A northwest Iowa turkey farm will soon become the first in the state to restock after being hit with avian influenza earlier this year, marking a significant milestone in the recovery from the devastating virus, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey said last week.

"We’re going to have a site that is very soon going to fully pass its tests (after) its cleaning and disinfection, and then be able to repopulate with birds," Northey said. Affected facilities are thoroughly tested during a 21-day waiting period after cleaning and disinfection to make sure no virus remains, he explained. The...