This week, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture said it plans to start testing raw cow’s milk for the H5N1 influenza virus. While southwest Minnesota farmers said the testing won’t really mean extra work for them, avian influenza is an ongoing concern for dairy farms.

“People don’t want it because your cows will really drop production,” said Brittany Moorse. The Moorse family has a dairy farm near Minneota, and Brittany also works with dairy farmers in southwest Minnesota. Besides producing less milk, cows sick with bird flu can also face health risks from fever or dehydration, Moorse said.

The Minnesota Department of Health said H5N1 avian influenza was first found in dairy cattle in Minnesota on June 4. Currently, there have not been any cases detected in people.

The Minnesota department of Agriculture will begin sampling milk for the H5N1 flu virus beginning the week of Feb. 24, the MDA said in a news release. The testing will allow the MDA to monitor and help prevent the spread of the virus in dairy herds and poultry flocks.

“H5N1 is an emerging disease in dairy cattle, and conducting disease surveillance supports the state’s ability to effectively respond to outbreaks and limit the potential impact on the livestock and poultry industries, as well as on public health,” said MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen.

The MDA said H5N1 flu doesn’t pose a threat for the public milk supply. The milk that is sold in stores is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses, and pasteurization eliminates the H5N1 virus in milk.

The MDA said it will start testing raw milk samples that are already collected from each of Minnesota’s 1,600 dairy farms each month.

Area dairy farmers said the H5N1 testing wouldn’t necessarily mean more work for them.

“The testing is done at the plant level,” said Josh Lingen, at Lingen Dairy near Balaton. “I don’t think we’re going to notice it a lot here.”

“It’s not costing us as producers,” Moorse said. “From our end, unless you have a positive case, you’re not going to hear about it.”

At the same time, Moorse said, “I think most producers have kind of mixed feelings about it.” The MDA said a farm where H5N1 is confirmed would be quarantined for at least 30 days. While pasteurization means that the farm could still sell milk, the quarantine would keep farmers from moving livestock. That could be a problem for farmers who have heifers raised at a different site from their dairy farm, she said.

Moorse said Minnesota farmers are paying attention to bird flu, and are looking at ways to keep it from spreading.

“There’s been a lot of talk about ways farmers can mitigate their risks,” she said.

Rod Schulze said Schulze Dairy in Pipestone County hadn’t experienced bird flu yet.

“We are being about as proactive as we can,” he said. “You really don’t want it.”

Schulze said Schulze Dairy had stepped up biosecurity measures, like limiting the people who are allowed to walk through barns, and having visitors wear protective gear kept at the farm.

Lingen said Lingen Dairy had a closed herd, and had stopped hosting tours and visits at the farm since last summer. The cooperative the dairy was part of had put a pause on farm tours, he said.

“It’s kind of sad, because kids loved the tours,” Lingen said. However, minimizing traffic at the dairy would help prevent the spread of viruses.

Area farmers another big concern was the H5N1 virus spreading between birds and cattle. It’s a concern in parts of Minnesota where there are turkey farms. Wild birds like starlings also eat cattle feed and try to get inside barns, especially in winter, Moorse said.

Schulze said Schulze Dairy had tried methods like putting up bird netting in barns, to try and keep starlings out.