[ Applause ] >> CATHY: FUNDING CUTS, AGRICULTURAL TARIFFS, AND NOW AVIAN FLU IN A STEARNS COUNTY DAIRY HERD.

GOOD THING AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER THOM PETERSEN IS HERE TO TALK ABOUT HOW THE STATE IS RESPONDING.

GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.

NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

>> Cathy: SO THE STEARNS COUNTY HERD, NOW, WAS THIS THE SAME HERD THAT HAD BIRD FLU EARLIER?

>> IT IS A FARM THAT HAS -- HAVE IT THIS LAST UMMER, AND WE'VE SEEN THAT, TOO, IN POULTRY, WHERE WE'VE HAD FARMS THAT HAVE BEEN INFECTED AGAIN.

AND, SO, AGAIN, KIND OF A LIGHTER DETECTION ON THAT HERD, BUT, STILL, A DETECTION, AND SOMETHING THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WATCH VERY CLOSELY.

WE DON'T WANT IT TO BLOW INTO SOMETHING BIGGER.

IT IS INTERESTING, VIRUS, UNFORTUNATELY, WE'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT VIRUSES THE LAST FEW YEARS, SIMILAR TO COVID, IT CHANGES, ADAPTS, WE KNOW THE VIRUS IS AROUND, TOO, WE HAVE DETECTIONS IN WASTE WATER, FOR EXAMPLE, SO WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, CONTROL IT AS MUCH AS WE CAN.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ALWAYS WANT TO KNOW, YOU SEE -- IT'S SO SAD WHEN YOU SEE POULTRY PRODUCERS HAVING TO DESTROY WHOLE FLOCKS, RIGHT?

IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT WITH DAIRY HERDS OR CATTLE, RIGHT?

>> IT IS.

SO FOR A DAIRY FARM, WHAT THEY'LL SEE IS A LOSS OF PRODUCTION, YOU KNOW.

SO MAYBE IT'S 10%, 30%, 40%, BUT EVEN THAT FOR A DAIRY FARMER, THAT'S A DROP IN YOUR INCOME.

AND IT'S REAL CONCERNING, IT'S A LOT OF WORK, TO MOVE OWS INTO A SICK PEN, THINGS LIKE THAT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO REMIND THE PUBLIC, TOO, PASTEURIZED MILK IS SAFE TO DRINK, THE FARMERS STILL WORK TO MOVE THAT THROUGH THE HERD QUICKLY.

BUT WHAT IT IS, IT'S FATAL TO POULTRY.

AND, SO, MINNESOTA, WHERE OUR DAIRY FARMS ARE, IS A LOT WHERE OUR POULTRY FARMS ARE.

AND, SO, THE MORE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, CONTROL IT, KEEP IT ON THOSE FARMS, AND MOVE ON, AND, SO, AGAIN, WE'RE IN A TESTING PROTOCOL RIGHT NOW IN MINNESOTA.

WE'VE TESTED ALMOST 1500 DAIRY FARMS IN THE LAST THREE WEEKS AND IT'S JUST THAT ONE FARM THAT WE'VE HAD TEST POSITIVE.

>> Eric: HOW DO YOU ISOLATE IT?

HOW DO YOU KEEP IT FROM SPREADING?

>> WE DO A QUARANTINE ON THAT PARTICULAR FARM.

AND THEN WORK CLOSELY WITH THAT FARM.

FARMERS DO A GREAT JOB.

THEY WORK CLOSELY ON BIOSECURITY, WORK ON THOSE METHODS, AGAIN, WE HAD THIS THIS SUMMER.

ON NINE DIFFERENT SITES.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE IT THROUGH THIS SUMMER.

BUT, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, IF IT GETS INTO THE POULTRY, THAT COULD BE A BIGGER ISSUE.

