News

Bovine TB hurts rural communities

A dairy extension educator says bovine tuberculosis (TB) is felt across entire rural communities.

Phil Durst with Michigan State University Extension tells Brownfield the four north eastern counties of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula where he works including Alpena, Alcona, Montmorency and Oscoda, average up to four herds confirmed with bovine TB each year. He says that has ripple effects to the entire community.  “With this factor of TB hanging over farms, there’s been a lack of growth of the industry, there’s been a lack of growth on individual farms, and that limits the economic viability of industry in the area and it certainly impacts the secondary business that all of that brings to a community.”

Durst says less than two percent of the wild deer population in the region is infected with TB, but with more than 100,000 roaming the area it’s difficult to control.  “We really need to consider them all as potentially infected deer that could do damage to a dairy of beef operation.  That means we need to protect our cattle, we need to protect our feed sources, we need to protect our water, we need to protect everything about that operation from those deer.”

Durst says the ag industry and local communities need to be committed to eliminating the disease and by knowing the source and reducing the conditions for exposure, outbreaks can be mitigated.

There have been almost 20 cases of bovine TB in the country reported by USDA since October 2015.

AUDIO: Interview with Phil Durst

Add Comment

Your email address will not be published.


 

Stay Up to Date

Subscribe for our newsletter today and receive relevant news straight to your inbox!