Bovine Tuberculosis linked to Saginaw County dairy farm - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(03/21/13) - Bovine Tuberculosis has been linked to a Saginaw County dairy farm.

It was discovered during what's called 'the slaughter surveillance' - a routine check.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture says the farm has been quarantined and the whole herd is being tested.

Bob Krafft of Krafft Farms in Frankenmuth Township says Saginaw County has Bovine TB free for quite some time. Saginaw County dairy farmers took pride in their TB Free status. This latest news put them all on high alert.

"Anybody that buys cattle will have to look elsewhere. Anytime TB is associated with your area, it's just bad news," he said.

 Krafft Farms is a closed herd. They don't sell or buy cattle from the outside. But those who do could feel the impact on their bottom line.

Michigan Department of Agriculture officials are working fast to contain the disease to one location. They are doing a number of tests on the animals to learn how the cow may have come in contact with TB.

Krafft says cows could contract the disease even by touching nose to nose with a deer.

The state has not determined whether the cow was born and raised on the farm and it was transmitted locally or if the cow was brought in from another location.

Krafft says the cow's history is key to the story, but we may not find that out for days.

"If everything was raised, born and raised on that farm, then we don't know where it is. Maybe there is deer close enough to it, and could cause the problem. We know the deer has it," Krafft said. "What could very easily happen is we could go to testing again, testing on a regular basis, which is very time consuming.

The Department of Agriculture says this case won't impact Saginaw County's TB free zone. If that changes, cattle can't be moved outside the county.