1. MDARD Partners with MSU Michigan FFA Foundation to Strengthen Michigan's Veterinary Workforce
New Programs Address Barriers to Recruitment and Retention of Veterinary Professionals, Especially in Rural Areas
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development News
October 8, 2026
LANSING, Mich.-The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) today announced two grants worth nearly $1.4 million to improve access to veterinary science education and support early career veterinary professionals who practice in rural areas. The investments come as the country is experiencing a significant veterinary shortage, particularly in rural areas and large animal practice.
"MDARD is partnering with Michigan State University and the Michigan FFA Foundation to give young Michiganders more and better opportunities to pursue careers in veterinary science, especially in rural Michigan communities," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "These new programs will help protect animal health and the future of Michigan's food supply by giving students more exposure to veterinary medicine, equipping more teachers to provide instruction in veterinary science and helping early career veterinary professionals overcome the challenges of practicing in rural areas."
MDARD is providing a $900,000 grant to Michigan State University (MSU) to implement the Michigan Rural Veterinary Workforce Model. This evidence-based model addresses three major barriers to recruiting and retaining veterinary professionals in rural communities.
2. Study finds 53% of swine disease cases involve multiple pathogens
Wean-to-market pigs accounted for 77% of all cases in the database but represented 86% of the co-diagnosis cases.
Swine Health Information Center
National Hog Farmer
October 8, 2026
Multiple pathogens are frequently detected within the same diagnostic investigation case, complicating diagnosis, disease management and efforts to understand disease patterns across the U.S. swine population. A study funded by the Swine Health Information Center and led by Guilherme Cezar, then with Iowa State University, provides a broad look at these co-diagnosis patterns while demonstrating how standardized veterinary diagnostic data can strengthen swine health surveillance.
Published in Porcine Health Management in 2026, the study, "Macroepidemiologic assessment of swine disease co-occurrences in the United States of America," analyzed confirmed tissue diagnosis data from the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory collected between 2020 and 2025. The project was funded through SHIC award 25-068 to investigators Giovani Trevisan and Daniel Linhares.
The study had two objectives. First, researchers sought to characterize patterns of co-diagnosis in swine and determine how those patterns varied according to anatomic system, animal age, geographic location and season. Second, they sought to demonstrate that the standardized diagnostic coding system developed at ISU-VDL could be transferred to another veterinary diagnostic laboratory, the Ohio Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in this case, and incorporated into an animal disease monitoring program. The goal was to establish a foundation for an ongoing multi-institutional database of confirmed tissue diagnoses.
3. USDA notes more H5N1 avian flu on poultry farms
By Stephanie Soucheray, MA
CIDRAP News
October 8, 2026
According to the latest update from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), there were six new detections of H5N1 avian flu this past week, including major outbreaks at two large facilities in Indiana and Minnesota.
Minnesota remains the epicenter of H5N1 activity, with 34,400 birds affected at a Stearns County commercial turkey farm. The state has noted eight affected commercial flocks, three affected backyard flocks, and a total of 343,050 birds affected in the past 30 days.
In Indiana, a Jay County commercial duck meat facility with 24,300 birds was affected.
In the past 30 days, 550,000 birds in 12 commercial flocks and nine backyard flocks have been hit with H5N1.
Texas cattle also affected
In other news, APHIS also noted a new H5N1 detection in a dairy cattle herd in Texas. In the past 30 days there have been three avian flu detections in cattle, all in Texas.
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/usda-notes-more-h5n1-avian-flu-poultry-farms
4. West Texas A&M to build beef cattle research facility
"Best in the world" research feedlot to be built following $9.75M USDA grant, university's largest-ever federal award.
West Texas A&M University
Beef Magazine
October 8, 2026
West Texas A&M University (WT) has received a $9.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture - the largest federal award in university history - to fund what promises to be the most advanced cattle feedlot research facility in the world.
USDA's National Institute for Food & Agriculture awarded the grant for a center for beef cattle research and innovation through its Research Facilities Act Program. A required dollar-for-dollar match - with $4.875 million from The Texas A&M University System and another $4.875 million from other sources - brings the project total to $19.5 million.
"We are grateful to USDA for recognizing the value of this work and to the partners helping WT bring it forward," said Robert Albritton, chairman of the Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System. "The A&M System is investing $4.875 million because research that strengthens Texas agriculture also serves the state and the nation."
The facility will bridge the gap in national research infrastructure by pairing 90 small research pens for scientific studies with 45 commercial-scale pens. Undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students will be able to train and research at the facility with leading faculty in the field, producing the next generation of feedlot employees, managers and owners.
Full text https://www.beefmagazine.com/market-news/west-texas-a-m-to-build-beef-cattle-research-facility
Equine WNV Cases Confirmed in Kansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
October 8, 2026
Kansas
Rawlins County: An under-vaccinated, 2-year-old horse tested positive after presenting with mild ataxia.
Miami County: An unvaccinated, 2-year-old horse tested positive after presenting with acute hind-end paresis and muscle fasciculations.
Tennessee
Wilson County: One horse tested positive.
Kentucky
Green County: An unvaccinated, 8-year-old Quarter Horse mare tested positive on Oct. 7. She presented with ataxia and muscle fasciculations on Sept. 21 and is currently recovering.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1147505/equine-wnv-cases-confirmed-in-kansas-tennessee-and-kentucky/
Four New Pigeon Fever Cases Confirmed in Oregon
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
October 8, 2026
The Oregon State Department of Agriculture has confirmed pigeon fever in four new horses, including three in Deschutes County and one in Morrow County. Multiple other horses have been exposed. The sick horses have been placed under official quarantine.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1147507/4-new-pigeon-fever-cases-confirmed-in-oregon/
6. Smoke detector-like device monitors swine barns for viruses
SHIC-funded study develops prototypes able to consistently detect PRRSV from air with sensitivity comparable to oral fluid sampling.
Industry Release
Feedstuffs
October 7, 2026
The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) funded a study to develop a viral smoke detector-like device for use in swine barns to autonomously detect viral pathogens directly from air in a continuous fashion.
The study was led by Dr. Igor Paprotny, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, in collaboration with Dr. Michael Caffrey, College of Medicine at University of Illinois Chicago and Drs. Ying Fang and Joseph Connor, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
During the study, the research team developed several viral smoke detector-like prototypes, adapted from the bioAerium airborne pathogen sensing platform previously invented by Drs. Paprotny and Caffrey, to operate in swine farm environments. Results showed the prototypes were able to consistently detect PRRSV with sensitivity comparable to that obtained through oral fluid sampling. Pork producers and their veterinarians would consequently have an effective, inexpensive, less hands-on method for virus detection, should the prototype be further refined and developed for commercial use.
Find the industry summary for SHIC project 24-078 here.
https://www.swinehealth.org/results/?_sp=79850b9a-d731-4ac0-a5b0-08fca851d818.1791484914819
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/swine/smoke-detector-like-device-monitors-swine-barns-for-viruses