ST PAUL, Minn. — A rise in bird flu cases has turkey farmers across the state on alert.
The Minnesota Board of Animal Health confirmed 11 new outbreaks in five counties this month, including Becker, Blue Earth, Kandiyohi, Meeker and Redwood.
This is the same outbreak that was first reported in March of 2022, which has now killed the most birds ever.
University of Minnesota Extension educator Abby Schuft says about 350,000 birds have died in this latest round.
"It's just something that we're having to deal with on a regular basis," said Schuft. "It's still devastating when we have cases."
The virus is mostly spread by migratory bird droppings, and this time, was found in two backyard flocks and nine commercial farms. According to federal rules, once the virus is detected, entire flocks have to be eliminated and that's hitting farmers hard.
"That's their business, that's their income, but it's also part of their heart because that's their passion," said Schuft. "So, it can make a really large impact on their mental health."
Schuft's job at the U of M is to educate workers and the public about how to stop the spread. That includes limiting visitors, since last year's data showed 15% of cases were spread by people.
"The farms aren't closing to the public because they have something to hide, that's absolutely the farthest from the truth," said Schuft. "That's part of bio security and essentially battening down the hatches."
Minnesota is the top turkey producer in the country and it's still safe to eat.
Schuft says the supply is also still stable and should keep prices that way, too, as many people start to look ahead to Thanksgiving.
"It might have to do with the price of feed product and labor shortages, it's just not but going to be blamed on our avian flu event that we're having," said Schuft.
The other good news is many of the migratory birds are leaving the area, and hopefully taking the virus with it. However, Schuft predicts the virus isn't going away. She says there's new evidence wild waterfowl are developing their own antibodies to protect against it.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: