Chickens in one of our poultry barns tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu. We immediately called our local U.S. Department of Agriculture office, but we already knew what was inevitable.

The Trump administration has fired about a quarter of the personnel at an Agriculture Department program that tracks the spread of bird flu, and has laid off some 1,200 employees at the National Institutes of Health—including many promising young disease detectives.

What to know about how to protect your backyard chickens and pet from bird flu and what experts say about its presence in Worcester County

The nation’s biggest egg producer has seen rising revenues and profits. Now some Democrats are calling for an investigation into pricing practices in the industry.