Latest news with #DisasterRecoveryLoanProgram
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Animal disease outbreaks bring on emergency declaration in Minnesota
Feb. 20—The impact of three animal disesases in Minnesota is being felt and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Rural Finance Authority Board is responding with interest-free loans. The RFA has declared an emergency for avian Metapneumovirus, highly pathogenic avian influenza, and the H5N1 flu virus. This makes zero-interest Disaster Recovery Loans available for Minnesota farmers whose operations have sustained livestock losses due to the diseases from Feb. 12, 2025, to Feb. 12, 2026, according to a Minnesota Department of Agriculture news release on Friday, Feb. 14. "The RFA Board's declaration is an important step in helping Minnesota farmers affected by these three animal health diseases," said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen in the release. "I encourage those who have faced livestock losses to explore these zero-interest loans." Avian Metapneumovirus is a highly infectious respiratory disease affecting poultry. It causes significant immunosuppression in birds which leads to secondary infections and often high mortality. Minnesota has reported 871 aMPV-positive tests since April 2024, which is likely an undercount of actual cases across the state. The disease is a burden to producers who lose birds and have no means of financial support like they do with HPAI and other diseases. HPAI is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild birds and is fatal. It's a major threat to the poultry industry, animal health, trade, and the economy worldwide. The first cases of the current HPAI outbreak in Minnesota were confirmed in March 2022. Since then, there have been 185 cases affecting 9.1 million Minnesota domestic birds, mostly turkeys. There have been four HPAI cases reported in 2025. H5N1, the same virus that causes HPAI in poultry, can also affect dairy cows and other animals; however, it rarely kills cows. The H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle appeared in a Texas dairy in March 2024. The first Minnesota case appeared in June 2024. No cases have been reported in 2025. The Disaster Recovery Loan Program offers affordable financing to support Minnesota farmers after declared disasters or hardship events, such as animal disease outbreaks. These funds are available to farmers for expenses not covered by insurance, including replacement of flocks or livestock, building improvements, or to cover the loss of revenue when the replacement, improvements, or revenue loss is due to the confirmed presence of one of the three animal diseases. Eligible farmers will work with their local lender to secure the loans from the RFA. More information, including full eligibility requirements, can be found on the Disaster Recovery Loan Program webpage at
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minnesota declares state of emergency as diseases cripple Midwestern farms
Minnesota has declared a state of emergency as multiple strains of bird flu have ravaged farms. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) stated in a press release that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board established the emergency following three outbreaks. Those included avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus. New Bird Flu Strain Detected In Nevada Dairy Worker, Cdc Says The state of emergency allows Minnesota farmers who have experienced livestock losses to access funds through zero-interest disaster recovery loans, according to the above source. An MDA spokesperson confirmed with Fox News Digital that this declaration is a "formality the Rural Finance Authority Board must take in order to open up the Disaster Recovery Loan Program to farmers." Read On The Fox News App "The declaration has no impact beyond that and affects no other funding or programs." The loan program provides funds for expenses not covered by insurance, according to the MDA, including replacement of flocks or livestock, building improvements, or loss of revenue due to animal disease outbreaks. Bird Flu Uptick In Us Has Cdc On Alert For Pandemic 'Red Flags': Report Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen wrote in a statement that this is an "important step in helping Minnesota farmers affected by these three animal health diseases." "I encourage those who have faced livestock losses to explore these zero-interest loans," he added. avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a "highly infectious respiratory disease" that affects poultry and can cause "significant immunosuppression" in birds, as well as secondary infections and high mortality, according to the MDA. Since April 2024, Minnesota has reported 871 aMPV positive tests, which is "likely an undercount," health officials said. HPAI — which is a contagious, viral and fatal disease — has also posed a "major threat" to the poultry industry, MDA reported. In Minnesota, there have been 185 cases of HPAI confirmed since March 2022, affecting 9.1 million domestic birds, mostly turkeys. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter H5N1, also known as avian influenza or bird flu, causes the same virus in poultry as HPAI, but can also affect dairy cows and other animals. Bird flu strains have also spread to humans, including a dairy worker in Nevada who was infected by a new type (D1.1) last week, as Fox News Digital previously reported. For more Health articles, visit Sam Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, previously said that he considers the ongoing U.S. bird flu outbreak as "serious." "We now have at least two distinct H5N1 strains (akin to variants if we were discussing COVID-19) that have infected dairy cattle, poultry and humans," he told Fox News Digital. "The H5N1 situation in the U.S. continues to get worse, not better." Scarpino shared his approval of the recent choice of Dr. Gerald Parker to run the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. "His appointment signals that the federal government is giving the H5N1 situation the attention it needs," he said. "From the perspective of both the building agricultural costs and continued risk of human infection, we have to bring this H5N1 outbreak under control."Original article source: Minnesota declares state of emergency as diseases cripple Midwestern farms
