Required testing of cows for the avian flu has not affected the overall numbers of dairy participants in this year’s Iowa State Fair but it has changed the configuration a bit.
Heifers — female cattle that have yet to be bred and produce milk — outnumber producing dairy cows this year, said Mike Eilers, superintendent of dairy cattle for the fair, though “overall, the numbers are similar to last year.”
“I think where in the past producers might have brought five cows and five heifers, they just brought all heifers this year,” Eilers said.
It's a practical consideration. With milking a suspected vector for the virus, the fair shut down its I Milked a Cow activity as well as the milk parlor in the dairy barn. Exhibitors with cows needing to be milked while at the fair had to bring their own equipment and then dispose of the milk, Eilers said.
Also, he said, many of the producers keep heifers at separate locations where the animals are not in contact with the cows being milked.
The precautions did not diminish the quality of livestock being shown, he said.
“We had one of the best heifer shows we’ve ever had this year,” he said.
No cases detected at Iowa dairies since late June, but contagion continues
A report from the American Veterinary Medical Association says the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to have no concerns about the commercial milk supply because milk from infected animals is being diverted or destroyed and milk for human consumption is pasteurized, which kills bacteria and viruses.
The virus, also known as H5N1, began spreading to dairy farms across the country beginning in March. Since the virus spreads from cow to cow, moving animals is a recognized risk for spreading the disease, according to the AMVA.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced in June announced that the state would require testing of cows for the virus within a week of when they are slated for transport to fairs or shows.
“The Department is issuing a statewide order effective July 1 that will require additional tests... prior to dairy cattle participating at our state’s many fairs and exhibitions,” Naig said in a news release. “We want to strike a balance between allowing our 4-H, FFA and dairy exhibitors the opportunity to show their animals, while also requiring additional testing to protect our livestock and minimize the potential spread of the virus.”
In addition to cows bound to fairs and shows, lactating cows being transported across state borders also have to be tested under a U.S. Department of Agriculture order.
In July, Iowa State University announced researchers there had found cells vulnerable to the virus in bovine mammary glands — suggesting that spread could be occurring through the use of milking machines on multiple cows..
Iowa has recorded 13 outbreaks of the virus in dairy herds, all in the far northwest corner of the state. The most recent Iowa case was reported on June 27, but Dot Dash Meredith publication Successful Farming reports outbreaks have continued this month in Colorado and Texas.
Eilers said he is hopeful that with additional testing being done and no new cases being reported, operations can return to normal as soon as next year’s fair.
“Hopefully this is not something that lasts for years,” Eilers said.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Despite bird flu worries, number of dairy exhibitors at Iowa State Fair similar to 2023
Most Popular
Comments / 0