Six Idaho Dairy Farms Have the Avian Flu. Here’s What You Need to Know

May 21, 2024

By Monica Esquivel

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture confirmed on Friday avian flu had been detected in a dairy operation for the first time in Minidoka County.

Last week, two farms in Jerome County also tested positive. The first three cases were detected in early April in Cassia County after a farm there received cows from an affected dairy in Texas.

State Veterinarian Dr. Scott Leibsle said about 10 to 20% of cows in affected facilities have tested positive and the economic impact to farmers has been significant.

“What you're seeing is, is a drop in milk production and a drop in feed intake for about that period of time. And then once the symptoms resolve and once the cattle recover, for the most part they're able to return to production,” Dr. Leibsle said.

He said while a large number of cattle have gotten sick, few cases have been fatal and most recover in 10 to 15 days. Poultry cases, however, are lethal and present a greater economic loss.

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Video: Farm Health Guardian | Digital Biosecurity in Real Time

Disease risk, biosecurity, and real-time monitoring continue to be major topics across the pork industry. In this episode of Swine Web Industry Perspectives, presented by Farm Health Guardian, we discuss how digital biosecurity and real-time data are changing the way producers think about herd protection, people movement, and operational decision-making.

The conversation explores:

disease risk in modern pork production,

the impact of people movement on biosecurity,

the importance of real-time monitoring,

digital biosecurity technology,

and how Farm Health Guardian developed tools designed to support modern swine operations.

As the industry continues focusing on prevention, preparedness, and operational efficiency, connected technologies and actionable data are becoming increasingly important parts of modern herd health management.