Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is a concern for Minnesota's poultry industry and bird owners.
June 21, 2024
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), America’s Poison Centers and numerous other state and local partners, are investigating reports of severe acute illnesses potentially associated with consuming Diamond Shruumz brand chocolate bars, cones, and gummies marketed as containing a proprietary blend of mushroom. Minnesota officials are encouraging residents to not buy, eat, sell, or serve Diamond Shruumz brand chocolate bars, cones, or gummies.
Twenty-six illnesses have currently been reported in 16 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Tennessee. To date, Minnesota has one reported illness that sought emergency medical treatment. Of those who became ill, 25 people reported seeking medical care, with 16 being hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. People who became ill from eating Diamond Shruumz brand products reported a variety of severe symptoms including seizures, loss of consciousness, confusion, sleepiness, agitation, abnormal heart rates, changes in blood pressure, nausea, and vomiting.
Diamond Shruumz brand products can be purchased online or at a variety of retail locations nationwide, including smoke/vape shops or places that sell hemp-derived or CBD products.
Retailers should not sell or distribute any of these products. Instead, hold these products until further direction is given by the FDA.
Those who become ill after consuming these products should seek medical treatment. They can also call the Minnesota Regional Poison Center at 800-222-1222 to report symptoms and seek information. Callers should let Poison Control know they have recently consumed Diamond Shruumz brand chocolate bars, cones, or gummies.
Health care providers should report these illnesses to their local health department or the Poison Center at 800-222-1222.
The MDA and MDH will continue to monitor incoming information from the FDA. Consumers and health care providers can monitor updates about this investigation at Investigation of Illnesses: Diamond Shruumz-Brand Chocolate Bars, Cones, & Gummies (June 2024) | FDA.
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Media Contacts
Allen Sommerfeld
MDA Communications
651-201-6185
Allen.Sommerfeld@state.mn.us
Danielle Ryan
MDH Communications
651-392-1097
Danielle.Ryan@state.mn.us
HPAI Fact Sheet (pdf)101.13 KB
The following table summarizes the projects funded by the Clean Water Fund.
Principal Investigator: Fabian Fernandez
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Agricultural BMPs for Groundwater Protection: Conduct a comprehensive inventory of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) that reduce loss of nitrogen to groundwater. The inventory can either be a reorganization of the current 2017 MDA document titled “The Agricultural BMP Handbook for Minnesota” to differentiate between groundwater and surface water benefits, or the addition of a new chapter dedicated to groundwater. Key considerations for each cited BMP include nitrogen loss reduction efficiency, installation cost, and knowledge gaps in the context of Minnesota climate, soils and crop production systems. The inventory must consider regional differences in the effectiveness of each BMP based on differences in geology and groundwater susceptibility to contamination.
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Develop Protocols for Evaluating Groundwater Quality Impacts of Precision Agriculture: Coordinate the development of protocols for the evaluation of precision agriculture systems including software decision support tools, optical sensor-based systems and other variable rate technologies, for their ability to precisely estimate crop nitrogen demand. The protocols must be developed with input from agricultural organizations and companies and the MDA and should be completed in a one year time frame.
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Economics of Cover Crops: Develop a comprehensive guide on the economics of common cover crop species (those not covered by the Forever Green Initiative) in the state. The guide should focus primarily on regional studies to evaluate costs associated with the establishment of cover crop species used in Minnesota (single and mixes) and discuss their winter survival ability (risk management). The guide must consider costs associated with seeding, maintenance and termination, and it should also discuss the potential impact of cover crop practices on the yield of the cash crop, and water quality related to the different agricultural contaminants.
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Innovative Nutrient Management Strategies: Develop and test innovative on-farm methods or technologies for agricultural nutrient management to improve nutrient utilization and reduce negative impacts on agricultural surface and/or ground water. The methods or technologies can be a new, or already used elsewhere and be adapted for use with Minnesota’s agricultural production systems. The State prefers to use methods or technologies with potential for high cost efficiency (cost-effective), that are applicable to large areas of the state or are effective within drinking water supply management areas (DWSMAs).
2019
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Agricultural BMPs for Groundwater Protection: Conduct a comprehensive inventory of agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) that reduce loss of nitrogen to groundwater. The inventory can either be a reorganization of the current 2017 MDA document titled “The Agricultural BMP Handbook for Minnesota” to differentiate between groundwater and surface water benefits, or the addition of a new chapter dedicated to groundwater. Key considerations for each cited BMP include nitrogen loss reduction efficiency, installation cost, and knowledge gaps in the context of Minnesota climate, soils and crop production systems. The inventory must consider regional differences in the effectiveness of each BMP based on differences in geology and groundwater susceptibility to contamination.
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Develop Protocols for Evaluating Groundwater Quality Impacts of Precision Agriculture: Coordinate the development of protocols for the evaluation of precision agriculture systems including software decision support tools, optical sensor-based systems and other variable rate technologies, for their ability to precisely estimate crop nitrogen demand. The protocols must be developed with input from agricultural organizations and companies and the MDA and should be completed in a one year time frame.
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Economics of Cover Crops: Develop a comprehensive guide on the economics of common cover crop species (those not covered by the Forever Green Initiative) in the state. The guide should focus primarily on regional studies to evaluate costs associated with the establishment of cover crop species used in Minnesota (single and mixes) and discuss their winter survival ability (risk management). The guide must consider costs associated with seeding, maintenance and termination, and it should also discuss the potential impact of cover crop practices on the yield of the cash crop, and water quality related to the different agricultural contaminants.
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Innovative Nutrient Management Strategies: Develop and test innovative on-farm methods or technologies for agricultural nutrient management to improve nutrient utilization and reduce negative impacts on agricultural surface and/or ground water. The methods or technologies can be a new, or already used elsewhere and be adapted for use with Minnesota’s agricultural production systems. The State prefers to use methods or technologies with potential for high cost efficiency (cost-effective), that are applicable to large areas of the state or are effective within drinking water supply management areas (DWSMAs).
- Continue field data collection from recently completed or nearly completed projects. The projects must relate to nitrogen rate estimation using optical sensing, winter annual cover crops, or bioaugmentation and biostimulation of woodchip bioreactors. The project must clearly demonstrate the value of the continued data collection and document the use and impact of the data collected. The project cost is not to exceed $100,000.
- Develop a comprehensive inventory summarizing cover crop and perennial vegetation research and demonstration data that has focused predominantly in Minnesota. The data can include farmer-led cover crop projects. Compile the information into a document similar to the 2017 Minnesota Agricultural BMP Handbook. The document should be written in a way that makes information readily accessible for field practitioners, including farmers and technical assistance staff. The document should reference previous work and provide proper citations. At a minimum the inventory should provide:
- A description of each crop species;
- Soil characteristics and/or landscape limitations or suitability;
- Practical aspects of establishment and management of the crop, including seeding & termination;
- Potential interaction with herbicide program for the main crop;
- Nutrient crediting;
- Effects (positive or negative) on primary crop yield;
- Costs and other economic considerations;
- Potential barriers to adoption;
- Potential uses or markets for the crop;
- Environmental benefits/ecosystem services or consequences of crop establishment (e.g., carbon sequestration, water infiltration and nutrient leaching, runoff quality) and;
- Research needs for ongoing projects.
- Compare the amount of water applied, crop production and nitrate leaching losses for corn on irrigated coarse-textured soils when using different irrigation decision support tools, such as the Irrigation Management Assistant, the U of M Extension checkbook method, in-field soil moisture monitoring systems, common irrigator practices or other methods.
