By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

State and federal officials have confirmed bird flu has hit a third commercial turkey operation in northwest Iowa.

The facility is in Buena Vista County and had about 30,000 turkeys on site. Another turkey production facility in Buena Vista County was hit by bird flu two weeks ago. On October 23rd, officials announced birds in a commercial turkey operation in neighboring Pocahontas County were being euthanized after bird flu had been detected there.

From April through September of this year, there were NO cases of bird flu reported in the state.

According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture, though, there were two outbreaks of bird flu at the beginning of the year — one in late January at a Buena Vista County turkey production facility and another in mid-March in a backyard flock in Chickasaw County.