America's food supply is attacked.
It is long to fight back.
I am a third generation of poultry farmer in Saranac, Michigan. For almost seven decades, my family farm operation has grown into the 10th largest egg producer in America.
Herbruck's poultry ranch lifts nearly 11 million birds in operations in Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. Maybe you have even bought some of our eggs in your local supermarket.
Believe me when I say that the poultry industry is in crisis.
Since 2022, 153 million commercial, back garden and wild birds have been infected by H5N1 in 48 states – a new tribe of bird flu. Millions of more animals have been euthanized to stop the spread of the virus.
I compare this bird flu with a terrorist attack because it undermines one of the most critical systems in the country – our food supply. And poultry farms have been fighting this struggle for years.
But unfortunately there is no end to this war. And now American consumers share the burden.
America's food supply is attacked. It is long to fight back. (Shown: empty shelves in the egg part of a supermarket in Miami).
I am a third generation of poultry farmer in Saranac, Michigan. For almost seven decades, my family farm operation has grown into the 10th largest egg producer in America.
A recent increase in the virus has activated more spaces, destroyed farms and resulted in towering supermarket prices. A dozen eggs, which must be large for around $ 2, have been exhibited to $ 8 and higher.
On the Herbruck's Michigan farm we experienced an outbreak in April 2024.
We were all destroyed in Herbruck's to learn about the detection, and if someone who has been cared for for more than 60 years for egg layers and was dependent on eggs, I was deeply saddened by the loss of a chicken.
As soon as bird flu is in the herd, it moves with frightening and deadly speed.
We detected the virus for the first time the day before Easter when we lost 70 birds in one of our barns. 700 were dead against Easter Sunday. The next day the death toll had risen to 10,000. By Tuesday, two other farms were also hit within five miles – that was when the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) moved.
After it has been confirmed that bird flu has infected a farm, the USDA essentially takes over – and their policy is to eradicate the virus.
Within a week we lost 6.5 million chickens, which means that 6 million fewer eggs were produced and sold on the market.
For a family farmer – that is emotional and financially devastating.
For the American consumer – it's a gut pot.
These spacious people are not easy to bounce back.
Within a week we lost 6.5 million chickens, which means that 6 million fewer eggs were produced and sold on the market.
For a family farmer – that is emotional and financially devastating. For the American consumer – it's a gut pot. These spacious people are not easy to bounce back.
It will take months to re -populate our farm. After working with federal and national supervisors and ensuring that our farm was free and free of the virus in June, we still only work 70 percent of our full production capacity.
In combination with bio -safety protocols, the USDA policy of 'stamping' of bird flu has worked to arrange the spread of bird flu in the past. But with new tribes of bird flu and the unprecedented infections of dairy cattle, we can no longer only rely on biosafility to protect our herds.
America must vaccinate its poultry populations against bird flu, just as we have been vaccinated for decades of Newcastle, infectious bronchitis and a handful of other diseases. Why can aviaire flu continue to exist?
Although existing H5N1 vaccines exist and are made in America, we cannot give them to our birds. Our federal government must take urgent, critical measures to tackle this crisis, and that means implementing an aggressive strategy for vaccines.
We need improved, universal bio -safety requirements in the agricultural sector and a strategic initiative that involves experts in the industry to expand our knowledge about bird flu and how we can further reduce this crisis.
If we tackle bird flu effectively, customers see lighting in the supermarket. And Americans will no longer have to pay the price of this deadly disease.
A renewed scientific and political will is needed to tackle the vulnerability of the food supply of our nation. But it can be done.
We cannot delay – whether our goose can be cooked.
