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How has Wisconsin’s poultry been impacted by bird flu, hardest hit counties and more answers

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How has Wisconsin’s poultry been impacted by bird flu, hardest hit counties and more answers


Dozens of Wisconsin poultry flocks, both commercial and backyard, have felt the effects of the lethal bird flu outbreak since its ignition three years ago.

As of the end of 2024, Wisconsin lost 3.67 million birds — laying hens, turkeys and upland game birds — across 19 commercial flocks since the current strain was first detected in wild birds in the U.S. in January 2022.

Today, the outbreak among poultry has been found in all 50 states, impacting, birds, growers, workers and consumers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 156.25 million birds in 1,531 flocks have been killed. Nearly half of those flocks were raised in commercial operations.

The disease was first detected in dairy cows in Kansas and Texas dairy herds in March 2024. However, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) bird flu has not been detected in any of the state’s dairy herds.

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As of Feb. 5, 2025, bird flu was confirmed in 959 dairy herds in 16 states. Of those herds infected, 753 are from the state of California. In the last 30 days, 34 news cases have been detected in just two states: California and Nevada.

How has Wisconsin’s poultry been impacted by bird flu?

While dairy cows infected by bird flu typically recover over time, the disease is lethal to poultry and wild birds.

The death of millions of laying hens has caused a table egg shortage in many parts of the country, which has driven prices up to record levels.

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To date, 3.67 million birds from 19 Wisconsin commercial poultry flocks across eight counties — Barron, Burnett, Dunn, Jefferson, Polk, Racine, Trempealeau and Washburn — have been depopulated.

Among those deaths were 722,200 meat turkeys, 13,200 breeder turkey hens, 2.75 million laying hens, 187,900 upland game birds and 10,000 meat ducks, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS). DATCP reported a loss of 1,424 birds from backyard flocks.

On Dec. 18, 2024, Wisconsin health officials reported the first human case of bird flu in the state when a worker at a commercial turkey farm in Barron County tested positive after experiencing mild symptoms. Health officials reported that the worker had been exposed to infected poultry at the operation.

How much have egg prices increased?

Egg prices have risen nationwide by about 38% in the past year, bringing the average cost of one dozen up to $3.65 in November vs. $3.37 in October and $2.14 in November 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index. Prices have risen even more since fall.

Of course, $3.65 is just an average. Data from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service demonstrates the variation in egg carton prices.

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As of Jan. 10, it shows that the wholesale price for a carton of large eggs in the New York market rose to $6.25 a dozen. The Midwest region saw prices around $5.91 and California as high as $8.97.

In other cases, eggs are absent from shelves.

What counties have been hit hardest by bird flu?

Jefferson County suffered the largest losses in March 2022 when 2.75 million laying hens at Cold Spring Egg Farms, owned by S&R Egg Company had to be depopulated by the disease.

Barron County reported several outbreaks in 2022, 2023 and 2024 where 293,600 birds were infected.

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Trempealeau County reported three bird flu outbreaks at turkey farms, killing 123,500 birds.

What year was the most deadly for bird flu outbreaks?

The first year of the outbreak was the deadliest for state poultry with 3.3 million birds affected in 29 outbreaks in 2022.

Over 307,000 birds died in 2023 in six outbreaks, while 73,169 birds were depopulated in 4 outbreaks in 2024.

Wisconsin has not confirmed a new bird flu outbreak in a poultry flock since Dec. 26, 2024.

National bird flu statistics paint a grim picture of bird flu devastation

In the last 30 days, USDA/APHIS reported 127 flocks with confirmed cases of bird flu impacting 21.54 million birds nationally.

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The deadliest month for bird flu across the U.S. was January, when 85 commercial flocks lost 23.25 million birds.

What states have been the hardest hit across the U.S.?

According to USDA/APHIS, the top 4 hardest hit states in the U.S. include:

  • California, 104 commercial (broiler/table eggs) flocks, 38 backyard flocks, 23.48 million birds;
  • Minnesota, 141 commercial flocks (mostly turkeys), 43 backyard flocks, 9.14 million birds;
  • Ohio, 56 commercial (table egg) flocks, 11 backyard flocks, 19.71 million birds; and
  • South Dakota, 114 flocks (mostly turkey and upland game), 25 backyard flocks, 6.1 million birds.

Claire Reid and Mary Walrath-Holdridge contributed to this article.

Contact Colleen Kottke at 920-517-2653 or ckottke@gannett.com. Follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @ColleenKottke.





