1. USDA Opens State-of-the-Art Livestock Insects Research Laboratory to Combat Livestock Pests
USDA Office of Communications Bulletin
May 27, 2026
Kerrville, TX - The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) opened the Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, a state-of-the-art laboratory facility today that will provide the U.S. cattle industry with innovative tools and advanced technologies to manage and eliminate the invasive fly and tick pests that threaten the U.S. cattle industry.
"The Trump Administration has been committed to eradicating pests that could harm our American livestock since the President has been sworn in. The brand new Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory will allow us to research and find new active measures to keep current and future threats away from our borders," said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. "We have taken extraordinary actions to keep New World Screwworm out of the United States and this lab will help us accelerate our offensive efforts to drive this pest further away from our borders."
"For the last 250 years, our nation has relied on research leading to science-based innovation as a means to overcome some of America's greatest agricultural challenges, including the exclusion of New World Screwworm from the United States with novel Sterile Insect Techniques," said USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics Dr. Scott Hutchins. "The Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory -- named after ARS pioneers that every entomologist and entomology student knows of through their breakthrough work -- will build on their legacy by protecting livestock health, ensuring that America's ranches remain productive, safe, and profitable for generations to come."
The new 52,000-square-foot laboratory features cutting-edge laboratory spaces, advanced cattle facilities, and a state-of-the-art genomics core to drive research that delivers innovative control technologies for the U.S. livestock industry. Other on-site research opportunities will involve improved surveillance and trapping tools, novel insecticides and acaricides, enhanced pesticide delivery techniques for cattle and wildlife, sustainable treatments to prevent and mitigate outbreaks of invasive/quarantine arthropod species, improved approaches to combat pesticide resistance, and insect genomics to identify pest vulnerabilities.
Full text: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAOC/bulletins/4192f4c
2. Bird flu resurfaces in Idaho dairy herds
By AGDAILY Reporters
AgDaily.com
May 28, 2026
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has resurfaced in Idaho dairy cattle, with federal officials confirming five new infected herds in mid-April - the first detections in the state since December 2025.
The cases, reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, are part of the continuing nationwide outbreak that has now affected more than 1,090 dairy herds across at least 19 states since the virus was first identified in cattle in March 2024.
The renewed detections in Idaho are drawing attention because they follow what many producers and animal health officials hoped was a slowing of transmission after several quieter months.
According to BEACON, a disease monitoring program operated through Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, the new Idaho cases may signal that the virus is still circulating undetected in some regions despite expanded surveillance and biosecurity efforts.
Full text: https://www.agdaily.com/livestock/bird-flu-resurfaces-idaho-dairy-herds/
3. Study reveals pigs ideal model for toxoplasma research
Work could contribute to a One Health approach to tackling the parasite, developing strategies that benefit both human and animal health.
By The Roslin institute
National Hog Farmer
May 27, 2026
Recent research has revealed pigs and humans show similar immune responses to toxoplasma, a parasite carried by many people and animals worldwide. The findings strengthen the case for studying the resulting disease in pigs and offer a potential route to studying toxoplasma infection, which is usually mild, but can lead to life-threatening complications in people with weakened immune systems and during pregnancy. The parasite can also affect livestock, including pigs, with impacts on animal health and productivity.
This work by Roslin scientists builds on previous evidence that toxoplasmosis in pigs mimics key aspects of human infection, and adds insight by directly comparing gene activity across species.
Immune mechanisms
Pigs are considered reliable models for studying toxoplasmosis because they develop disease in ways that resemble human infection, unlike traditional mouse models, researchers explain. The team tested human and pig versions of two genes that control immunity, IRF1 and IDO1, in lab-grown cells and found that, when the cells were exposed to the parasite, growth was limited in both species. The IDO1 gene helps starve the parasite of nutrients it needs to survive, while IRF1 switches on additional genes involved in fighting infection.
4. Dry, dusty conditions can increase pneumonia risk in cattle
Early identification of dust-related respiratory issues can allow treatment before permanent damage occurs.
By North Dakota State University
Beef Magazine
May 26, 2026
Recent rains have provided some needed relief from dusty conditions across much of North Dakota. The effects of strong winds and dry soils have been a visible challenge for farmers during spring planting and have been an unpleasant companion to outdoor activities.
Dusty conditions can also pose cattle health challenges that producers should be aware of, according to Dr. Jake Galbreath, North Dakota State University Extension veterinarian.
Dust is usually trapped in the upper airway by mucus, which is then moved upwards by tiny hairlike cells and eliminated through coughing or swallowing. High levels of dust can overwhelm these defenses, causing inflammation. Inflamed lung tissue is more susceptible to infection (pneumonia), either from pathogens carried by dust or from pathogens normally present taking advantage of impaired defenses.
"Calves are usually more at risk of developing pneumonia because their lungs have not matured and their immune systems are not fully developed to fight infection," said Dr. Galbreath.
5. Texas traffic stop amid USDA livestock smuggling investigation
By Amber Kite
Fox7Austin.com
May 27, 2026
PRESIDIO COUNTY, Texas - Sheriff's deputies seized six horses during a traffic stop in West Texas as part of an ongoing livestock smuggling investigation, authorities said.
Presidio County Sheriff's deputies intercepted the vehicle on FM 170 to verify the animals' Coggins health papers. During the stop, the driver told deputies the horses had been picked up in Redford, Texas, an area known for unauthorized livestock crossings, and had entered the United States illegally.
Due to heightened biosecurity concerns over the New World screwworm, the horses were turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for testing and quarantine.
6. West Virginia Horse Tests Positive for Strangles
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
May 28, 2026
According to the attending veterinarian, one horse at a private facility in Randolph County, West Virginia, has tested positive for strangles. The horse is quarantined.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1145153/west-virginia-horse-tests-positive-for-strangles-2/