So, kind of a funny headline, right? As I read further I found very little to laugh at!
As this 'Avian' flu begins to decimate our dairy and cattle operations--after blasting the egg business---it is now spreading to the human population. 4 workers sick.
All parties agree the numbers are under-reported.
If this continues, and mandatory culling becomes the only solution....the price of dairy--through the roof.
In Michigan this year, where dairy workers and herds have fallen ill from bird flu, a pair of unlikely prized cows are being prepped to take the state fair stage.
State fair organizers are this year featuring Milkshake and Buttercup, two life-sized fiberglass cows complete with rubber teats and water-filled udders, for a popular milking demo.
The head of the Minnesota State Fair's Moo Booth came up with a similar work around for its hands-on milking event: a fake dairy cow named Olympia.
"Normally, we'd have a real cow out there," said Jill Nathe, the fair's deputy general manager of agriculture and competition. "We just can't do that right now."
As avian influenza continues to spread, infecting cattle herds for the first time this year as well as four dairy workers, U.S. state and county fair organizers have been forced to reimagine nostalgic summer traditions long celebrated by city and rural folk alike.
For farmers and students eager for blue ribbons and bragging rights, the outbreak has forced them to navigate new testing rules and manage logistical headaches in order to obtain a clean bill of health for animals before entering the show ring.
State and local officials say they are trying to protect people and animals from the H5N1 virus as some dairy farmers have declined to test their herds. Experts worry that further transmission of the virus could help it adapt to spread between humans.
The risk of viral spread among herds prompted some county fairs in Michigan to cancel dairy shows, while the Iowa State Fair shuttered its milking barn.
In Minnesota, state fair staff procured extra gloves and face shields from COVID-era stockpiles for the livestock crew, and kept pregnant dairy cows out of the fair's birthing center.
The U.S. bird-flu outbreak in dairy cattle is much larger than official figures suggest due to farmers' reluctance to test their animals and risk the economic consequences of a positive result, according to Reuters interviews with dairy experts, veterinarians, and farmers in six states with known cases.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has counted bird flu in about 190 dairy herds in 13 states since March. The virus's jump from birds to cows heightened concerns that it could adapt to spread among humans. Scientists have warned that limited surveillance could weaken the U.S.' ability to respond to further human spread.
Thirteen dairy and poultry farm workers have been infected with bird flu this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As this 'Avian' flu begins to decimate our dairy and cattle operations--after blasting the egg business---it is now spreading to the human population. 4 workers sick.
All parties agree the numbers are under-reported.
If this continues, and mandatory culling becomes the only solution....the price of dairy--through the roof.
In Michigan this year, where dairy workers and herds have fallen ill from bird flu, a pair of unlikely prized cows are being prepped to take the state fair stage.
State fair organizers are this year featuring Milkshake and Buttercup, two life-sized fiberglass cows complete with rubber teats and water-filled udders, for a popular milking demo.
The head of the Minnesota State Fair's Moo Booth came up with a similar work around for its hands-on milking event: a fake dairy cow named Olympia.
"Normally, we'd have a real cow out there," said Jill Nathe, the fair's deputy general manager of agriculture and competition. "We just can't do that right now."
As avian influenza continues to spread, infecting cattle herds for the first time this year as well as four dairy workers, U.S. state and county fair organizers have been forced to reimagine nostalgic summer traditions long celebrated by city and rural folk alike.
For farmers and students eager for blue ribbons and bragging rights, the outbreak has forced them to navigate new testing rules and manage logistical headaches in order to obtain a clean bill of health for animals before entering the show ring.
State and local officials say they are trying to protect people and animals from the H5N1 virus as some dairy farmers have declined to test their herds. Experts worry that further transmission of the virus could help it adapt to spread between humans.
The risk of viral spread among herds prompted some county fairs in Michigan to cancel dairy shows, while the Iowa State Fair shuttered its milking barn.
In Minnesota, state fair staff procured extra gloves and face shields from COVID-era stockpiles for the livestock crew, and kept pregnant dairy cows out of the fair's birthing center.
The U.S. bird-flu outbreak in dairy cattle is much larger than official figures suggest due to farmers' reluctance to test their animals and risk the economic consequences of a positive result, according to Reuters interviews with dairy experts, veterinarians, and farmers in six states with known cases.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has counted bird flu in about 190 dairy herds in 13 states since March. The virus's jump from birds to cows heightened concerns that it could adapt to spread among humans. Scientists have warned that limited surveillance could weaken the U.S.' ability to respond to further human spread.
Thirteen dairy and poultry farm workers have been infected with bird flu this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last edited:
