Snow is now on the ground in Des Moines. With this cold snap, it is safe to say that winter has arrived. It comes with many challenges and frustrations, but there are also positives. One of those positives is the expected seasonal slowdown of H5N1 or High-Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig talked with us about how things are going now. We haven’t had any major outbreaks, but the length of the warm fall may complicate the pace at which we see the disease go dormant. The mantra from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) is the same. Maintain your vigilance. Do not shirk your biosecurity measure. This is not a time to rely on Mother Nature.
A couple of weeks ago we saw the first cases of HPAI in hogs. We knew that this was just going to be a matter of time. There is no reason to panic, but Secretary Naig highlights what IDALS is doing to prepare.
Naig says that in a state so agriculturally diverse and contained as Iowa, it is imperative that livestock producers of all kinds keep their eyes open.
