Amid bird flu outbreaks affecting dairy herds, Michigan State Fair introduces fiberglass cows for milking demos and enforces new safety protocols to protect animals and visitors.
Bollywood Fever: This year, as bird flu spreads through dairy herds in Michigan, state fair organizers are taking innovative steps to keep a beloved tradition alive.
Instead of featuring live cows, the Michigan State Fair has introduced Milkshake and Buttercup, two life-sized fiberglass cows equipped with rubber teats and water-filled udders, for their popular milking demonstrations.
The decision to use faux cows comes as a precautionary measure, with the H5N1 avian influenza virus infecting cattle herds and even affecting four dairy workers in Michigan.
Similar adaptations are being made across the country, with the Minnesota State Fair’s Moo Booth featuring Olympia, a fake dairy cow, in place of a real one.
“Normally, we’d have a real cow out there,” said Jill Nathe, deputy general manager of agriculture and competition at the Minnesota State Fair. “We just can’t do that right now.”
The spread of avian influenza, which has now impacted cattle herds for the first time this year, has forced state and county fairs to rethink long-standing summer traditions.
These events, cherished by both city dwellers and rural communities, are now facing new challenges, including stricter testing protocols and logistical complications to ensure animals are disease-free before they can participate.
State and local officials are working to protect both people and animals from the virus, especially as some dairy farmers have opted out of testing their herds.
Experts are concerned that further transmission could allow the virus to adapt in ways that could facilitate human-to-human spread.
The risk of viral transmission among cattle prompted several Michigan county fairs to cancel their dairy shows altogether, while the Iowa State Fair closed its milking barn as a preventive measure.
In Minnesota, fair staff increased safety measures by procuring extra gloves and face shields from COVID-19 stockpiles and keeping pregnant cows out of the fair’s birthing center.
In Wisconsin, where dairy is a significant part of the state’s identity, lactating cattle were required to test negative for H5N1 within seven days of arriving at the fairgrounds.
For Wisconsin dairy farmer Rick “RT” Thompson, this meant carefully coordinating with his veterinarian to ensure that milk test results were timed precisely to meet the requirements for various fairs. “It’s not a convenient thing,” said Thompson, who has been attending the Wisconsin State Fair for 46 years.
In Michigan, the situation is even more restrictive. The state banned lactating cows from all public exhibitions until two months pass without a new infection in a herd.
With the state’s last reported case occurring on Monday, the opportunity for public exhibitions in 2024 has been lost. “We were all waiting for that 60-day window,” said LC Scramlin, Michigan State Fair livestock director. “But we kept having another case and another one happen.”
At the Wisconsin State Fair, where visitors can indulge in everything from cream puffs to hot tubs, veterinarians inspected cattle before they were allowed to disembark from their trailers—a new protocol aimed at ensuring the health of all animals on site.
The fear of bird flu led Jennifer and Bethany Droessler, sisters from Cuba City, Wisconsin, to leave their lactating cow at home, opting instead to bring other cattle for display at Dairy Lane, where fairgoers enjoyed petting and taking selfies with the hefty animals.
“We’ll aim for next year and hopefully it won’t be an issue,” said Jennifer Droessler.
Since March, more than 190 dairy herds across the U.S. have been infected with H5N1, and 13 farm workers have tested positive following exposure to cows and poultry.
Fortunately, all the affected workers have recovered, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that H5N1 poses a low risk to the general public. However, the CDC advises fairgoers to avoid eating, drinking, or touching anything in animal areas.
Despite these warnings, many visitors to the Wisconsin State Fair seemed unconcerned. Fairgoers strolled through the event, enjoying treats like taffy apples and cheese curds while passing cows chewing their cud. “I don’t think it’s a big risk,” said 88-year-old O.E. Glieber of Delafield, Wisconsin, who attended the fair with his grandchildren. “The CDC overreacts with a lot of stuff.”
As the impact of avian influenza continues to challenge agricultural events, fair organizers, farmers, and visitors alike are adjusting to new realities while hoping for a return to normalcy in the coming years.
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