Farm Progress Dairies in Michigan and Idaho confirm HPAI-positive cows with a virus strain similar to one in Texas and Kansas.
For more than two years, backyard flocks and the commercial poultry industry have been combating highly pathogenic avian influenza. Now, the virus has infected dairy cows in five states, including Michigan.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced March 29 that it had confirmed HPAI in a “large” Montcalm County commercial dairy operation of more than 500 cows, with about 10% testing positive for the virus.
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed cows in Texas, Kansas and Michigan were positive for the virus, and there were presumptive positive test results for additional herds in New Mexico and Idaho.