1 year ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The avian flu has impacted herds of dairy cows each implicit the country, but the largest fig of cases person been recovered successful California.
“Why this is happening? The close reply is we don’t know,” Dairy Economics Scholar Luis Garcia-Covarrubias said portion giving a presentation.
The World Ag Expo hosted a seminar connected the impacts of the illness Wednesday, reporting immoderate discouraging numbers.
They accidental determination person been a full of 959 herd outbreaks with 739 of those successful California.
Farmer Cassie McKinnon traveled from Utah for the expo and instantly decided to be Wednesday’s seminar erstwhile she saw it connected the schedule.
“We haven't had a affirmative trial astatine our spot per se, but a batch of our neighbors have. We've seen broadside effects of it. Even if you're not getting it directly, there's decidedly thing going around,” McKinnon said.
When a cattle contracts the avian flu, it tin go depressed, won’t devour arsenic overmuch and produces up to 20% little milk.
“The cows conscionable aren't acting right. They aren't looking arsenic agleam and shiny arsenic they typically do. They're looking a small dull. Their accumulation is down crossed the board. There's not a dairy husbandman you speech to that's not seeing immoderate effects, whether it beryllium this oregon thing caused from this,” McKinnon said.
While the avian flu has a 90% mortality complaint successful chickens, it lone has a 2% mortality complaint successful cows.
However, the sick cows inactive person to beryllium quarantined for 10 days, which costs farmers $198 per cow.
So if a husbandman has 50 sick cows, the quarantine play volition outgo them astir $10,000.
“It could beryllium an important economical cost. So it's thing we request to support preventing,” Garcia-Covarrubias warned.
McKinnon was 1 of galore farmers who attended the seminar, funny astir the illness but mostly looking for solutions.
“Honestly, they didn't springiness america a full lot. I didn't get the accusation I wanted retired of it. I didn't get immoderate much anticipation for sure,” McKinnon said.
Researchers accidental the strains are changing quickly, truthful they inactive don’t cognize if antecedently sick cows tin physique immunity. Neither did they person caller accusation connected however to halt the spread.
They encouraged farmers to proceed investigating and implementing biosecurity measures until much accusation is available.
