America's food supply is under attack.

It is long past time to fight back.

I'm a third-generation poultry farmer in Saranac, Michigan. Over nearly seven decades, my family farming operation has grown to be the 10th largest egg producer in America.

Herbruck's Poultry Ranch raises nearly 11 million birds in operations across Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania. You may even have purchased some of our eggs at your local grocery store.

Believe me when I say the poultry industry is in crisis.

Since 2022, 153 million commercial, backyard and wild birds across 48 states have been infected by H5N1 – a novel strain of bird flu. Millions more animals have been euthanized to stop the spread of the virus.

I liken this avian flu scourge to a terrorist attack because it undermines one of the country's most critical systems – our food supply. And poultry farms have been fighting this battle for years.

But regrettably there's no end in sight to this war. And now American consumers are sharing the burden.

A recent surge in the virus has triggered more culls, devastated farms and resulted in skyrocketing grocery prices. A dozen eggs, which should wholesale for about $2, have spiked to $8 and higher.

At Herbruck's Michigan farm, we experienced an outbreak in April 2024.

All of us at Herbruck's were devastated to learn about the detection, and as someone who has cared for and depended on egg-laying hens for more than 60 years, I'm heartbroken by the loss of any hen.

Once avian flu is in the flock, it moves with frightening and deadly speed.

We first detected the virus the day before Easter when we lost 70 birds in one of our barns. By Easter Sunday, 700 were dead. The following day, the death toll had climbed to 10,000. By Tuesday, two other farms within five miles of each other were also hit - that was when the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) moved in.

After it is confirmed that avian flu has infected a farm, the USDA essentially takes over – and their policy is to 'stamp out' the virus.

Within a week, we lost 6.5 million hens, which means 6 million fewer eggs per day were being produced and sold in the market.

To a family farmer – that's emotionally and financially devastating.

To the American consumer – it's a gut punch.

These culls are not easy to bounce back from.