Idaho
State officials worry about financial impact after bird flu cases detected in Idaho cattle – East Idaho News
(Idaho Capital Sun) — As cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza spread across U.S. cattle, Idaho officials say their biggest concern is the virus’ impact on Idaho’s economy.
The illness, also coined the bird flu, has sickened cattle across at least eight states, with the first case detected in Texas cattle in late March, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
On April 1, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture reported its first case of the bird flu in cattle in Cassia County. The cattle infected had been recently imported from Texas, Sydney Kennedy, the spokesperson for the department of agriculture told the Idaho Capital Sun.
And on Monday, the department confirmed a second herd in Cassia County is positive for the bird flu.
Kennedy said the state is well-prepared with financial resources and trained staff to respond to animal diseases. The Idaho facilities with infected cattle have been placed under a quarantine to limit the movement of cattle, she said.
“Idaho is a major livestock state, and we cannot forget about what this truly means to the dairymen,” she said. “The outbreak in dairy herds primarily affects lactating cows, reducing milk production, this leaves the greatest amount of financial impact on the dairymen. Idaho’s dairy industry contributes significant economic value ($3.5 billion) to our state.”
What is the highly pathogenic avian influenza — aka bird flu?
The bird flu spreads naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide, and it can infect domestic poultry and other species, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While the virus emerged through birds, it has been detected in cattle, which is unusual, according to University of Idaho veterinary medicine assistant professor Lauren Christensen.
“This is not something that we’re typically looking for in mammals because the virus typically is only able to infect other poultry or other birds,” she told the Idaho Capital Sun. “We usually don’t see the virus able to switch over to mammals.”
The virus is mostly seen in wild flocks of geese or ducks that are migrating, Christensen said. Like with the flu, she said it’s virus particles coming from one infected animal or person going to another — usually in close contact.
Christensen said the virus causes significant disease and even death among chickens. But so far, no cows across the country have died from it.
Christensen said the main symptoms of the virus in cows include decrease in milk production and loss in appetite. Other symptoms may include a low-grade fever, color changes in milk, or thickened milk.
Pasteurized dairy products are safe, experts say
Christensen said milk bought at the grocery store is safe for human consumption because it’s been pasteurized, or heated to a high temperature to kill harmful bacteria.
“Wash your hands, drink pasteurized milk, and you’ll be fine,” Christensen said.
While the bird flu does not normally infect humans, some human infections have occurred, according to the CDC. Earlier this month, federal officials identified the first human case of the illness in a Texas dairy worker, Politico reported. The symptoms are mild and the worker is expected to recover.
Rick Naerebout, the CEO of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, told the Sun the biggest concern for Idaho is its financial impact on the dairy industry.
Naerebout said Idaho dairy workers are encouraged to follow biosecurity measures such as wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves, aprons and glasses. Dairy workers are also encouraged to separate their work clothes and everyday clothes, he said.
“What we’re hearing coming out of the Southwest is you can lose up to 20% of your milk production, and our dairymen are coming off over a year of negative margin,” he said. “That’s just really stressful on the finances and trying to be able to continue to wander through the storm that we’re in.”
To learn more about detections of the virus, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. For updates about detected reports in Idaho, visit the Idaho State Department of Agriculture website. To learn more about the virus and how to prevent it, visit the CDC website.
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The Idaho State Police say that Robert Giesick, 40, from Billings is the man missing in a crash on State Highway 55 near Cascade, about 80 miles north of Boise.
A pick-up truck driven by Giesick ended up in the Payette River after a head-on crash with another pick-up truck.
Watch Idaho crash story here:
Idaho state troopers identify Billings man missing in traffic accident
“I was able to find some people that saw a male, an adult man, swimming for the shore from the truck,” said Idaho State Trooper Richard Knapp, who attempted to rescue Giesick. “Unfortunately he didn’t make it. He got swept downriver. Witnesses lost sight of him, and that was the last time anybody saw him.”
Knapp says search crews looked extensively for the 40-year-old, but after 24 hours, it became a recovery effort for the Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue Unit.
After that on Monday came the monumental task of removing the pickup truck from the raging water.
“It was an intensive a recovery, honestly, our operators were tested, their knowledge was tested,” said Mark Boisvert, Code Red Towing owner. “They said it was a very extreme recovery for them, more than usual.”
Idaho business owners have less than a month to decide how to comply with a new state law criminally banning trans people from using restrooms that align with their gender identity.
The law is set to take effect July 1, which would make it a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for subsequent offenses within five years.
It’s currently being challenged in federal court by the ACLU of Idaho.
On Tuesday, a panel sponsored by Idaho Employment Lawyers encouraged companies to prepare now as if the law will remain in effect as litigation continues.
Cody Earl, a lawyer for St. Luke’s Health System who spoke on the panel in his personal capacity, said there are several paths businesses can take.
Converting all bathrooms into single-use, gender-neutral facilities is one option, though it could be costly for larger businesses. Earl said companies could take other steps to make the transition more affordable.
“Even if it is a gender-specific restroom, [adding signage] that indicates where the closest gender-neutral restroom is so you could at least show that you’re giving employees an option or a choice,” he said.
Simply adding locks and only allowing one person at a time to a multi-stall bathroom is another choice, though panelists said that could be problematic for businesses with large amounts of customers, like restaurants and bars.
Idaho Employment Lawyers owner Pam Howland said companies also need to consider how this will affect their staff.
“This could definitely create some culture issues,” said Howland. “Do you have the policies you need to ensure your expectations as an employer of respect and civility are being followed? Possibly code of conduct provisions related to that? How about privacy?”
Those policies could include limiting or outright banning recording at the workplace.
Another legal wrinkle to complying with the law, the panel said, is that precedent in both the U.S. Supreme Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals prohibit discrimination based on someone’s gender identity.
Gender dysphoria, a mental health designation that causes severe distress to someone when their sex doesn’t align with their gender identity, has been considered a protected condition under the Americans with Disabilities Act in certain cases.
Republican state lawmakers argued earlier this year that Idaho needs to take this first-in-the-nation step to protect women and girls when they use the restroom in private businesses.
A 2025 study out of UCLA hasn’t found any increased risk to safety by allowing transgender people to use restrooms aligning with their gender identity.
A federal court in Boise will hear arguments over whether to approve or reject a preliminary injunction on June 5.
Copyright 2026 Boise State Public Radio
Remember that 250 years ago, nobody had ever heard of Idaho, and the name was mostly made up by an entrepreneur who impressed the federal government with an exaggeration about his knowledge of indigenous culture. But a large number of people who live in the state can trace ancestry to the colonial era, and I believe most Americans still have a love of country, even if some polls give an indication they may not quite know how to express it.
I Was at the Heart of the Bicentennial
Looking back 50 years, I was in Washington, D.C. at the beginning of July. Washington also didn’t exist in 1776. My memory is that its reputation as a hot, sticky swamp was well earned. I traveled there with a history club from school. On a rattling old yellow bus. The city was packed, and many of the people on the streets were foreign tourists. It told me that despite the anti-Americanism common on streets elsewhere around the world, we were still fascinating others.
We’re Still One Nation
1976 was a unifying experience and followed a very turbulent previous 15 years. Some people fear the 250th jubilee won’t bring us together. Look, those rent-a-mobs you see on TV and online are actually a small fraction of America. Picnics in the park don’t make news. Riots and tear gas get the attention of newsrooms. There are still far more picnics.
The recent Memorial Day commemorations were reverential. Independence Day 2026 is going to be a party. The media focus will be on President Trump and a festival far away. Meanwhile, across Idaho, grills will be fired up, and we’ll be proud to be Americans.
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