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State Fair
MPR News Staff

Birthing cows and newborn calves will be absent from the Minnesota State Fair

A cow gets close to delivery.
A fair-goer watches on as a cow at the Miracle of Birth Center prepares to give birth at the Minnesota State Fair.
Maria Alejandra Cardona | MPR News 2017

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There will be a noticeable part of the Minnesota State Fair missing this year.

Due to the avian flu, state agricultural industry officials say the Miracle of Birth Center at the fair will not have birthing cows or newborn calves.

While the newborn calves will not be at the exhibit, there will be lambs, goats, piglets and other animals.

Veterinary experts say there doesn’t seem to be evidence of farm-to-farm spread of avian flu, but state agricultural industry officials said the fair will exclude birthing cows and newborn calves as a biosecurity measure.

Brad Christiansen, veterinary medical officer and epidemiologist of the USDA, said this strain of avian flu wasn’t introduced by waterfowl like it was in the past, despite it being the same type of virus.

“That multifactorial disease transmission is something that we don’t really have a great handle on yet,” he said. “We’re still doing a lot of research, and epidemiology to try to figure out what those routes are, what are the biggest areas of risk so that we can make some mitigation changes. And until we have that science, and more information, really, biosecurity is still our key tool to try and to reduce the spread of this disease.”

The Miracle of Birth Center is staffed with volunteers from the FFA, Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association and the University of Minneosta College of Veterinary Medicine. It is open from 9 a.m. to 9. p.m. during the fair, except on Labor Day when it closes at 3 p.m.