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8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash

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8-year-old dies in hospital after icy Wisconsin crash


A crash in western Wisconsin killed an 8-year-old boy and seriously injured a 27-year-old Wednesday morning. 

Fatal crash in Richmond Township, Wisconsin

What we know:

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According to St. Croix County, just before 10 a.m., deputies responded to a crash on the 1500 block of County Road A. 

Authorities say that a 27-year-old woman was driving a van southbound, and lost control on an icy curve and collided with another vehicle. 

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The woman suffered serious injuries from the crash and was taken to the hospital to be treated, law enforcement said. The boy was critically injured, and was also taken to the hospital, where he later died. 

Both were wearing seat belts during the crash. 

The driver of the other vehicle was treated for minor injuries at the scene and was released. 

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This is the 10th traffic fatality in St. Croix County. 

What we don’t know:

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The current condition of the woman is unknown. 

The Source: A press release from St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office.

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Judge refuses call from Trump’s former Wisconsin lawyer to step away from fake elector case

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Judge refuses call from Trump’s former Wisconsin lawyer to step away from fake elector case


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  • A Wisconsin judge has denied a request from former Trump attorney Jim Troupis to step down from his felony forgery case.
  • Troupis, along with Kenneth Chesebro and Mike Roman, faces felony charges for his alleged role in the 2020 fake elector scheme.
  • The charges stem from an alleged attempt to create and deliver false elector paperwork claiming Donald Trump won Wisconsin.

MADISON – A Wisconsin judge is refusing calls from President Donald Trump’s former campaign attorney to step down from a case accusing the attorney of felony forgery charges over his alleged role in a scheme to overturn the 2020 election result.

Dane County Circuit Judge John Hyland on Tuesday rejected a motion from Jim Troupis, a former Dane County judge who represented Trump’s 2020 campaign in Wisconsin, to step down from the case. Troupis alleged judicial misconduct.

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Hyland also rejected a motion to postpone a Monday hearing in the case, according to court records.

Troupis argued Hyland should step aside because Troupis believed retired Dane County Judge Frank Remington actually wrote a previous order in the case, according to the Associated Press. Troupis alleged that Remington had ill will against Troupis. Hyland said Remington did not help write the order and rejected the motion.

In 2024, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed felony charges against Troupis, Kenneth Chesebro, a Wisconsin native and lead architect of the 2020 elector scheme, and former Trump aide Mike Roman, who allegedly delivered Wisconsin’s slate of false elector paperwork to a Pennsylvania congressman’s staffer to get them to Vice President Mike Pence on Jan. 6, 2021.

The three face 11 charges relating to felony forgery and forgery meant to defraud the Republican electors who cast their ballots for Trump, even though Joe Biden, a Democrat, won the state’s presidential election. Each of the 11 charges against the men carries the same maximum penalty of six years in prison, in addition to a $10,000 fine.

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According to the complaint against Troupis, Chesebro and Roman, most of the Trump electors said they did not consent to having their signatures presented as if Trump had won the state without a court ruling saying so. The complaint also describes how Chesebro, Troupis and Roman allegedly created a fake document that said Trump won Wisconsin’s 10 Electoral College votes and then attempted to deliver it to Pence for certification.

Federal prosecutors have said the fake electors plot originated in Wisconsin.

Biden beat Trump by about 21,000 votes in Wisconsin. Trump sought recounts in Dane and Milwaukee counties, which confirmed Biden’s win. Trump sued and the state Supreme Court upheld the results on a 4-3 vote on Dec. 14, 2020. Troupis represented the Trump campaign in the case.

Less than an hour later, Democrats met in the state Capitol to cast the state’s 10 electoral votes for Biden.

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At the same time, the Republican fake electors gathered in another part of the Capitol to fill out paperwork claiming Trump had won.

They submitted their filings to Congress, the National Archives, a federal judge and then-Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette. Chesebro was in the room during the meeting.

At the time, the fake electors said they held the meeting only to ensure the state’s electoral votes were cast for Trump if a court later determined he was the true winner of the state.

In efforts to have the case dismissed, Troupis claimed the electors met and cast their ballot only to preserve their legal options, in case the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Trump the winner of Wisconsin, arguing no crime was committed.

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The 10 electors have not been criminally charged related to the fake documents. The group settled a lawsuit in 2023 filed by the real Biden electors against them over their role in the scheme. As a part of the settlement, the false electors acknowledged their actions were used in an attempt to overturn an election.

Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.



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NCAA women’s hockey power rankings: Wisconsin overpowers Ohio State

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NCAA women’s hockey power rankings: Wisconsin overpowers Ohio State


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The University of Wisconsin Badgers women’s hockey team might have the best goaltender, best defender and best offensive depth in the nation right now. They proved it this weekend, sweeping their series against No. 2 Ohio State.

