avian flu
“Significant” risk of new wave of bird flu in fall or spring
A second wave of the devastating avian influenza could appear this fall or next spring, the chief USDA veterinarian told senators, adding, "We will be ready for that challenge."
Retail egg prices up 6 percent in a week
Egg prices in the supermarket are up 6 percent this week, resuming a climb that began on May 22 but took a brief dip in late June, says the USDA's National Retail Report.
The $1 billion elephant in Iowa’s caucus rooms
Iowa gets the first word on presidential nominees through its precinct caucuses, scheduled for Feb. 1, so the Hawkeye State is awash with candidates who are trying to build a bond with voters. "Yet for all their love for everyday Iowans, none of the candidates is getting anywhere near the biggest crisis to hit the state in years - one of the worst animal health emergencies in U.S. history," says Politico Magazine.
11 percent of egg-laying hens dead in two months from bird flu
U.S. egg farmers lost 11 percent of their laying hens in two months, the government said - the latest impact of the worst avian influenza epidemic to ever hit the poultry industry.
In bird-flu boomerang, chicken to cost less
The avian influenza epidemic hit egg-laying poultry flocks and spared the growers who produce broiler chickens used for meat. But many nations restricted or altogether banned U.S. poultry products because of the flu. The result is a rapidly increasing supply of chicken, says the monthly Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook. And when supplies go up, prices come down.
Bird-flu results: Fewer eggs and a 25-percent price increase
Egg prices will run an average 25 percent higher this year than expected two months ago - and at record high prices - because of the worst avian influenza epidemic ever to hit U.S. poultry farms, says the government. In its monthly WASDE report, the USDA estimated that the bird flu, which has affected 47.1 million fowl, would reduce egg production by 5 percent this year and by 4.5 percent in 2016.
First Minnesota farm hit by bird flu resumes production
The turkey farm that suffered the first outbreak of avian influenza in Minnesota is back in production, says the Associated Press. The Pope County farm was re-stocked with fowl on Sunday.
Bird flu’s implications for large-scale operators
The worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit U.S. poultry farms resulted in the death or culling of 48.1 million fowl, most of them turkeys and egg-laying hens. Iowa, the No. 1 egg state, could see "total economic damage" of $957 million, says Fortune. U.S. egg production, estimated down by 5 percent this year, is not expected to recover until 2016.
Biosecurity lapses helped spread of avian influenza epidemic
The worst avian flu epidemic ever to hit U.S. poultry farms was spread in part by lapses in biosecurity among producers as well as "environmental factors," said the government in an initial report on the disease that will depress table egg and turkey production into 2016. USDA's animal health agency said it plans to meet with industry and state officials in July to discuss security standards.
Retail egg prices sharply higher, up 42 percent in a week
The U.S. average egg price in grocery stores zoomed by 55 cents a dozen for Grade A Large eggs from the preceding week, a 42-percent increase, said the USDA weekly retail report. Egg prices are rising as a result of the worst avian influenza epidemic ever to hit U.S. poultry flocks. Stores sold a dozen Grade A Large eggs for $1.87, compared to $1.32 a dozen in the week ending June 5.
USDA pricetag for bird-flu epidemic may top $500 million
In a Bloomberg interview, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the government may spend more than half a billion dollars to fight the avian-influenza epidemic and to compensate poultry producers for their flocks.
Egg prices drop 7 cents as bird-flu epidemic wanes
After increasing by 68 percent in five weeks, the price of eggs in supermarkets is down slightly. The average price for a dozen Large white eggs Grade A or better is $1.98 this week, 7 cents less than the previous week, according to the USDA's National Retail Report. "Shoppers will ... find some relief," says the report, noting more stores are featuring eggs in their advertisements.
Plenty of holiday turkey despite avian influenza losses
"Much has been made of a potential supply disruption impacting the availability of turkeys during the Thanksgiving holiday," say economists John Newton and Todd Kuethe of U-Illinois, who rebut the idea at farmdoc daily. They say the monthly Cold Storage report shows turkey stockpiles are 5-percent larger than a year ago and other USDA reports show turkey production from January-April was up by 7 percent from the same point in 2014.
Ethanol makers feel impact of bird-flu epidemic
The impact of the worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit U.S. poultry flocks has reached the ethanol industry in the form of smaller sales of distillers dried grains (DDGs), a widely used feed, says DTN.
Prices lower for pork, higher for eggs, at supermarket
After hitting a record high in 2014, the supermarket price of pork will drop by 3.5 percent this year, the government said in updating its forecast for food price inflation. Hog farmers have expanded production at the same time the strong dollar discourages exports, so the pork supply for Americans is getting larger. It was the second month in a row that the USDA lowered its forecast for pork prices.
After three-week surge, fewer bird-flu outbreaks reported
The worst avian influenza epidemic ever to hit the U.S. poultry industry is losing its punch, says Agri-Pulse, with fewer outbreaks being reported on a weekly basis and "leading industry and government officials to discuss steps to prevent a similar outbreak in the fall."
Bird flu confirmed in Wyoming and two Minnesota flocks
Three more cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza were confirmed by the USDA in a three-day period. All were the H5N2 virus. The Wyoming case involved an ailing wild Canada goose from Laramie County.
USDA pays $72 million to farms in bird-flu indemnities
The government has paid $71.9 million to producers as indemnities for poultry flocks that were victims of the worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit the United States.