Bird Flu Found in Cattle in the South, Midwest. How California Dairy Farmers Are Fending It Off

By Elizabeth Arakelian and Jonathan Linden

California has the most dairy cows out of any state in the U.S., with around 1.7 million. Nearly 90% of those cows live in the San Joaquin Valley.

So earlier this year, when scientists discovered that avian influenza, or bird flu, had been transmitted to dairy cows in New Mexico and the Texas panhandle, many California farmers were left worried.

Bird flu is highly contagious among birds, and since 2022, more than four million chickens have been euthanized in Merced County alone because of potential exposure.

But the flu jumping from birds to cattle was unusual and surprised many scientists. The virus has been detected in cows in 13 states, but not in California.

Anja Raudabaugh is CEO of Western United Dairies, a trade group representing more than 800 California dairy farms. She said when news of the flu spreading to cows arrived, farmers took action.