Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
On a family farm in Ohio, more than a million hens produce eggs that fill grocery shelves across the Midwest. Behind the scenes, farmers like Jordan and Thomas Hertzfeld are working tirelessly to keep their flocks healthy and thriving.
Now, researchers at Notre Dame are helping them do just that—developing an “electronic nose” that can detect disease before it spreads, turning science into a lifeline for farms, food systems, and families.
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Show links:
• Episode Page (https://go.nd.edu/04040c) (https://go.nd.edu/04040c)
• Fighting for faster virus detection (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/stories/fighting-for-faster-virus-detection/) (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/stories/fighting-for-faster-virus-detection/)
• Listen and subscribe (link.chtbl.com/notre-dame-stories?sid=megaphone) (https://go.nd.edu/nd-stories-podcast)
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:19 A brief history of the Hertzfeld Family Farm
02:02 How bird flu affects poultry farms
02:56 Biosecurity measures used to reduce the risk of avian flu outbreak
03:42 Why early detection of bird flu is so important
04:44 A new device from Notre Dame researchers can sniff out bird flu
05:55 How new technology helps farmers detect bird flu
07:37 How farms test for bird flu
08:57 The future of disease detection
11:24 Leveraging technology to solve big, meaningful problems
12:16 Potential uses for sensing technology
On a family farm in Ohio, more than a million hens produce eggs that fill grocery shelves across the Midwest. Behind the scenes, farmers like Jordan and Thomas Hertzfeld are working tirelessly to keep their flocks healthy and thriving.
Now, researchers at Notre Dame are helping them do just that—developing an “electronic nose” that can detect disease before it spreads, turning science into a lifeline for farms, food systems, and families.
---
Show links:
• Episode Page (https://go.nd.edu/04040c) (https://go.nd.edu/04040c)
• Fighting for faster virus detection (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/stories/fighting-for-faster-virus-detection/) (https://fightingfor.nd.edu/stories/fighting-for-faster-virus-detection/)
• Listen and subscribe (link.chtbl.com/notre-dame-stories?sid=megaphone) (https://go.nd.edu/nd-stories-podcast)
---
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:19 A brief history of the Hertzfeld Family Farm
02:02 How bird flu affects poultry farms
02:56 Biosecurity measures used to reduce the risk of avian flu outbreak
03:42 Why early detection of bird flu is so important
04:44 A new device from Notre Dame researchers can sniff out bird flu
05:55 How new technology helps farmers detect bird flu
07:37 How farms test for bird flu
08:57 The future of disease detection
11:24 Leveraging technology to solve big, meaningful problems
12:16 Potential uses for sensing technology
