Ongoing bird flu has cost the government around $661 million, added to consumers' pain at the grocery store

Bird Flu outbreaks across the United States have cost the government around $661 million. There is little farmers can do other than the steps they have already taken to avoid the virus.

The bad news is that with the outbreak entering its second year and the spring migratory season looming, there is no end in sight. And there is little farmers can do beyond the steps they have already taken to try to keep the virus out.

Unlike past years, the virus that causes highly pathogenic avian influenza found a way to survive through the heat of last summer, leading to a rise in cases reported in the fall.

The outbreak is already more widespread than the last major bird flu outbreak in 2015, but it hasn't proven as costly yet partly because the government and industry applied lessons learned eight years ago.