Michigan Confirms Bovine TB in Dairy Herd

Farm Journal logo

The Alpena County farm is quarantined, and no cattle may enter or leave the premises until testing clears the cattle and farm of the disease.

Routine bovine Tuberculosis (TB) surveillance testing conducted by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) and USDA recently confirmed a medium size dairy herd as bovine TB-positive in Alpena County, the Michigan agency announced June 22.

Bovine TB is an infectious bacterial disease that affects cattle and white-tailed deer in Michigan’s northeastern Lower Peninsula.

The Alpena County farm is currently quarantined and no cattle may enter or leave the premises until testing clears the cattle and farm of bovine TB, either through premises depopulation, or a test and remove process.

“Our surveillance testing is vital to helping us return all of Michigan to TB-Free status,” said Dr. James Averill, Animal Industry Division Director at MDARD. “In addition to surveillance testing, farmers are employing tools to keep deer away from their cattle, which will help Michigan have fewer TB positive herds.”

A public information meeting will be held on July 12, 2012 at 7 p.m. in Lecture Room 101 of the Donnelly Natural Resources Center at Alpena Community College, 665 Johnson Street, in Alpena, Mich.

Northeastern Lower Michigan is designated as a Modified Accredited Zone (MAZ) and is comprised of Alcona, Alpena, Montmorency, and Oscoda counties. The MAZ is a USDA designation for the purposes of controlled cattle movement, TB testing, and disease eradication.

Since the bovine TB eradication effort began, all of Michigan's 14,000 cattle farms have undergone TB testing. Since 1998, MDARD and USDA have detected 54 TB positive cattle herds and four privately owned cervid operations in the northern section of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

In 2011, Presque Isle County’s TB status became Modified Accredited Advanced (MAA), which is one step closer to becoming bovine TB-Free. The MAA Zone now includes Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Otsego, and Presque Isle counties. The Upper Peninsula is Bovine TB-Free; additionally in 2011, USDA moved the lower 57 counties of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula to TB-Free status as well.

Since 1995, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has tested more than 188,000 free-ranging white-tailed deer with 703 testing positive for bovine TB. Strategies adopted by the DNR to reduce bovine TB in free-ranging white-tailed deer have reduced the apparent prevalence of the disease from the high in 1995 of 4.9 percent to 1.2 percent in Deer Management Unit 452 in 2011.

 

 

Latest News

APHIS Now Thinks Wild Birds Are to Blame for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza's Arrival on Four U.S. Dairies
APHIS Now Thinks Wild Birds Are to Blame for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza's Arrival on Four U.S. Dairies

The livestock industry continues to grapple with the first confirmed cases of HPAI in cattle, while federal and state agencies continue to assure consumers there's no concern about the safety of the U.S. milk supply.

Success is All in the Details at Kansas Dairy Development
Success is All in the Details at Kansas Dairy Development

Kansas Dairy Development provides temporary housing for up to 80,000 head of cattle — from a few days old to springers nearly ready to calve. Their formula for success is all in the details.

Skills Survey Reveals U.S. Agriculture & Food Industry Workforce Needs and Gaps
Skills Survey Reveals U.S. Agriculture & Food Industry Workforce Needs and Gaps

U.S. employers report challenges in finding suitable job candidates with work-ready skills to fill open roles in ag. The AgCareers.com U.S. Skills Survey offers insights, data and trends to address skill development.

Built Out of Love: How Two Sisters Created a Super-Fast-Growing Yogurt Company
Built Out of Love: How Two Sisters Created a Super-Fast-Growing Yogurt Company

Travel to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, and you’ll meet Hayley and Stephanie Painter who not only made the Forbes 30 under 30 list, but have also created one of the fastest growing yogurt company in the U.S.

"Boring" Technology Will Reshape Dairy Over the Next 10 Years
"Boring" Technology Will Reshape Dairy Over the Next 10 Years

Once a technology becomes a boring experience it means it has become proven, well-adopted, and easy to utilize. There are three "boring" technologies silently shaping the industry.

Influential Dairy Leaders Awarded World Dairy Expo Recognition Awards
Influential Dairy Leaders Awarded World Dairy Expo Recognition Awards

World Dairy Expo is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2024 Expo Recognition Awards. These individuals have made remarkable contributions to the dairy industry and their communities.