CVM Researchers Lead Effort to Track Bird Flu’s Threat to Minnesota Wildlife

Jan 08, 2025

With $1.267 million in funding approved by Governor Tim Walz on Jan. 3, researchers from the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine will lead a collaborative effort to address highly pathogenic avian influenza and its emerging threat to Minnesota wildlife.

For two years, highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as “bird flu” or HPAI, has made headlines for its devastating impact on free-ranging birds, free-ranging mammals and the poultry industry. More information is emerging about its spread to cows and humans, yet little is known about its impact on wild animals.

Through the Emerging Issues Account, the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) recommended expedited funds for more research into HPAI’s impact on Minnesota wildlife. The account supports efforts to address unexpected and urgent needs, especially those where a delay could threaten natural resources or human health. This timing is critical to prepare for a potential resurgence of HPAI this spring.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine is uniquely equipped to advance Minnesota's health and well-being through cutting-edge research, workforce development, and exceptional diagnostic and clinical services,” said Laura Molgaard, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Our interdisciplinary approach is a key asset in addressing the connections between human and animal health and finding solutions to this critical issue for Minnesota.”

College of Veterinary Medicine professors Arno Wuenschmann and Declan Schroeder aim at establishing a Minnesota wildlife virus surveillance program, collaborating with state, federal and tribal biologists; wildlife rehabilitation centers; zoos; the Humane Society’s wildlife unit and others.

The team will:

Establish a wildlife health network of rehabilitators and tribal biologists that will be trained to safely collect and submit samples to the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Collect and test 9,000 samples from free-ranging birds and mammals across the state for HPAI virus.
Run a newly established assay, developed in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Schroeder Lab, that quickly confirms the presence of live HPAI virus in samples. Results will be reported to submitters in real time.

Source : umn.edu

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.