Fox News
18-02-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Minnesota declares state of emergency as diseases cripple Midwestern farms
Minnesota has declared a state of emergency as multiple strains of bird flu have ravaged farms. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) stated in a press release that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board established the emergency following three outbreaks. Those included avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus. The state of emergency allows Minnesota farmers who have experienced livestock losses to access funds through zero-interest disaster recovery loans, according to the above source. An MDA spokesperson confirmed with Fox News Digital that this declaration is a "formality the Rural Finance Authority Board must take in order to open up the Disaster Recovery Loan Program to farmers." "The declaration has no impact beyond that and affects no other funding or programs." The loan program provides funds for expenses not covered by insurance, according to the MDA, including replacement of flocks or livestock, building improvements, or loss of revenue due to animal disease outbreaks. Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen wrote in a statement that this is an "important step in helping Minnesota farmers affected by these three animal health diseases." "I encourage those who have faced livestock losses to explore these zero-interest loans," he added. avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) is a "highly infectious respiratory disease" that affects poultry and can cause "significant immunosuppression" in birds, as well as secondary infections and high mortality, according to the MDA. Since April 2024, Minnesota has reported 871 aMPV positive tests, which is "likely an undercount," health officials said. HPAI — which is a contagious, viral and fatal disease — has also posed a "major threat" to the poultry industry, MDA reported. In Minnesota, there have been 185 cases of HPAI confirmed since March 2022, affecting 9.1 million domestic birds, mostly turkeys. H5N1, also known as avian influenza or bird flu, causes the same virus in poultry as HPAI, but can also affect dairy cows and other animals. Bird flu strains have also spread to humans, including a dairy worker in Nevada who was infected by a new type (D1.1) last week, as Fox News Digital previously reported. For more Health articles, visit Sam Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, previously said that he considers the ongoing U.S. bird flu outbreak as "serious." "We now have at least two distinct H5N1 strains (akin to variants if we were discussing COVID-19) that have infected dairy cattle, poultry and humans," he told Fox News Digital. "The H5N1 situation in the U.S. continues to get worse, not better." Scarpino shared his approval of the recent choice of Dr. Gerald Parker to run the White House Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. "His appointment signals that the federal government is giving the H5N1 situation the attention it needs," he said. "From the perspective of both the building agricultural costs and continued risk of human infection, we have to bring this H5N1 outbreak under control."
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Rural Finance Authority declares emergency due to animal disease outbreaks
Feb. 14—The Minnesota Department of Agriculture's Rural Finance Authority (RFA) Board has declared an emergency for three animal diseases: avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV), highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and the H5N1 flu virus. This makes zero-interest Disaster Recovery Loans available for Minnesota farmers whose operations have sustained livestock losses due to the diseases from Feb. 12 to Feb. 12. "The RFA Board's declaration is an important step in helping Minnesota farmers affected by these three animal health diseases," said Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen. "I encourage those who have faced livestock losses to explore these zero-interest loans." aMPV is a highly infectious respiratory disease affecting poultry. It causes significant immunosuppression in birds which leads to secondary infections and often high mortality. Minnesota has reported 871 aMPV positive tests since April 2024, which is likely an undercount of actual cases across the state. The disease is a burden to producers who lose birds and have no means of financial support like they do with HPAI and other diseases. HPAI is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild birds and is fatal. It's a major threat to the poultry industry, animal health, trade, and the economy worldwide. The first cases of the current HPAI outbreak in Minnesota were confirmed in March 2022. Since then, there have been 185 cases affecting 9.1 million Minnesota domestic birds, mostly turkeys. There have been four HPAI cases reported in 2025. H5N1, the same virus that causes HPAI in poultry, can also affect dairy cows and other animals; however, it rarely kills cows. The H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle appeared in a Texas dairy in March 2024. The first Minnesota case appeared in June 2024. No cases have been reported in 2025. More information, including full eligibility requirements, can be found on the Disaster Recovery Loan Program webpage.
