USDA certifies Minn. free of bovine TB

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has certified that Minnesota has no bovine tuberculosis anywhere in the state.

Beginning in 2005, a bovine TB outbreak infected 12 cow herds in the northwest part of the state. Malissa Fritz, communications director for the Minnesota Board of Animal Health, said the new USDA designation will help farmers sell their cattle.

"Producers are going to be able to really feel this, especially in their pocketbooks," she said. "This is going to reduce costs for them to move animals from one state to another when they're doing business. Less testing requirements mean less expense and it means a lot happier producer."

State officials announced last April that bovine TB had been eradicated from the state and that they would apply for the USDA certification. They believe the disease arrived in cattle imported from the southern U.S.