Despite the threat of bird flu, the show at the World Dairy Expo goes on

Josh Gerbitz was last in the show ring at the World Dairy Expo as a child. This year he’s at the annual event to watch a family friend’s children show off his Jersey cow, Captain.

The two-year-old cow is put on a special diet and given four baths a week to keep her looking her best at the Expo, which brings some of North America’s best cows to Madison each fall.

But Gerbitz said the emergence of bird flu in dairy herds across the country initially caused him and other Expo attendees some concern.

“(Illness is) always something we had to be aware of, but this year there was probably a little bit of increased awareness of it,” he said. “But since everyone tested and our cow came back negative. We had a really good feeling that we could still come this year. And I’m glad it didn’t do anything to hinder the execution of this show.”

There have been no cases of the H5N1 virus in dairy herds in Wisconsin. But bird flu has infected at least 256 flocks in 14 states since it was first discovered in March.

While dairy herds do not experience high mortality rates from the virus, unlike domestic poultry, the disease causes losses in milk production and has been transmitted to some dairy workers.

Emily Yeiser Stepp, a member of the World Dairy Expo board of directors, said they began discussing how the new disease in cattle might impact the event back in March. She said they worked with the federal and state departments of agriculture to ensure participants complied with required flu testing.

The World Dairy Expo had more than 3,000 registrations this year, which Yeiser Stepp said is likely a record for the event.

“It hasn’t necessarily had as negative an impact on the numbers as we might have expected,” said Yeiser Stepp, who also works for the National Milk Producers Federation. “I think this is just a great demonstration of everyone pulling together and working to find solutions while protecting the animal health component.”

Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory, said there has been no evidence of flu spread at cow shows and shows across the country this summer, which he attributed to testing requirements.

In addition to running the lab that performs flu testing on Wisconsin cows, Poulsen is one of the showground veterinarians who keeps an eye on the cows’ health. He said he was happy to see the number of participants not being affected by fears of the virus.

“I think it’s really important for the dairy industry to keep moving and then understand how we can use best practices to minimize our risk,” he said.

Following the incident, Poulsen said ongoing wastewater surveillance will also monitor avian influenza in the state, in addition to testing conducted at the state laboratory. He said researchers need more farm data to understand how the virus is spreading in other states. But many farms remain cautious about testing because they fear a positive test could harm their business.

Yeiser Stepp said she believes there is growing interest in collecting more data from affected operations and preparing for how the industry can deal with the disease long-term.

She said the World Dairy Expo provides an opportunity for dairy producers to work together during difficult times, whether due to illness or low milk prices.

“There is a feeling that as an industry we can overcome these challenges,” she said. “I believe that is why people come to the Expo, to ensure that this feeling of positivity is renewed at this event year after year.”