1. New World screwworm spreads in Texas livestock as US cases climb to 16
By Mateo Rosiles - USA TODAY NETWORK
Abilene Reporter News
June 23, 2026
State and federal officials are responding to a new case in Texas amid the ongoing threat of the New World screwworm to the United States and its cattle industry.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on social media that the latest case was identified in a goat in Terrell County, a Texas-Mexico border county about 150 miles south of Midland.
The confirmed case brings the total to 15 in Texas and 16 nationwide. Mexico is reporting about 1,800 active cases, according to the USDA.
"The case was identified in a castration site wound. NWS only infests open wounds - it does not affect healthy skin," read USDA's social media post.
The detection is about 180 miles west of the initial Texas case reported June 3 in Zavala County and 74 miles west of the most recent case confirmed June 20 in Crockett County.
2. Webinar: SMS Plan, SBS Plan, Websites, Resource Updates - Hosted by the USAHA CAEM Committee
USAHA
June 23, 2026
Join us on June 25 at 10am Central to learn about the updated Secure Milk Supply (SMS) Plan and resources now available on an updated SMS website. Also, learn about new resources for the Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan on the updated SBS website. This will be hosted by the USAHA Committee on Animal Emergency Management (CAEM) and recorded. Registration is NOT required; Zoom link below.
TOPIC 1: Updates include the expansion of the SMS Plan for Continuity of Business for use beyond foot and mouth disease (FMD) to include similar contagious diseases like H5N1, resources for producers, cooperatives, and processors, as well as updated movement permit guidance that includes raw milk for animal feed and more. A new module was created for the online course and the FARM Database - Enhanced Biosecurity was modified to accommodate the biosecurity resource updates.
PRESENTERS: Miquela Hanselman, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs, National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and Dr. Danelle Bickett-Weddle, Preventalytics and consultant to NMPF.
TOPIC 2: The Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan resources were expanded to address additional audiences. Those were added to an updated SBS website that was designed to be user friendly. Learn more about the train-the-trainer program and the additional outreach that was done to increase the beef cattle industry's preparedness and response to FMD.
PRESENTER: Dr. Julia Herman, National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Funding was provided, in part, by the USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) to the NMPF and NCBA for these projects.
Please click this URL to start or join. https://iastate.zoom.us/j/92390387093?pwd=CxL4Luyx5Fxs4CrSvckVK2AmY0IF3d.1
Or, go to https://iastate.zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID: 923 9038 7093 and password: 082118
Join from dial-in phone line:
Dial: +1 305 224 1968 or +1 309 205 3325
Meeting ID: 923 9038 7093
3. SC tightens rules to keep screwworms from harming cattle and wildlife. Here's what that means [edited]
By Lyn Riddle
The State
June 23, 2026
They are flies that lay eggs in open wounds and body openings such as the eyes, ears, nose, mouth.
They are not in South Carolina, but the threat is serious enough the state has announced it will immediately enforce health requirements for warm-blooded animals entering South Carolina from states with reported cases. That requires shippers to produce proof of veterinary inspection and to get permits in advance. "Preparedness is our best defense," said Mike Neault, South Carolina State Veterinarian and director of Clemson Livestock-Poultry Health. "While South Carolina has no confirmed cases, we are taking proactive steps to ensure producers, veterinarians and animal health professionals have the information, resources and tools they need should New World Screwworm be detected here."
Full text: https://www.thestate.com/news/state/south-carolina/article316169389.html
4. Fear of rabies spreading in Upper Midwest cattle herds via skunks [edited]
By Mike Bunge
KIMT.com
June 23, 2026
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Health officials across four Upper Midwest states are warning livestock owners about an uptick in rabies cases tied to infected skunks.
Since 2024, 10 cattle have tested positive for rabies in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota, according to a joint notification from state agriculture and health departments. The infections have been linked to exposures from rabid skunks carrying the North Central skunk variant of the rabies virus.
Nebraska has not reported a rabid cow since 2021, but both the North Central and South Central skunk variants remain active in the state's wildlife. Officials say the ongoing circulation of these strains highlights the need for vigilance across all four states.
The 10 infected cattle included seven dairy cows, two beef cattle and one show animal. During the same period, 25 skunks tested positive for rabies across the region. In Nebraska, three skunks carried the South Central strain, and two raccoons were found with the same variant, suggesting they had been exposed to rabid skunks.
North Dakota Horse Tests Positive for Strangles
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
June 22, 2026
According to the state veterinarian, one horse in Ward County, North Dakota, has tested positive for strangles. One additional horse is suspected to be positive.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1145524/north-dakota-horse-tests-positive-for-strangles/
Maryland Horse Contracts Salmonella
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
June 22, 2026
On June 18, an 18-year-old Paint mare in Montgomery County, Maryland, tested positive for salmonellosis. The mare developed clinical signs on June 14, including fever, diarrhea, and systemic inflammatory response syndrome. She was referred to an equine hospital for evaluation and treatment under isolation protocol.
Fecal samples collected upon hospital admission tested positive for Salmonella by PCR and culture. The mare has reportedly improved with treatment. Several other horses at the mare's home farm have also been treated for fever, diarrhea, and/or colic over the past week.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1145528/maryland-horse-contracts-salmonellosis/
Equine Strangles Case Confirmed in Spokane County, Washington
EDCC Health Watch
EquiManagement.com
June 23, 2026
According to the assistant state veterinarian, one horse at a private facility in Spokane County, Washington, has tested positive for strangles. The horse had not traveled recently, but horses in neighboring stalls had. The sick horse is currently receiving veterinary care.
6. Inside the mind of one of the most majestic animals on Earth [horses]
By Emily Kwong and Rachel Carlson and Rebecca Ramirez
North Country Public Radio
June 22, 2026
Janet Jones has been fascinated by horses since childhood. She's now a horse trainer and a neuroscientist, which allows her to explore the minds of the animals to which she's devoted her life. She even wrote a recent book all about their brains.
Jones says there's an enormous gap between the way humans have relied on horses for tens of thousands of years - and what we actually know about their brains.
"Horses experience the world in a totally different way than we do. And yet we ride them. We work with them," she says. "And so horses are perhaps the best example of an animal that can broaden or stretch the edges of our minds to see the world in a completely different way."
Read the transcript or listen to the full article:
https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/nx-s1-5819876/inside-the-mind-of-one-of-the-most-majestic-animals-on-earth