SHEBOYGAN CO, Wis. — Dairy farming is all Bob Vandoske has ever known.
“It’s a lot of dedication for sure,” he said. “There’s a lot of pride when you’re the fourth-generation, but also a lot of pressure.”
His great-grandfather purchased the Sheboygan County land in 1942. In 1947, his son kickstarted the Vandoske Dairy Farm business with only 18 cows and a handful of pigs and chickens.
Now, under Bob’s ownership, he and his team milk 600 cows daily, farm on 1,100 acres of land, and opened a seasonal creamery shop last year.
“You want to keep it going and leave it better for the next generation,” he explained.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Avian Influenza (“Bird Flu”) confirmed cases in dairy cattle within the last year span 17 states.
Wisconsin has yet to be touched. But the risk of it spreading to farms like Vandoske’s is scary.
Watch: Sheboygan Co. farmer, veterinarian weigh in on bird flu as outbreak spreads
“It’s our livelihood here, it's how we live.”
Dr. Keith Poulsen, director at the UW-Madison Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, says the potential cost of affected livestock is “about $1 million per month per 5,000-cow dairies.”
“That risk is getting bigger and bigger.”
Local vets like Dr. Kent Bindl are actively working to combat the virus.
“We are the Dairy State,” he noted. “Dairy is a huge, integral part of our economy and the fabric of our community.”
Dr. Bindl, who works with Plymouth-based practice Dairy Doctors, knows first-hand. He grew up on a Dairy Farm which sparked his passion for large animal medicine.
He and his team check on the Vandoske livestock biweekly, following strict biosecurity protocols.
“Always clean, we’re washing our boots, changing our coveralls between farms,” Bindl explained.
He also regularly collects vials of milk which he’ll test for the virus.
“Any possible health risk to both our dairy cattle and our consumers we take very seriously,” Bindl said.
The risk of humans contracting bird flu remains low. According to CDC data, 70 humans have tested positive nationwide in the last year.
Just one was in Wisconsin. That person was exposed at a poultry farm. Human-to-human spread has not been reported anywhere in the country.
“We’re nowhere near being done with this,” added Poulsen. “So people need to be prepared and thinking about how to avoid it.”
Vandoske said he and his fellow farmers are keeping a close eye on the virus, but they’ll need a team effort to be successful.
“We can withstand a disease like this,” he remarked. “But it’s not going to be easy and everybody has to be on the same page.”
