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An outbreak of avian flu, or bird flu, has spread to 42 states and farmers have culled 47 million birds so far, rivaling the devasting 2015 outbreak that infected more than 50 million birds. The infection is causing devastating losses to farmers, and you will see higher prices when you go to the grocery.
Some of the infected flocks are in the tens of thousands of birds and larger.
These are the counties where bird flu has been detected in poultry flocks.
(CDC)
Reuters reports that the virus is showing up in wild birds too, in fact, the migrations of wild birds threaten to spread the virus. The CDC map below shows where wild birds, from geese to owls and bald eagles, that are carrying the avian flu have been detected as of the first week of October.
Officials are finding the subtype in a broader range of wild birds, such as ducks, than in the past and it seems to live in the birds longer, Sifford said. An elevated threat for infections may persist until summer 2023 as they migrate, she said.
The United States is monitoring wild birds for avian flu in four migration paths, known as flyways, up from two previously, and plans to do the same next year.
“This virus could be present in wild birds for the foreseeable future,” Sifford said. “This one is certainly different.”
(CDC)
The World Health Organization explains humans are not at significant risk from the avian flu:
In terms of transmission, human infections with avian and other zoonotic influenza viruses, though rare, have been reported sporadically. Human infections are primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated environments but do not result in the efficient transmission of these viruses between people.
The ongoing spread of bird flu will likely affect the price and availability of turkeys this Thanksgiving.
Right now the price per pound of an 8- to 16-pound turkey is $1.99, up from $1.15 last year, according to USDA data. This is a 73% increase.
Typically, bird flu spreads during the colder months, but this year commercial turkey producers were reporting cases of avian flu in July — a time when farmers are raising flocks for the holiday season.
“It’s certainly occurring at a terrible time,” says Walter Kunisch, a senior commodities strategist at Hilltop Securities.
And it is not just turkey. Other commodities will be significantly more expensive this Thanksgiving. Feed and labor costs are driving up milk prices, so you will find the price of butter will be a lot higher just before baking season, and you may even see butter shortages, CNBC says:
And the lack of supply is already driving prices up. In January, the average price of butter was $3.67 per pound, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In September, it was up to $4.70 per pound.
“Prices are not going to come down,” says Scott Grawe, a professor of supply chain management at Iowa State University.
As of (Oct. 5), Trader Joe’s has the lowest price, and Target the highest:
You may be moving into a lower tax bracket because of inflation
The IRS just announced that because of inflation, it is shifting some of its tax brackets, and the net result could be that you will pay a lower percentage of your income next year. The changes are part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRS also has raised the standard deduction by $1,800 so fewer people will be itemizing their deductions.
The standard deduction for married couples filing jointly for tax year 2023 rises to $27,700 up $1,800 from the prior year. For single taxpayers and married individuals filing separately, the standard deduction rises to $13,850 for 2023, up $900, and for heads of households, the standard deduction will be $20,800 for tax year 2023, up $1,400 from the amount for tax year 2022.
The key tax brackets for the 2023 tax year will be:
Marginal Rates: For tax year 2023, the top tax rate remains 37% for individual single taxpayers with incomes greater than $578,125 ($693,750 for married couples filing jointly).
The other rates are:
35% for incomes over $231,250 ($462,500 for married couples filing jointly);
32% for incomes over $182,100 ($364,200 for married couples filing jointly);
24% for incomes over $95,375 ($190,750 for married couples filing jointly);
22% for incomes over $44,725 ($89,450 for married couples filing jointly);
12% for incomes over $11,000 ($22,000 for married couples filing jointly).The lowest rate is 10% for incomes of single individuals with incomes of $11,000 or less ($22,000 for married couples filing jointly).
There is one higher tax bracket in 2023 for the big dollar earners. Individuals earning $578,125 — or $693,750 for married couples who file joint returns — will be taxed at 37%.
There are two other noteworthy changes in 2023:
- The earned-income tax credit for low-income workers will rise to $7,430 (for qualifying taxpayers with three or more children), up from $6,935 this year.
- And if your rich uncle dies and leaves you a ton of money next year, you will not have to pay taxes on the first $12,920,000 that you inherit. That is a million dollars more than was exempted this year. It is a good thing that your uncle is still hanging on.
Study: how hospital room features factor into patient’s recovery from surgery
A new study from the University of Michigan finds that “hospital room features such as distance from a nursing station, staying in a single room, and having a direct line of sight to clinicians may influence clinical outcomes post-surgery.” The findings were presented to the Scientific Forum of the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress 2022.
- After adjusting for patient comorbidities and complexity of the operation, mortality rates were 20% higher (odds ratio 1.2) if patients were admitted to a hospital room without a window than if they were put in a room with a window.
- For patients staying in a room without a window, 30-day mortality rates were 10% higher (odds ratio 1.1).
The world’s wildlife populations have dropped 69% since 1970
The World Wildlife Fund studied 32,000 wildlife populations covering more than 5,000 species and found that deforestation, human exploitation, pollution and climate change contributed to a 69% decline in wildlife populations. Wildlife in the Caribbean and Latin America have been hit especially hard, the report says. (Read the full report.)
The study says:
Land-use change is still the biggest current threat to nature, destroying or fragmenting the natural habitats of many plant and animal species on land, in freshwater and in the sea. However, if we are unable to limit warming to 1.5°C, climate change is likely to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the coming decades. Rising temperatures are already driving mass mortality events, as well as the first extinctions of entire species. Every degree of warming is expected to increase these losses and the impact they have on people.
One part of the world from where we have included significantly more data is Latin America, not least the Amazon. And we also showcase studies from the region. This is of particular significance as rates of deforestation are increasing. We have already lost 17% of the original extent of the forest and an additional 17% has been degraded. The latest research indicates that we are rapidly approaching a tipping point beyond which our largest tropical rainforest will no longer function.
The report focused significant attention on a subject that would be of extreme interest to your audiences, freshwater such as rivers, streams and lakes. The report said:
Based on 6,617 monitored populations, representing 1,398 species of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish, the freshwater LPI provides an indication of the status of freshwater habitats. Since 1970 these populations have declined by an average of 83% (range: -74% to -89%).
The report says dams and reservoirs are causing problems for fish and recommends:
Key solutions for reconnecting freshwater habitats are to improve fish passages through barriers and to remove dams. For example, the removal of two dams and improvements to other dams in the Penobscot River in Maine, USA, resulted in an increase in river herring numbers from a few hundred to nearly 2 million within five years, enabling people to return to fishing.
Journalists, there is a lot in this report that speaks to issues much closer to home than mountain gorilla populations and coral reef health, as important as both of those are. How refreshing it would be to hear midterm election candidates talk about environmental issues, even if they oppose doing anything, at least it is a conversation worth having.
