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April 6, 2026

USDA To Drop Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits Across Chattooga County Region

Local News, Local News Items #AerialBaitDrop, #AnimalHealth, #BartowCounty, #CatoosaCounty, #chattoogacounty, #chattooganews, #CommunityAwareness, #DadeCounty, #FloydCounty, #georgianews, #GordonCounty, #HealthAlert, #LowFlyingAircraft, #northwestgeorgia, #NWGANews, #OralRabiesVaccine, #PetSafety, #PublicHealth, #RabiesPrevention, #RabiesVaccine, #RaccoonRabies, #Raccoons, #USDA, #WalkerCounty, #WhitfieldCounty, #WildlifeManagement, #WildlifeServices, #wzqznews 0

Low-flying aircraft will be seen across Northwest Georgia, including Chattooga County, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture begins distributing oral rabies vaccine baits to help prevent the spread of raccoon rabies. The baiting effort is scheduled to take place from April 7 through April 15 as part of a larger cooperative program involving USDA Wildlife Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Georgia Department of Public Health, and other agencies.

January 25, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Avian Flu Confirmed in Second Walker County Commercial Poultry Flock; 16,000 Birds Depopulated

Local News, Local News Items #AgricultureNews, #AnimalHealth, #APHIS, #AvianInfluenza, #Biosecurity, #BroilerBreeders, #GeorgiaDepartmentOfAgriculture, #GeorgiaPoultry, #HPAI, #NorthGeorgia, #PoultryIndustry, #Quarantine, #USDA, #WalkerCounty 0

State and federal agriculture officials have confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a second commercial poultry flock in Walker County, marking Georgia’s second detection in a commercial operation in 2026 and the fifth detection overall in the state since the nationwide outbreak began in February 2022.

January 14, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Avian Influenza Confirmed at Commercial Poultry Operation in Walker County

Local News, Local News Items #AgricultureNews, #AnimalHealth, #AvianInfluenza, #Biosecurity, #GeorgiaAgriculture, #georgianews, #HPAI, #northwestgeorgia, #PoultryIndustry, #PublicSafety, #USDA, #WalkerCounty 0

The Georgia Department of Agriculture says Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed at a commercial poultry operation in Walker County, marking Georgia’s first confirmed HPAI case of 2026 and the fourth case in a commercial poultry operation in the state since the nationwide outbreak began in February 2022.

State officials say the producer noticed increased mortality on Sunday, January 11, and contacted the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network. Samples were collected and tested Monday, with the positive result confirmed by the state lab Monday evening and later confirmed by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory on Tuesday, January 13.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Management Team deployed to the site to begin depopulation, disposal, cleaning, and disinfection. The affected premises housed approximately 71,264 broiler breeders, and response operations are expected to continue through the week.

A 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) quarantine zone has been established around the operation. Officials say all commercial poultry operations within that radius are under quarantine and will undergo surveillance testing for at least two weeks, and the affected premises has been secured so that only authorized personnel may enter.

December 25, 2025

by WZQZ NEWS

USDA Launches Final Phase of 2025 Farm Survey to Collect Key Economic Data from Producers

Local News, Local News Items #AgPolicy, #AgriculturalResourceManagementSurvey, #agriculture, #ARMS, #ConfidentialByLaw, #CottonFarming, #FarmData, #FarmEconomy, #Farmers, #GeorgiaFarms, #HogFarming, #NASS, #NorthGeorgiaAgriculture, #PoultryFarming, #Ranchers, #RuralAmerica, #USDA, #USDAPrograms, #WZQZ 0

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun the final phase of its 2025 Agricultural Resource Management Survey, a nationwide effort to collect detailed economic information from farmers and ranchers to help guide agricultural policy and decision-making.