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Recent U.S. Avian Influenza Outbreak is a Concern For Public Health

A contagious and deadly form of avian influenza has spread across multiple states in recent weeks. The highly infectious virus has killed many farmed poultry and wild birds.

Since early January, the virus began killing chickens in northeast Canada, and it has made its way through factory farms and migrating ducks, geese, and swans from Florida to Maine. The virus has also been making its way through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, with 300 outbreaks in 19 European countries in the last few weeks. In Israel, thousands of cranes have been killed at a nature reserve.

It has also made thousands of turkeys sick in Kentucky and Indiana, which began a mass slaughter of the birds and import bans. Officials were shocked at how efficiently and quickly this virus is killing the animals, saying the animals are dying within hours of the initial infection. In Indiana, according to NY Times, the state officials have already euthanized more than 100,000 birds.

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2026 AFSC Women in Ag Winner | Laura Brown, The Operator

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Laura Brown has devoted more than five decades to Alberta’s beef industry and has been a cornerstone of LLB Angus since 1978. Her strength, knowledge and commitment have made a lasting impact on her community and the cattle sector.

The Operator is a primary agriculture producer or agribusiness owner who is the backbone of their operation or business. They support and empower their peers, providing support systems to other farmers and agribusiness colleagues in the industry.