We reported on April 2 that In America's turkey industry, SD producers hit hardest by highly pathogenic avian influenza. Since then, the disease has also battered Minnesota's poultry flocks.
HPAI was first confirmed in Minnesota in two flocks on March 25.
At the West Central Tribune, News Editor Susan Lunneborg reports in More than 1 million birds affected by avian flu outbreak in Minnesota:
An additional six poultry flocks diagnosed with avian flu April 5 have pushed the state of Minnesota over 1 million birds affected by the outbreak.
According to the state Board of Animal Health's daily web update posted Wednesday, the inventory of flocks diagnosed with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza is 1,017,568.
Twenty-one infection sites have been identified in the state since the first cases of the disease — which is fatal to domestic poultry — were confirmed March 25, according to the Board of Animal Health.
Five commercial flocks of meat turkeys were diagnosed April 5 and included in Wednesday's update, as well as one commercial poultry slaughter location in Waseca County, the first infection site in that county and the first report from a slaughter operation.
A newly diagnosed flock of 128,000 turkeys in Meeker County is the second site in that county, and a flock of 41,350 in Stearns County is the fourth there. Morrison County now has four sites, including the two new reports posted Wednesday: flocks of 27,675 and 105,335. And a flock of 52,000 in Big Stone County is the first infection reported in the far western Minnesota county.
Other previously confirmed sites include four in Kandiyohi County and single sites in Becker, Dodge, Lac qui Parle, LeSueur and Mower counties.
Most of the infections have been diagnosed in commercial turkey flocks — both meat turkeys and breeder hens. Two reports have been backyard poultry producers.
The Board of Animal Health web page on the avian flu response at bah.state.mn.us/hpai is updated each weekday.
We haven't seen more coverage of HPAI in South Dakota, but a look at the Wednesday, April 6 postings of 2022 Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks at the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), we find that five more commercial turkey flocks in South Dakota--a total of 217,257 birds--have joined the 806,000 turkeys in 18 flocks that Successful Farming's Chuck Abbott reported on April 1 in Turkey Losses to Bird Flu Jump by One-Fifth in New Outbreaks.
That's a total of 1,023,257 infected birds in South Dakota, to Minnesota's 1,017,568. There does seem to be a tendency to larger flocks in Minnesota, however, so we suspect that the Rushmore State will be eclipsed soon by the North Star State.
There's a somewhat different story in the Des Moines Register, which focuses on the commercial chicken egg production industry. Donnelle Eller reports in Bird flu pushing up egg prices, shrinking supplies as Iowa, nation head into Easter, Passover:
Egg prices are climbing and supplies are tight going into Easter and Passover, analysts say, with bird flu outbreaks forcing the destruction of millions of laying hens, including nearly 13 million in Iowa, the nation's largest egg producer.
The wholesale price for a dozen large eggs was $3.01 Wednesday, said Karyn Rispoli, an analyst at Urner Barry, a market research organization. It's more than double last month's price and nearly three times the cost a year ago, Urner Barry's data shows.
That price was 8 cents short of the record set at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rispoli said. Prices "seem to have leveled off," she said. "But with the X factor of bird flu, it's anyone's guess what happens from here."
A dozen large eggs sold for $2.99 online Wednesday at Iowa's two largest grocery chains, Fareway and Hy-Vee. The companies declined to comment, referring questions to industry groups.
On Wednesday, the Storm Lake Times reported that Rembrandt Enterprises, a northwest Iowa egg producer, had laid off more than 200 employees after a bird flu outbreak at its facility forced the destruction of 5.3 million laying hens. Rembrandt did not respond to requests from the Des Moines Register for comment, but it had filed notice with the state that it intended to lay off 135 workers. . . .
But even with large losses like the one reported at Rembrandt, bird flu is impacting only about 5% of the nation's flock. That's not "enough to cause widespread shortages," [American Egg Board spokesman Marc] Dresner said, adding that farmers are working to "minimize the disruption of supply."
Brian Earnest, lead protein economist at CoBank, part of Farm Credit Services of America, said he thinks consumers could see spot shortages as families gather to dye eggs for Easter hunts or prepare roasted boiled eggs for Seder plates as part of the Passover tradition.
Earnest said egg supplies have yet to return to the levels they reached before the global pandemic hit, cutting demand from schools, hotels and other food service venues as the nation closed down.
The nation's transition to cage-free eggs to meet state and corporate requirements for humane treatment of birds is pushing flock sizes lower, as well, he said.
The U.S. table egg layer flock has shrunk from a record 340 million head in April 2019 to about 322 million, Earnest wrote in a recent note.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza is whittling the flock even more, with about 16.8 million laying hens destroyed as of Tuesday, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. In addition, the Iowa Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday that 46,000 turkeys had been destroyed after an outbreak at a facility in Hardin County. . . .
There's much more about the nation's egg supply at the Des Moines Register, but our dear readers will need to subcribe to the paper to read it.
Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, some members of the Minnesota House Agriculture Committee expressed concern that the differences in the Minnesota House version of the drought relief bill--passed on the House floor on March 10--and the Minnesota Senate drought bill--passed on March 31--might unduly burden Minnesota's poultry industry as the avian flu sweeps through the barns.
It's that doggone money in the House bill--requested last year by the Walz administration--for enabling the DNR to replaced young trees that perished in the drought--that gives Republicans the fantods. Oh the delays.
We see a different picture. If only the Senate Ag Committee, chaired by Torrey Westrom, had spent February dealing with drought relief, rather than as a star chamber reviewing the perceived oppression of deer farmers by state efforts to contain Chronic Wasting Disease. Perhaps drought relief could have been passed by both chambers in early March. Knowing that HPAI was on its way, aid for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Minnesota could have been secured.
Even now, we're puzzled by the notion that the Minnesota Legislature is unable to provide drought relief to two agencies. It's like paying two clients, employees or bills. Neither need robs from the other, so both can be serviced.
Lyndon Johnson famously said that Gerald Ford was unable to walk (or something) and chew gum at the same time. In this case, the legislative pity party for farmers appears to live with the same limitations. Why not call a genial conference committee and get the job done for drought-stricken farmers and foresters, as Minnesota's fowl industry as well?
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Photo: Turkeys in a commercial production barn.
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