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Minnesota applying for Bovine TB-Free status
Senator Rod Skoe
Minnesota Senate
This week, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced it will submit an
application for statewide Bovine Tuberculosis-Free status at the end of this month.
The Board expects the application to be approved late summer or early fall of this
year.
Since the disease was first identified in a beef herd in 2005, the Board, Minnesota
Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and USDA have worked with
Minnesota livestock producers and veterinarians to eliminate remaining TB
infection. Since 2008, Minnesota has held a Split-State Status, with Northwest
Minnesota one step below the rest of the state.
During that time, 733,000 cattle have been tested for the disease. We have
passed legislation at the state level to help farmers absorb some of the costs of
meeting testing requirements, and it seems to have worked well. Deer
populations also have been monitored, with 2010 marking the first calendar year
since 2005 with no confirmed Bovine TB-positive wild deer.
Even if TB-Free status is reached, the state will continue to monitor certain cattle
herds and deer herds. Farmers in the Modified Accredited Advanced Zone would
no longer be required to obtain permits or test individual animals prior to moving
cattle, but an additional whole-herd test would be required after the state obtains
TB-Free status. Producers in the smaller Management Zone would continue
slightly modified testing and movement requirements. The DNR also will continue
assessing deer populations in the Bovine TB area until it is demonstrated that the
disease has been completely eliminated in deer.
Reaching Bovine TB-Free status would relieve most Minnesota cattle restrictions,
but the Board still recommends livestock owners contact the state of destination if
animals will be moved across state lines. Other states may require additional
testing, permits or official livestock identification.
In any case, obtaining this status will be a big relief to Minnesota farmers. It also
will be positive recognition of the effort that livestock owners and the state have put
into eradicating this disease in a very short time period. Michigan, for instance,
has been fighting this disease for more than 20 years at a cost of over $100
million. For Minnesota to be on track to reaching TB-free status in the near future
speaks volumes about the efforts we took to address the disease so quickly. It’s
also a testament to the farmers, producers and land owners in our area, who have
worked closely with state officials to turn this problem around. It’s not an easy thing
to ask the livestock industry to adopt so many new regulations, but without that
cooperation, we’d be much further behind on our goals.
As a reminder for 2010 income taxes, producers that pay to test their cattle for
Bovine TB are eligible to receive a tax credit for 50 percent of the testing-related
expenses, including veterinarian fees, labor expenses and equipment rental fees.
Corporate and S-corporation taxpayers are eligible for a 25 percent credit. More
information may be found on the Department of Revenue’s Web site at www.taxes.
state.mn.us by clicking on Individual Income Tax and searching available tax
credits. If you filed your income taxes and did not claim this credit, you may want
to consider filing an amended return.
Minnesota Senate
This week, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced it will submit an
application for statewide Bovine Tuberculosis-Free status at the end of this month.
The Board expects the application to be approved late summer or early fall of this
year.
Since the disease was first identified in a beef herd in 2005, the Board, Minnesota
Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and USDA have worked with
Minnesota livestock producers and veterinarians to eliminate remaining TB
infection. Since 2008, Minnesota has held a Split-State Status, with Northwest
Minnesota one step below the rest of the state.
During that time, 733,000 cattle have been tested for the disease. We have
passed legislation at the state level to help farmers absorb some of the costs of
meeting testing requirements, and it seems to have worked well. Deer
populations also have been monitored, with 2010 marking the first calendar year
since 2005 with no confirmed Bovine TB-positive wild deer.
Even if TB-Free status is reached, the state will continue to monitor certain cattle
herds and deer herds. Farmers in the Modified Accredited Advanced Zone would
no longer be required to obtain permits or test individual animals prior to moving
cattle, but an additional whole-herd test would be required after the state obtains
TB-Free status. Producers in the smaller Management Zone would continue
slightly modified testing and movement requirements. The DNR also will continue
assessing deer populations in the Bovine TB area until it is demonstrated that the
disease has been completely eliminated in deer.
Reaching Bovine TB-Free status would relieve most Minnesota cattle restrictions,
but the Board still recommends livestock owners contact the state of destination if
animals will be moved across state lines. Other states may require additional
testing, permits or official livestock identification.
In any case, obtaining this status will be a big relief to Minnesota farmers. It also
will be positive recognition of the effort that livestock owners and the state have put
into eradicating this disease in a very short time period. Michigan, for instance,
has been fighting this disease for more than 20 years at a cost of over $100
million. For Minnesota to be on track to reaching TB-free status in the near future
speaks volumes about the efforts we took to address the disease so quickly. It’s
also a testament to the farmers, producers and land owners in our area, who have
worked closely with state officials to turn this problem around. It’s not an easy thing
to ask the livestock industry to adopt so many new regulations, but without that
cooperation, we’d be much further behind on our goals.
As a reminder for 2010 income taxes, producers that pay to test their cattle for
Bovine TB are eligible to receive a tax credit for 50 percent of the testing-related
expenses, including veterinarian fees, labor expenses and equipment rental fees.
Corporate and S-corporation taxpayers are eligible for a 25 percent credit. More
information may be found on the Department of Revenue’s Web site at www.taxes.
state.mn.us by clicking on Individual Income Tax and searching available tax
credits. If you filed your income taxes and did not claim this credit, you may want
to consider filing an amended return.
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