Chicken and turkey farmers are afraid this year will bring a repeat outbreak of bird flu, which killed millions of birds and temporarily shut down many poultry operations last year. Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey had hoped to spend $500,000 on a more aggressive state program to address the issue. His Republican colleague, Gov. Terry Branstad, left the appropriation out of his budget entirely. So Northey appealed to the House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday. The funding would go toward training and equipment. Also, the department says it wants to hire a veterinarian and program coordinator to monitor animal diseases in the state.