Along with forcing the euthanizing of millions of birds, this year’s outbreak of avian influenza cost Iowa nearly 8,500 jobs, more than $1.2 billion in reduced economic output and more than $425 million in lost value-added income, as well as significant reductions in federal, state and local tax revenues, according to a new report commissioned by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

There have been no new cases of avian flu in Iowa or other Midwestern states since mid-June, and some of the state’s turkey farms are just starting to repopulate. However, the economic impact of the severe outbreak isn’t going to fade quickly, according to a report prepared by Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS), an Iowa-based economic research firm. The poultry industry will face "headwinds" from the disease for a significant period of time, the firm said, with full recovery of...