avian influenza

Chickens in a Sanderson Farms chicken house. (Stephen Ausmus/Agricultural Research Service, USDA)

The U.S. is undergoing its worst bird flu outbreak ever. Is a poultry vaccine the answer?

BY: - May 12, 2023

WASHINGTON — The deadliest outbreak of bird flu in U.S. history is prompting growing concern in Congress, and Department of Agriculture researchers are awaiting the preliminary results of four trials of vaccines for poultry. Some lawmakers are warming to the idea of a vaccination campaign, long considered a fringe idea due to the cost and […]

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and two of his colleagues met at a Grand Junction ethanol plant on April 12, 2023, to discuss the upcoming farm bill. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Iowa ag groups seek more robust vaccine support in farm bill

BY: - April 12, 2023

GRAND JUNCTION, Iowa — Amid ongoing worries about avian influenza that has led to the culling of more than 13 million chickens and turkeys in Iowa in the past year, a priority among agricultural groups for the next federal farm bill is vaccine funding. They want “enough vaccines for any pandemic that might come to […]