# Bird flu reaches Oregon's cows, and a farmworkers' union speaks of hidden human cases: the virus is active again on US dairy farms

> USDA confirmed H5N1 bird flu in an Oregon dairy herd for the first time. The virus has been found in 51 herds over the past 30 days, most in Washington State, where 43 cases have been recorded since 8 October. A farmworkers' union says illness among workers in the Yakima Valley is under-counted.

- Date: 2026-11-15 · published 2026-11-15T15:19:47.291Z
- Category: disease · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/101472-bird-flu-reaches-oregon-s-cows-and-a-farmworkers-union-speaks-of-hidden-human
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md)

## Why it matters

Spreading H5N1 in US dairy herds can cut milk output and raise concern over movement restrictions, which tightens dairy supply and supports milk and related feed demand dynamics; the effect on prices is likely modest so far.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2026-11-09 | [H5N1 Reaches Indiana Dairies as Poultry Cases Persist Across the US](https://feedsoft.ai/events/90317-h5n1-reaches-indiana-dairies-as-poultry-cases-persist-across-the-us.md) | -2.3% | — |
| MILK | 2024-05-08 | [Bird Flu Outbreak in Dairy Cows Is Widespread, Raising Public Health Concerns \| Infectious Diseases \| JAMA \| JAMA Network](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16090-bird-flu-outbreak-in-dairy-cows-is-widespread-raising-public-health-concerns.md) | +2.1% | +6.4% |
| MILK | 2024-03-25 | [Dairy cattle in Texas, Kansas test positive for bird flu \| AP News](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16105-dairy-cattle-in-texas-kansas-test-positive-for-bird-flu-ap-news.md) | -0.4% | -5.1% |
| MILK | 2024-11-27 | [Bird flu H5N1 outbreak in cattle and Canada infection worry scientists  : Shots - Health News : NPR](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16047-bird-flu-h5n1-outbreak-in-cattle-and-canada-infection-worry-scientists-shots.md) | -4.5% | -5.9% |
| MILK | 2024-03-27 | [Avian flu detections in dairy cows raise more key questions \| CIDRAP](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16106-avian-flu-detections-in-dairy-cows-raise-more-key-questions-cidrap.md) | -6.0% | -5.1% |

## Sources

- paw4care.com: https://paw4care.com/news/world/h5n1-bird-flu-oregon-dairy-cows-farmworkers-union-hidden-cases-yakima/

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.