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SPRING CALF & HEIFER
Special Edition!
April 27, 2024 A
“All dairy, all the time”™
Volume 26, No. 5
Enhanced A career devoted to biosecurity registered cattle is the best McCulloughs receive Distinguished defense Holstein Breeder Continued learning leads to more questions on H5N1 in dairy cattle By Danielle Nauman danielle.n@dairystar.com
Since the initial detection and identication of H5N1 in dairy cattle in March, all facets of the dairy industry have been working diligently to learn more about the disease, how it is spreading and the impact it is having on dairy cattle. As of April 22, the bovine inuenza A virus has been identied on 33 dairy premises in eight states: Texas, 12; Michigan, 6; New Mexico, 6; Kansas, 4; Idaho, 2; and one case each in North Carolina, Ohio and South Dakota. “This is rapidly changing and evolving; information is coming in by the day, by the hour,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, director of ruminant health for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, in a webinar hosted by the National Milk Producers Federation April 17. According to Lyons, the genome sequences show the strain of the virus present in dairy cattle in all affected states is similar to what has been found in wild birds. The initial introduction of the disease from wild migratory birds into dairy cattle likely took place somewhere in the Texas panhandle, Lyons said, adding the virus appears to be transmitting laterally between cattle, but that exact transmission route remains unclear. “This is inuenza,” Lyons said. “It is very unpredictable. It is important for us to keep monitoring it.” Because of those unknowns regarding transmission of the disease, biosecurity is the best defense dairy farmers have, said Dr. Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
award
By Stacey Smart
stacey.s@dairystar.com
JUDA, Wis. — Mike McCullough had 16 head of cattle when he left home in 1973 to start farming with his wife, Marcy. Renting a farm in Illinois, it was only a matter of time until they would nd their own farm in America’s Dairyland. Turn to MCCULLOUGHS | Page 6
PHOTO COURTESY OF LEA JORDAN
Mike and Marcy McCullough sit next to two Excellent cows, Rock-N-Hill G Chip Fran EX-91 (leŌ) and Rock-N-Hill G Chip Marie EX-92, Jan. 6 on their farm near Juda, Wisconsin. The McCulloughs were named the Wisconsin Holstein AssociaƟon’s 2023 DisƟnguished Holstein Breeder Feb. 24 at the associaƟon’s convenƟon in New Glarus, Wisconsin.
A shock to the system Handels battle stray voltage By Abby Wiedmeyer abby.w@dairystar.com
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Turn to H5N1 | Page 2
Dylan and Bryanna Handel take a break April 17 at their farm near Barneveld, Wisconsin. The Handels milk 60 cows and have been struggling with stray voltage since December 2023.
BARNEVELD, Wis. — Starting a rst-generation dairy farm has not been easy for Dylan and Bryanna Handel, but they are not ones to complain. The pair has grown a 60-cow herd of registered Jerseys, developed an agritourism business and created a niche market for cheese made with their milk, all while raising their ve children. The life of their dreams was threatened Dec. 14, 2023, when a newly installed substation was activated half a mile
away, and their farm fell victim to stray voltage. When Dylan and Bryanna went out to milk that evening, their normally docile cows were acting strange. “The cows were backing up out of the stalls, kicking and acting crazy,” Bryanna Handel said. “It took us 2.5 hours to milk that night.” The Handels milk 60 cows and raise 60 head of youngstock on their farm near Barneveld. While measures have been taken to x the stray voltage problem, and the situation has improved, Handel said there are residual issues that cause concern. The cows continued to act strange, and the somatic cell count rose from 143,000 to 240,000 within a few days. Turn to HANDELS | Page 8