>> I'M WONDERING, WITH THE INCOMING BIRD MIGRATION, I'M ASSUMING YOU ALL ARE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR AN UPTICK IN BIRD FLU, WITH CUTS ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL, DOES SURVEILLANCE ALSO SCALE BACK, THOUGH?

>> WELL, I THINK IT'S NOT JUST SURVEILLANCE, IT'S ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED.

SO WHETHER THAT'S TESTING, WHETHER THAT'S, YOU KNOW, DOLLARS FOR ASSISTING THOSE FARMERS, VETERINARIANS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF -- FORTUNATELY, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP OUR FUNDING, KEEP OUR STREAMS, BUT IT'S BEEN A STRUGGLE SEEMS, YOU -- SOMETIMES, YOU SEE THINGS WHERE PEOPLE ARE LAID OFF, PUT ON PROBATIONARY, THE NEXT DAY THEY'RE HIRED BACK.

SO WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD, THE SECRETARY, I DO GIVE HER CREDIT, BROOKE CRAW LISTENS, USDA SECRETARY, BIOSECURITY APPROXIMATE PLAN IS A TOP PART OF THAT.

WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON IT.

BUT THE MORE WE CAN HAVE SURETY ON OUR RESOURCES, ON OUR EMPLOYEES, THINGS LIKE THAT WILL BE HELPFUL.

>> Eric: WHAT ARE YOU ASKING THE LEGISLATURE TO DO?

>> WELL, IN MINNESOTA, YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD BIPARTISANLY TO HAVE AN EMERGENCY COUNT.

WHEN WE FIRST GOT BIRD FLU IN 2015, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE SOME DOLLARS AT THAT POINT.

EMERGENCY ACCOUNT.

AND IN 2022, WE WERE ABLE TO PUT SOME MONEY IN OUR EMERGENCY ACCOUNT, SO HE GOVERNOR HAS $4 MILLION IN HIS BUDGET, WHEN WE HAD OUR PRESS CONFERENCE THIS WEEK, UNIQUE, TOO, THAT ALL FOUR OF OUR AGRICULTURAL LEADERS, DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, STOOD THERE WITH THE GOVERNOR TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT.

>> Cathy: SO SPRING PLANTING IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

OF COURSE, WE'VE GOT THE BIG SPRING SNOWSTORM HERE THIS WEEKEND.

BUT I'M WONDERING, IT'S SO DRY, WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM FARMERS AS YOU HEAD INTO SPRING PLANTING?

>> WELL, IT'S AMAZING, I WAS JUST SITTING HERE WATCHING THAT THERE'S FARMERS ACTUALLY PLANTING IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA, PLANTING OATS IN MARCH.

AND, SO, THAT IS REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE IF THOSE SOIL TEMPERATURES START TO WARM, THE THINGS ARE INCREDIBLY DRY.

YOU KNOW, A LOT OF MINNESOTA IS IN WHAT WE CALL A D 2, EVERY THURSDAY MORNING I OPEN THE DROUGHT MONITOR, PRAY FOR RAIN, NOT TOO MUCH RAIN, BUT WE DO NEED SOME RAIN ACROSS THE STATE.

>> Eric: I SAW IN CONGRESS, THE COMMITTEES ARE LOOKING AT IMPROVEMENTS TO FARM TO MARKET ROADS.

IS THAT AN ISSUE IN MINNESOTA?

>> YOU KNOW, MINNESOTA, WE'RE SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY, AND THAT'S WHAT SERVES US WELL.

YOU KNOW, THINK BOUT MINNESOTA, WE CAN SHIP BY RAIL TO THE WEST COAST, WE CAN SEND THINGS OUT OF THE DULUTH PORT TO EUROPE, WE AN SEND STUFF DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO NEW ORLEANS.

BUT TRUCKS MOVE THAT A LOT.

SO THOSE FARM TO MARKET ROADS, BRIDGES, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR, YOU GET POSTINGS ON WEIGHT LIMITS SO ALWAYS IMPORTANT.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.