(The Center Square) – The Texas cattle industry face a crisis after the largest wildfire in state history caused the death of thousands of beef cattle and now dairy cows for the first time have been infected by a bird flu outbreak.
An initial 7,000 head of cattle were lost after the largest wildfire in Texas history, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, burned more than one million acres in late February. The total number of cattle lost, which excludes those euthanized due to injuries, is expected to be higher, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture.
The fire spanned an acreage equivalent to the size of Rhode Island in the panhandle, where over 85% of the state’s cattle population (beef and feed lot cattle and dairy cows) is located.
By Feb. 25, the Texas A&M Forest Service had responded to 56 wildfires burning more than 1.256 million acres.
In addition to losing cattle,
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