Bird Flu is Spreading to Dairy Farms in the Mountain West, but It Isn't a Concern for the Public Yet

May 08, 2025

By Yvette Fernandez

Bird flu has been found in dairy farms in the Mountain West region but federal officials tracking the virus say it has recently spread to cattle. That has animal health inspectors concerned, though the virus — also known as the H5N1 virus — still isn’t a concern for people.

Poultry flocks across the country have already been affected by bird flu, including those in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming in recent weeks. The virus has spread to cattle in Idaho and Arizona, and a case of infection in 20 non-poultry birds was reported in Nevada during February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The virus is extremely deadly in poultry and can wipe out entire flocks within days. But cows are better able to recover, according to the CDC. Brian Labus, associate professor with the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas said human infections are concerning, but rare.

“The cases that we’ve seen so far have been people working with sick chickens or working with infected cattle and have large occupational exposures,” he said. “So far we have seen 70 cases in the United States and one person has died. But we haven’t seen it spread person to person.”

Last spring, a federal order was issued requiring testing in cattle before they are transported.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.