# Bird Flu Spreads Rapidly Through Central Washington Dairies

> Infected dairy herds in Washington State rose from nine to 34 in one week, with most cases in Yakima and Benton counties. Washington is the 20th state to report bird flu in dairy herds since the outbreak began in 2024. Other new cases in the past month were limited to single herds in Texas and Kansas.

- Date: 2026-11-02 · published 2026-11-02T21:18:21.395Z
- Category: disease · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/76087-bird-flu-spreads-rapidly-through-central-washington-dairies
- Commodities: [Milk (Class III)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/MILK.md)

## Why it matters

Fast spread through a major dairy region can reduce milk output and raise culling, which supports milk prices in the Pacific Northwest. Washington is a significant milk producer, so the outbreak can tighten regional supply.

## Read by commodity

- MILK: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MILK | 2026-06-15 | [Idaho dairies get more bird flu cases \| Capital Press](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15902-idaho-dairies-get-more-bird-flu-cases-capital-press.md) | +0.1% | -1.4% |
| 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 | 2026-06-30 | [Idaho is American ag’s bird flu hotspot \| Capital Press](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15904-idaho-is-american-ag-s-bird-flu-hotspot-capital-press.md) | -2.4% | -1.3% |
| 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 | 2024-09-16 | [Milk futures on the rise - Dairy Star](https://feedsoft.ai/events/28319-milk-futures-on-the-rise-dairy-star.md) | +0.5% | -2.9% |

## Sources

- capitalpress.com: https://capitalpress.com/2026/11/02/bird-flu-spreads-rapidly-through-central-washington-dairies/

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