Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says the USDA will unveil the department’s plans to address highly pathogenic avian influenza this week. She tells Brownfield it will be a multi-pronged approach.

The incidence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial turkey flock in Sac County, Iowa, has been confirmed. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that the case was confirmed on February 20, and that 29,700 turkeys were involved.

As highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) captured the headlines in the last year, another disease is thought to have caused twice as many losses to Iowa turkey farms in 2024 than bird flu.

Bird flu persists in Iowa in 2025, with a northwest Iowa turkey flock where an infection was detected destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease

The avian influenza virus has been found in a commercial turkey flock in Sac County, Iowa. The Iowa Department of the Agriculture and Land Stewardship reports approximately 29,665 turkeys will be depopulated.

A commercial turkey flock of about 30,000 birds in Sac County was recently infected by a very contagious and deadly avian flu, according to state ag officials.

Iowans are among the federal workers that President Donald Trump's administration has fired from agencies including those in agriculture and veterans' health.

The Buena Vista County flock of about 27,000 turkeys is the third commercial or backyard flock to be infected by the virus this year in Iowa.

APHIS reports two confirmed flock infections in Ohio, while state agencies report positive HPAI detections in Iowa and Indiana.

Dave produces and hosts “Inside Iowa Politics,” a weekly, in-depth show focused on interviews with top leaders on politics, issues, challenges and solutions that impact the state.

Echoing results from earlier California investigations into H5N1 infections in domestic cats, an investigation by agriculture departments in Oregon and Washington has renewed warnings about feeding pets raw food after their investigation into two cat illnesses in Oregon found that the pets were exposed to the same raw pet food brand.