We are just under three weeks away from the 2022 Iowa State Fair. It is a great time to bring people together from all over the state to celebrate the things that make Iowa what it is. Agriculture is our main industry in this state, and it will definitely be on display in full force in Des Moines. It is hard to believe that it wasn?t very long ago we weren?t sure if one of our strongest industries would be represented.
The High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or Bird Flu threatened to do damage across the upper Midwest. In 2015, Iowa was one of the hardest hit states by the disease, so we vowed not to let it happen again. Because of those lessons learned, we were able to minimize the fallout from HPAI, and we can see those birds again at fairs across the state.
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig talks about the situation we had this year, and how pleased he is about how we came through the outbreak. He also alluded to the fact that last week IDALS lifted the quarantine on the last commercial flock in Iowa, which means that we will see these facilities back up to full strength. That occurred on Thursday, but being we talked on Wednesday he couldn?t quite let the cat out of the bag yet.
We are all hopeful that in these uncertain economic times, by getting these commercial flocks back up to speed, we will see declines in the asking prices for poultry meat and eggs. With Iowa being the largest producer of eggs in the United States, we usually have been able to enjoy lower prices in the state. HPAI certainly put a crimp in that budget. But demand never wavered.
The Iowa State Fair runs from August 11th ? August 21st. Don?t forget to visit those poultry projects along with all the other livestock, as well as 4-H and FFA projects that will be on display. Agriculture will be on full display, so make sure you come and help tell the story.
