The state ag department says bird flu was detected at another dairy in Northwest Iowa. It’s the second case in Sioux County and the third in the state after the virus was first found in an Iowa dairy in O’Brien County last week.
Jeff Kaisand is Iowa’s state veterinarian. He said one of the big priorities right now is trying to figure out how avian influenza spreads between farms and livestock.
“We don’t know how it moves through the whole herd. Does it go through all at once, or are there pockets that it doesn’t go through? And also trying to understand how it goes through a dairy herd or a poultry herd or vice versa,” Kaisand said.
He said the state has a USDA strike team in Iowa to help answer these questions and find out if there are ties to other cases.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture recently started testing dairies within a 12-mile radius of infected poultry farms. Iowa has two confirmed cases of bird flu in poultry this year. Both were in northwest Iowa.
*In other news, a popular small town Iowa bar that was scheduled for demolition is getting a second lease on life.
This week, the Pomeroy City Council confirmed that Byron’s will close at the end of July due to structural damage.
Owner Byron Stuart says there are now plans to build a new building about a block away from the old location on Main Street.
“I want to keep live music going. It soothes my soul and it soothes a lot of other people's souls. In order to keep it going. I'm going to need some more money,” Stuart said.
A GoFundMe fundraiser that started earlier this year has brought in about $75,000 for the $200,000 project.
“I'm overwhelmed with the love being thrown at me. I certainly appreciate it,” Stuart said.
The new location is expected to be ready to rock and roll by this fall. Until then, Byron’s will host events at the Pomeroy Community Center.
