Historically, Wisconsinites have perceived their capital city as primarily a university and government town and, perhaps more recently, as an aspiring tech-industry center. They're not wrong — government is by far the biggest employer in the Madison area.

Avian influenza has been in the news quite a bit over the last year, including around Wisconsin. While much of this coverage has focused on the farms that saw outbreaks and its effects on consumers' pocketbooks, comparatively little attention has been given to the costs experienced by other poultry enterprises.

Many state and federal agencies deal with avian influenza and its effect on agriculture, the economy and human health, and have developed a series of resources and guides addressing the disease and both the latest news and research about it. Additionally, the 2015 epidemic was the subject of coverage by trade and public media outlets in the affected states and elsewhere.

American consumers have experienced the 2015 avian influenza epidemic primarily in the form of higher egg prices. Average consumer egg prices went up as much as 25 percent between July 2014 and July 2015, according to the Consumer Price Index.