody calf scours is a disturbing one, but the condition is not always fatal. University of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory director Keith Poulsen says pinpointing the cause of scours through diagnostics is the best approach to effective treatment, and prevention of future cases.

“The source of scours tends to follow a continuum consistent with age of the calf,” Poulsen told the audience at the recent Dairy Calf and Heifer Association annual conference. “Scours in the first few days of life is very challenging to diagnose. But after that, it becomes easier to nail down the cause based on how old the animal is.”

Poulsen pointed out that not all scours are caused by bacteria. Viruses and parasites also play a role, and inconsistent feeding or rapid dietary changes can upset the gut flora and cause “nutritional” scours.

“If you see bloody scours, they typically are the result of one of three organisms – Salmonella, coronavirus or coccidia” said Poulsen. “These three causes may overlap a bit in age, but knowing about the presence of blood, the calf’s age, and other factors such as seasonality, helps us zero in on the necessary diagnostic tests pretty quickly.” His descriptions of each organisms include:

Salmonella

The earliest cases of bloody scours likely will be caused by a strain of salmonella, and typically will surface when calves are 4 to 10 days old. Salmonella is a bacteria that likes the warm and humid summer temperatures, but is very adaptive to survive in odd environments like the dry and dusty corners of a calf barn. Poulsen stressed that there are many serotypes of salmonella that are pathogenic to calves, some of which also can be highly infective in humans. Salmonella Newport is one such zoonotic bacteria that frequent infects human caretakers. Salmonella Dublin, although uncommon, can cause serious illness in humans. Salmonella Heidelberg has emerged recently as a highly potent calf-killer, causing death losses in 25 to 60% of affected calves in as swiftly as 4 to 8 hours. S. Heidelberg is resistant to many antibiotics, and has now been diagnosed in people and cattle in 17 states.

Coronavirus

Coronavirus and its usual companion, rotavirus, surface in calves from about 5 to 30 days of age. While the two often occur in tandem, coronavirus is the one that causes bloody scours, and also may cause respiratory symptoms. About 70% of adult cows shed coronavirus in their feces, and it has a long survival life on-farm, surviving in manure for up to 9 months. Often called “winter dysentery,” coronavirus loves cold weather, and also can be spread from calf-to-calf.

Coccidiosis

Infection by the coccidia parasite can occur from 1-2 weeks to several months of age. The parasite has a 3-week incubation period from the time of infection to the shedding infectious parasites into the environment. Most of these infections (95%) are subclinical, but other stressors on the animal, and/or an overwhelming dose of coccidia will cause visible symptoms, including the tell-tale presence of blood in the stool. Coccidiosis occurs more frequently in warm, moist climates; a hard frost is helpful in breaking its reproduction cycle in the environment.

How do you treat a calf with blood in its stool?

Interestingly, the three causes of bloody scours are three different types of organisms – a bacteria, a virus and a parasite. Poulsen stressed that antibiotics only are effective on bacteria. And even if the cause is a bacterial, not every bug will succumb to every drug.

“This shows the importance of diagnostic work,” he stated. “For example, coronavirus often is confused with Salmonella because they present similar symptoms in a parallel timeframe. But effectively treating and preventing the two diseases requires different approaches.”

In all cases of calf scours, Poulsen said supportive therapy such as extra fluids and pain management often will best serve the calf. If the cause is bacterial, antibiotic sensitivity testing may be necessary to select the most effective treatment and bring an outbreak under control.

“The more information you and your veterinarian can provide at the beginning of the diagnostic process, the more helpful information you will receive back,” stated Poulsen. “We strive to provide answers in a timely and cost-effective manner, which we can do best with more information at the start.”

For more on calf management, read:

Derecho Damage Forces Dairy Farmer to Relocate 1,700 Cows Overnight – A Not-So-Easy Feat

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

The damage that hit eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota after last week’s derecho – a large-scale windstorm with 90-to 100-mph straight winds, blasted the area. Unfortunately, the damage is still being felt by many farmers throughout the region.

Todd Heitkamp, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said that the most severe damage hit parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota.

“The damage is extensive, but it could have been a lot worse,” Heitkamp said.

In Estelline, Global Dairy can’t really imagine it being much worse after they received a gut punch when the derecho plowed through its farm. The storm’s impact took out their main parallel parlor that milks 1,700 cows after its roof collapsed. Altogether, Global Dairy milks 2,800 cows in one of two milking parlors. No injuries were reported, but the dairy’s main parlor was immediately put out of service.

Meanwhile, those 1,700 cows still needed a place to be milked twice daily.

Victory Farms to the Rescue

Kevin Souza, owner of Victory Farms in Milbank, says the storm just produced wind and rain and didn’t impact his farm very much. Souza and his family milked on an older facility until November 2015, when they built a new farm nine miles away. Today, Victory Farms milks 5,500 cows.

After the storm came through, Souza received some text messages that showed pictures of the damage at Global Dairy. He then immediately reached out to Arjan Blok, one of Global Dairy’s owners to see if there was anything they could do to help.

“They told me, ‘Yeah, we need a place to milk 1,700 cows,’” Souza said.

The duo has had a longstanding relationship and Souza had a double-30 parallel milking parlor and free stall barn that once milked 3,000 cows sitting empty.

“We had some heifers housed there, but the parlor wasn’t being used,” he says. “We ran the wash cycle weekly for two years after we stopped milking at the old parlor to keep it in good shape.”

