The U.S. poultry industry produces nearly nine billion broiler chickens, more than 100 billion eggs, and 200 million turkeys annually, contributing $70 billion to the U.S. economy. In New York State, poultry and egg production are increasingly important agricultural sectors with more than 5,600 egg-production farms and over 700 meat-only poultry farms with a $162 million increase in economic value over the past five years, driven largely by increased consumer demand for local eggs and poultry.

Despite this growth, the U.S. poultry industry faces three urgent challenges: (1) continuing and unprecedented losses from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, H5N1 virus); (2) increasing production costs combined with low commodity price and high volatility; and (3) lagging adoption of modern technologies for disease prevention, precision nutrition, and real-time monitoring of poultry health. Since 2022, HPAI has affected more than 205 million domestic birds across all 50 states, making it the most significant animal disease event in U.S. history and revealing critical vulnerabilities in current disease control strategies2. Small-scale flocks often face heightened disease risk due to nutritional limitations and reduced access to biosecurity and monitoring technologies. These flocks may also serve as reservoirs for viral circulation, posing secondary risks to commercial poultry farms and the dairy industry.

This joint proposal brings together the complementary expertise and strengths of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) to address these challenges through research, modeling, technology development, and integrated extension programs. The project team will (i) integrate experimental studies with epidemiologic-economic modeling approaches to rigorously evaluate cost-effectiveness of HPAI vaccination and surveillance testing, as alternatives to the current stamping-out only control strategies; (ii) use precision nutrition to evaluate the benefits of specific feed additives on poultry immunity, health and performance; (iii) develop artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled monitoring technologies for improved poultry health management and monitoring; and (iv) transfer the research discoveries into government and farm applications for immediate economic and societal impacts. This impact-ready collaborative project between CVM and CALS is directly aligned with Cornell’s Future of American Agriculture Initiative (FAAI) as it will provide science-driven data, models and tools that will inform policy-makers and empower U.S. farmers to protect poultry health, stabilize food supplies, control costs, and remain competitive in domestic and global markets.