Princeton was the biggest climber in this week’s NCAA women’s hockey power rankings, finding its way into the top 10 after beating a pair of nationally ranked programs, while Cornell dropped both of its games. 

North America’s top players will head to Edmonton, Alberta, this week for the Canadian leg of the Rivalry Series, while NCAA players from Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Czechia are headed overseas to compete in the Women’s Euro Hockey Tour, their last chance to perform internationally ahead of the 2026 Olympics in February.

Here are the top 10 NCAA women’s hockey programs this week.

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Women’s college hockey power rankings

1. University of Wisconsin (WCHA)

After sweeping Ohio State 2-1 and 6-1, Wisconsin entrenched its claim to the top spot in the nation. Ava McNaughton stopped 60 of 62 shots and was perhaps the biggest difference between the teams. Right now, the only thing between Wisconsin and back-to-back titles is their ability to weather the Olympics, where as many as six members of their lineup will be in action. 

2. Ohio State (WCHA)

Ohio State had its chance against No. 1 Wisconsin. The Buckeyes weren’t significantly outshot or outplayed but still got swept. Joy Dunne and Hilda Svensson, November’s WCHA forward and rookie of the month, respectively, were held without a goal. It was Ohio State’s only chance to show it can beat Wisconsin best-on-best, as the next time the teams face off in early February, they will be without their Olympians.

3. University of Minnesota (WCHA)

Whether it was Abbey Murphy, Josefin Bouveng, Sydney Morrow or Jamie Nelson, Minnesota’s seniors made the difference in a pair of conference wins over St. Thomas. Bouveng is tied with Wisconsin’s Caroline Harvey for the longest point streak in the nation, hitting the scoresheet in 17 consecutive games, while Murphy set a program record, scoring her 26th career game-winning goal.

4. University of Minnesota-Duluth (WCHA)

Eve Gascon stopped 50 of 51 shots she faced for the Bulldogs, which beat Bemidji State 4-1 and 4-0. Gascon’s 20-save shutout was her fourth of the season. She had something to prove after being left off Canada’s Rivalry Series roster for December. Offensively, Minnesota-Duluth has work to do after being outshot by Bemidji State in the first game of their series, but they looked much stronger in the second.

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5. Penn State (Atlantic Hockey America)

Penn State doesn’t play again until Dec. 30, but their next three games will define their season, playing Cornell and a series against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions don’t face the same skill level in Atlantic Hockey America, so these upcoming games will be an important test ahead of the national tournament, which they’ll host at Pegula Ice Arena from March 20 to 22.

6. Northeastern (Hockey East)

It was an emotional weekend as Northeastern played its final game at the historic Matthews Arena. Captain Lily Shannon was Hockey East’s player of the month in November. Jules Constantinople was the top defender and forward Stryker Zablocki was the top rookie in November as well. They carried a hot streak over into this weekend’s series sweep of Boston College, helping lead the way for the Huskies.

7. Quinnipiac (ECAC)

After shutting out Cornell 3-0, the Bobcats lost 2-1 in overtime to Colgate in an upset. The Bobcats can find their way out of the ECAC logjam if they can consistently produce secondary offense. The team relies too heavily on Kahlen Lamarche as the primary goal-scorer. Right now, their best threats behind Lamarche are often defenders Makayla Watson and Zoe Uens. 

8. Cornell (ECAC)

Cornell fell 3-0 to Quinnipiac and 3-2 to Princeton. Annelies Bergmann looked human in net, allowing three goals on 18 shots in both games. Cornell entered the weekend second in the nation in goals-against average at 1.64. That number rose this weekend, and after Cornell losses to Vermont, Syracuse and Union last month, teams believe they can beat the Big Red on any given night.

9. Connecticut (Hockey East)

UConn continues to quietly put together wins, including going 1-for-2 against Boston University this past weekend. They tied the first game but lost in a shootout. Scoring continues to be their challenge as some of their top players, including Claire Murdoch and Julia Pellerin, have yet to find their way this season. Tia Chan remains Connecticut’s biggest asset in net.

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10. Princeton (ECAC)

Beating Colgate and Cornell this week, Princeton’s leaders were Mackenzie Alexander and 2026 PWHL Draft prospect Issy Wunder. It often takes Ivy League schools longer to hit their stride in NCAA women’s hockey as they start their season a month later than the rest of the nation. Princeton may still be scratching the surface of its potential this season.



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