Good Odds

The odds of finding one location to house and milk 1,700 cows were slim, but Global Dairy was immensely grateful that they found a location big enough to take in all the cows impacted by the storm.

Souza reports their dairies are located 48 miles apart. “So, not super close. It’s kind of a haul.”

Twenty semis showed up after Suzanne Souza, Kevin’s wife, began asking on social media if anyone could help haul cows. And help they did.

“It took about 40 semi loads to get all the cattle hauled from Global Dairy to our old farm,” Souza reports.

The cows were a bit noisy coming off their trailers and took some time to adjust to their temporary new home. Souza said the first few milkings took a bit of work to get the cows through the parlor, even though they both milk in parallel parlors.

“They have been through a lot,” he shared. “It took a few milkings of having to push cows through the parlors, but they’ve adjusted fine.”

Souza couldn’t just flip a switch to begin milking in a parlor that had been vacant for six and half years. He got in contact with their dairy equipment dealer, Valley Dairy Supply and asked if it was possible to start milking again.

“We hadn’t got rid of any of the equipment in the parlor,” Souza reports. “Everything was intact.”

Within six hours, the parlor was up and running and soon Global Dairy’s cows were milked at Victory Farms’ original farm.

Victory Farms moved their heifers into empty corrals to free up space to house Global Dairy’s cows.

Global Dairy brought their own employees down to Millbank to begin milking cows.

Souza reports that trucks are racking up miles, as Global Dairy hauls feed up to Millbank to feed their cows.

“They’re loading silage and haylage and stuff and getting it trucked here,” Souza adds.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Not sure of an exact timeframe, Souza says it could take six to eight months, or maybe a year before Global Dairy’s parlor is back up and running.

“It doesn’t matter how long,” Souza says. “Arjan is one of those guys that is always willing to help others out. So, when he called needing help, it was a pretty easy decision to help him out because he’s that type of person to everyone else.”

In the meantime, Victory Farms is helping mix feed to ensure Global Dairy’s cattle are fed, but shares that once they get an employee trained to feed, they’ll take over from there.

“It takes a team of people to make it all work. My employees, my son-in-law, our hoof trimmer and our manager all spent about two days helping them out,” he says.

Souza reports that Global Dairy has started hauling feeding equipment in.

Global Dairy’s milk goes to Valley Queen, located seven miles away from the vacant dairy that now houses their cows.

Souza reports that additional dairies were also impacted by the storm, stating Hammink Dairy located in Bruce, S.D., also lost its rotary parlor’s roof.

Souza asks for no praise; just say this is what neighbors do. Global Dairy also thanked everyone for helping out and realizes it truly takes a team to run a dairy, especially after losing its milking parlor unexpectedly after the storm.

Evan Grong the transportation and milk procurement manager with Valley Queen said while there were no interruptions to processing or milk hauling at Valley Queen, storm damage across the region did cause interruptions at the farm level that required a couple of their producers to relocate cows or make alternative arrangements, and some of that milk was not able to be sold.

“In spite of the destruction some producers faced, they worked incredibly quickly to find solutions for their herds,” Grong says. “All cows on our supplying dairy farms were being milked within 24 hours after the storm.”

Video

Researchers Hope To 'Predict and Prevent' Future Pandemics

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 16:30:59 GMT

While the bulk of the current research on COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is focused on its impact and transmission in humans, a group of researchers at Ohio State University is testing animals and “environmental reservoirs” for the virus, says Vanessa Hale, DVM, PhD, assistant professor of veterinary preventative medicine at Ohio State University.

“We have an incredible team of over 20 researchers looking for the virus in all of the environments outside of humans,” Hale told AgriTalk Host Chip Flory on Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the virus causing Covid-19 most likely jumped from one animal species to another before entering the human population and is highly unlikely to have leaked from a laboratory, a WHO investigative team said during a news conference in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Hale says the OSU research team’s objective is to see if it can find potential reservoirs of the Covid-19 virus in water or animals and to assess the risk to animal health and potential re-entry into the human population. In addition, the team is also studying mutations.

“So, we’ve been hearing a lot about variants the past couple of weeks and concerns about variants that may spread faster,” Hale says. “We’re trying to understand, (will) we see this virus in animals? Is the virus changing in a way that is concerning?”

The good news to date is the researchers have not detected a single positive result in more than 1,000 animal samples evaluated throughout Ohio.

“We’ve not seen a single SARS-CoV-2 positive in any of those animals,” Hale says. “That includes shelter cats, farm animals at agricultural fairs around the state and wildlife.”

The testing and evaluation work has been done in partnership with hunters and trappers and also with organizations such as Ohio metro parks and the Ohio Wildlife Center.

There have been reports from other states that mink have been infected with the virus. Hale notes that mustelids, in general, are highly susceptible to the virus. “They can have clinical signs, get quite ill and die from the disease,” she says.

According to an article published by The Atlantic on December 8, COVID-19 cases had been confirmed in animals at 16 mink farms in four states: 12 in Utah, one in Michigan, one in Oregon, and two in Wisconsin (see https://bit.ly/3cVZyzW).

No problems in Ohio have been identified, though Hale says the OSU team plans to check for it in wild mink populations in the state.

“Our goal is to see if we can find this virus anywhere else outside of humans, and then use that information to figure out how we can predict and prevent future pandemics,” she says. “We want to know if there is going to be a reservoir and if that reservoir is going to pose a problem to animal or human health.”

The complete discussion on AgriTalk is available here: