With the potential of another avian influenza outbreak looming this fall, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is working quickly to develop detailed plans to coordinate with state and local officials, as well as poultry farmers, to mitigate the potential impact of the disease, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said last week at a conference in Des Moines.

"There has not been an incident since mid-June, but the reality is that we need to plan for the worst and hope for the best for this...