Mabton Wa

In this brown, desert valley known more for its wineries and apples, the talk Wednesday turned to "mad cow" disease -- and how little anybody around here knew about it. News that the first U.S. case of the degenerative brain illness had been traced to a local dairy cow had this small town wondering exactly which farm it came from. Federal officials wouldn't name names, and residents claimed not to know.

In this brown, desert valley known more for its wineries and apples, the talk Wednesday turned to "mad cow" disease -- and how little anybody around here knew about it. News that the first U.S. case of the degenerative brain illness had been traced to a local dairy cow had this small town wondering exactly which farm it came from. Federal officials wouldn't name names, and residents claimed not to know.