News

Iowa Farm Bureau releases results of avian flu study

An Iowa Farm Bureau study shows the avian influenza outbreak is costing Iowa nearly 85-hundred jobs and 425 million dollars in lost income.

Iowa Farm Bureau’s Dave Miller says the ripple effects of the lost jobs and revenue could last for up to three years. He says that will also impact egg and poultry prices, since it takes months to get the birds and staff back in place.

Miller says egg prices are likely to peak out this summer, but the “elevated” price for eggs is likely to linger for a minimum of 12 months and could last for two to three years.

The avian flu outbreak forced the depopulation of 34 million birds on 77 Iowa farms. Miller says it’s “really astounding” that the state could lose half of its poultry flock over a two-month period of time.