The Next Pandemic? How to Prepare for Bird Flu and Protect Your Food Supply

I’ve been watching the price of eggs skyrocket. I know that’s because of bird flu—and I’m watching that like a hawk, too. I fear we’re on the brink of human-to-human transmission, which could disrupt the entire supply chain all over again.

It’s one thing to wear a mask and go out in public to protect yourself. It’s another risk exposure when bird flu starts killing millions of people. It’s happened before—in 1918—and pandemics tend to come in waves.

The first wave? That’s just the warning shot. The humans infected in the U.S. right now are part of this early phase, and most will likely recover.

It’s the second wave we need to worry about—that’s the killer.

The Looming Food Crisis

The first wave of infection might seem mild, but the real danger comes later—when the virus mutates, spreads faster, and possibly jumps between humans more efficiently. If that happens, we’re not just looking at another health crisis. We’re looking at a major disruption to the food supply.

Here’s why:

• Millions of infected chickens and livestock will likely be culled, wiping out entire farms overnight.
• Eggs, poultry, and dairy products will become scarce and expensive, just like they did during previous bird flu outbreaks.
• Workers in meat processing plants, farms, and grocery distribution centers could fall sick or refuse to work, leading to supply chain breakdowns.
• And let’s not forget the government response—or lack of one. If we see the same incompetence that we saw during COVID-19, we can expect rising prices, empty shelves, and a complete lack of leadership.

This is exactly why I’m taking food security into my own hands.

I’m not saying you need to turn into a full-blown homesteader overnight. But having some level of food independence—no matter how small—could make all the difference in a crisis.

Why Gardening is a Smart Pandemic Preparedness Strategy

We’ve already seen how fragile our food system is. It doesn’t take much for grocery store shelves to go empty—just look at what happened during COVID-19 with toilet paper, baby formula, and even basic produce.

If bird flu escalates, food shortages will be even worse.

That’s why I’m growing my own food—not as a hobby, but as a backup plan.

Will my garden produce enough food to feed my family for a whole year? No, probably not. Gardening takes practice, and food production isn’t something you master overnight. But here’s what it will do:

• Supplement my food supply so I’m not entirely dependent on grocery stores.
• Reduce my expenses if food prices skyrocket.
• Give me the ability to preserve fresh food before shortages get worse.
• Help me build a community of like-minded people who share resources and knowledge.

Even if bird flu doesn’t become a human pandemic, learning to grow, store, and preserve food will never be a wasted effort. And if it does happen? You’ll be ahead of 99% of people who didn’t prepare.

Here’s my month-by-month plan to get started.

Month-by-Month Bird Flu Preparedness Plan

February: Learn & Plan

• Join a local gardening club to learn what grows well in your area and what pests to watch for.
• Start a compost bin and plan a sunny spot in your backyard for a garden.

March: Stock & Start

• Stock up on masks and protective health supplies while they’re still available.
• Save glass jars with good lids and start learning how to pickle vegetables with a 2–3% brine solution.
• Start your seedlings indoors and plant cold-weather crops as soon as the soil allows.

April: Soil & Growth

• Check your soil for worms and other indicators of health. Good soil = good crops. If it’s lacking, mix in compost.
• Tend to your cold-weather crops and watch for disease or pests.

May: Plant for Resilience

• After the last frost (typically May 1st in my area), plant tomatoes and other seedlings.
• Start the Three Sisters Method:
• Plant corn first.
• When the corn is 6” tall, plant beans.
• Once the beans sprout, plant squash to shade the soil and keep weeds down.

June: Build Your Food Stockpile

• Maintain your garden and start planning food storage.
• Learn how to pickle, ferment, and jar your harvest. If you planted heirloom tomatoes, you might get rolling harvests—learn to jar them.

July: Save & Secure Seeds

• Keep tending your garden. Start saving seeds from anything you’ve harvested.
• *This is your ‘fuck you’ to corporate agriculture**—when you have your own seeds, you don’t need theirs.

August: Monitor & Adjust

• Your early harvest should come in. Keep listening for bird flu reports.
• Be resourceful—search online marketplaces for free or cheap supplies.
• Start seedlings for fall crops.

September: Bulk Up & Preserve

• Harvest season is in full swing. Some crops will be abundant and cheap—stock up and learn how to store them.
• Plant your cold-weather crops as your summer garden winds down.

October: Last Harvests & Prep

• Most of your harvest should be in, but your cold-weather crops can keep growing into early November.

November: The Critical Moment

• Flu season begins. If bird flu is spreading among humans, avoid crowds and unnecessary exposure.
• Follow reliable health news sources—not propaganda from an administration slashing public health funding.

The Bigger Picture

We don’t know if the current strain of bird flu will evolve into a human-killing pandemic, but here’s what we do know:

• The Trump administration is back in charge, and they’re gutting health funding.
• They handled COVID-19 with breathtaking incompetence.
• There’s no reason to believe they’ll do better this time.

Nothing about this situation inspires confidence. That’s why you need to prepare—and you need to do it now.

If you’ve never grown a garden before, you won’t be able to produce a year’s worth of food overnight. It takes experience, knowledge of your land, and a community to share tips and resources.

But you can start supplementing your food supply. You can learn to preserve food. You can take advantage of seasonal abundance. Side note: homemade sauerkraut is amazing.

Even if nothing happens and bird flu fizzles out, you’ll still have gained valuable skills. You’ll be more resilient. You’ll know how to grow your food.

And that, my friends, is winning.

Coffee Chat With Tom

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