Dear Neighbors,
Cases of highly pathogenetic avian flu have been detected in the upper Midwest as farmers are concerned that another avian flu outbreak could be heading our way, similar to the 2015 outbreak. Back in 2015, 9 million birds in Minnesota were killed by the virus or euthanized to slow its spread.
A reminder, avian influenza does not pose a food safety risk and poultry products remain safe and nutritious.
The 2015 outbreak was devastating to the agricultural community. In response, the legislature provided significant funds to help deal with the emergency and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) instituted numerous biosecurity measures meant to slow the spread of avian flu if another outbreak came to Minnesota. These biosecurity measures have us in a much better place this year compared to 2015.
It unfortunately looks like such an outbreak may be on the way. Here in St. Paul, our leads on this issue have been holding weekly calls with MDA and are working proactively with stakeholders to make sure we minimize the impacts of this outbreak. The Board of Animal Health has set up a website with resources on this matter and I encourage you to visit it to learn more about ways to prevent outbreaks: https://www.bah.state.mn.us/hpai/
Energy Independence
Now more than ever, we need policy solutions that pursue national energy independence!
With the war happening in Ukraine, and the price spikes we’re seeing at gas pumps across the state, it’s never been more clear that we need to pursue a national policy of energy independence.
With energy independence, we can make sure that our dollars aren’t funding the Russian war machine, and at the same time make sure that energy prices aren’t dependent on foreign wars. Additionally, we can create thousands of well-paying jobs for Americans.
Click here or the photo below to watch a short video on this important topic.
National Ag Week
This week is National Agriculture Week!
Thank you to the farmers, Ag producers, and everyone in the Ag industry that do such an amazing job feeding the world and driving our local economy.
Staying in Touch
That’s all for today’s update. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share any thoughts, concerns, or questions you may have. I can be reached by phone at either 651-296-4929 or 701-361-1909. I can also be reached via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn.
Have a good day,
Jeff