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Spring migration nears end, but avian flu concerns persist

Ag officials in the Upper Midwest remain on alert as spring migration winds down.

Minnesota ag commissioner Thom Petersen tells Brownfield highly pathogenic avian influenza has been hit or miss in recent years.

“This is the time of the year where we’ve seen cases, and it’s really been different. Sometimes we’ve seen a lot of cases in the spring, and then sometimes the cases come in the fall.”

He says the virus is present in the environment.

“We see it in wild animals, but it seems to be down right now, knock on wood. But we are seeing cases in Indiana and Ohio, they’ve been hit really hard. So we know it’s around, it’s just a question of where it’s going to migrate to.”

Petersen encourages producers to keep improving biosecurity as the industry looks to rebuild flocks.