Barns armed with lasers a growing technology on Minnesota turkey farms - InForum | Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo news, weather and sports

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — Members of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association took a look back at how they used to farm 20 years ago and how they raise turkeys today during their annual summit June 19-20, in Alexandria. The differences in biosecurity measures and technology on the farm are staggering.

One of the big changes in 2025 that is showing up more and more across Minnesota’s roughly 600 turkey farms is that about 100 of them now have a laser affixed to the top of their buildings, warding off wild birds from the premises.

It’s not the sort of thing any of them saw coming, but it’s one that many are quickly adding to their operation in an effort to block entry of flock destroying viruses like highly pathogenic avian influenza that has remained a threat of infection since spring 2022. The infection is largely spread by migratory birds that pass through and pass the virus on to the confined poultry flocks.

Craig Duhr, regional sales manager for the U.S. team of Bird Control Group, was demonstrating the technology of their lasers at the turkey growers summit. He said the latest version of their laser has a class 3B laser that’s popular among poultry producers because they’ve been able to show that it works.

“So what we’re seeing, it is moving birds out of unwanted areas,” he said. “It’s keeping the migratory birds from coming up onto the farms.”

The device does not keep flocks free of disease, but it has been shown to scare off about 90% of unwanted birds with a green laser beam. It works day and night. While humans see a single laser dot moving around during daylight hours, the birds see the entire laser beam during daylight or in darkness, he said.

“I would say we probably, a rough guess, have 75 to 100 lasers on poultry farms in Minnesota alone, that’s not counting dairy farms with the new outbreaks there,” he said.

Legislative funding approved in the most recent session is available to producers for biosecurity equipment like lasers, which were talked about extensively during the recent legislative session. Producers must cover 20% of the cost. The Bird Control Groups Avix Autonomic, an autonomous laser beam, starts at around $13,000. The cost sharing has created a bit of a boom in sales for laser manufacturers in the last three years.

Loren “Butch” Brey runs Brey Farms, a turkey breeding operation with his wife near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. Brey is president of the Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council. He said he brought lasers to his operation after his flock was infected the week of Thanksgiving 2023.

As a breeder, recovery takes about a year, which was taxing on Brey and his employees. He said he poured time and money into avoiding the infection.

“We got a couple lasers on each farm, hopefully to cover the whole farm,” Brey said. “I believe we’re seeing good results. I believe my local bird population and migratory birds passing over is down. Of course, it’s hard to gauge that, but it’s just another tool in our toolbox.”

Even taking five to seven showers a day, limiting traffic, using Danish entries and designated parking areas, they do their best, but still have to get their work done. The lasers are one new tool that can do its work while farmers do theirs.