Crops still come first, but Woodbury Hatchery at Wyndmere, North Dakota, has grown and now has customers in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota, mostly supplying backyard flocks.
Hunter Kvistad's farm in Yellow Medicine County is the site of a virtual tour on Nov. 22, 2022 –- two days before Thanksgiving -– as part of Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom. Keri Sidle of Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom said the organization has been visiting a turkey farm just before Thanksgiving every year since 2016. Minnesota is the nation's leading turkey producer and the turkey farm is the most popular of the virtual tours. Sidle expects more than 100 elementary classrooms from 12 to 15 states will participate.
Ashley Kohls was named executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and Minnesota Turkey Research & Promotion Council late last month.
As of Sept. 7, nationwide there have been 200 commercial flocks, 229 backyard flocks and nearly 44 million birds affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza.
There are 70 sites of confirmed avian flu infection in Minnesota as of Tuesday, May 10. The inventory of flocks diagnosed with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza is approaching 2.9 million, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.
The inventory of flocks in Minnesota diagnosed with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza is now at 2.1 million, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. Six additional infection sites were announced Wednesday, April 20, bringing the total infected sites in the state to 46.
Two more commercial turkey flocks — in Blue Earth and Meeker counties — were added to the growing list of confirmed avian flu sites in Minnesota as of Friday's noon update, bringing the statewide total to 40 sites and 1,939,067 birds affected.
The inventory of flocks in Minnesota diagnosed with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza is 1.37 million as of Monday, April 11, 2022, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. Seven additional infection sites were announced Monday after being diagnosed in the past several days.
