1. Livestock Disease Indemnity Fund Likely to Expand to Preparedness and Response
WesternAgNetwork.com
March 11, 2026
DENVER, CO. - States are preparing for the worst when it comes to highly pathogenic avian influenza and even New World Screwworm. In Colorado, legislators are putting their money where their mouths are.
The Diseased Livestock Indemnity Fund bill, sponsored by Reps. Karen McCormick, DVM and Ty Winter and Sens. Byron Pelton and Dylan Roberts, just passed its third reading in the Senate. Under current law, livestock owners may receive compensation from the Diseased Livestock Indemnity Fund after their herd is required to be sold for slaughter or destroyed because it was exposed to a contagious disease.
The bill expands the allowable uses of the money in this fund to include preparing and responding to:
o infectious or contagious diseases that pose a threat to livestock; and,
o biological or chemical contaminants of animals that pose a threat to livestock.
State Veterinarian Maggie Baldwin testified in favor of the changes before the Senate Ag and Natural Resources Committee last week.
"In order to ensure that we're adequately prepared and able to respond to the threats that could impact our food security, we need to have adequate resources including funding to build and maintain resilience against new and ongoing livestock health crises," she said. "My division does not currently have any reserve funding, and at the end of the fiscal year, our leftover personal services funds go into the Livestock Disease Indemnity Fund."
2. What Did We Learn From Last Year's EHV-1 Outbreak?
Strict biosecurity protocols, early fever detection, and new technologies could help prevent future shutdowns.
EquiManagement.com
March 11, 2026
When equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) swept through a Texas barrel racing event in November 2025, the consequences extended well beyond the horses involved. As events were canceled across disciplines and horses were quarantined, the outbreak swiftly demonstrated how a single biosecurity breach can affect an entire competition season.
With horse travel and events ramping up again in 2026, equine health experts are urging owners and organizers to apply the lessons of last year as the new season gets underway.
Lesson 1: Fever Detection Is Paramount
With EHV-1, fever typically appears before nasal shedding begins. This makes early detection both possible and critical. As soon as fever is noted, an affected horse can be isolated before it begins shedding virus, shrinking the circle of exposure. It's a narrow window of time, but one that's actionable.
According to Katie Flynn, BVMS, MRCVS, senior staff veterinarian for equine health and biosecurity with the United States Equestrian Federation and an expert in equine biosecurity, acting within that window is not optional. "Biosecurity protocols that include isolating horses at the first detection of fever and monitoring clinical signs can help reduce transmission, lower disease risks and sustain business operations," Flynn says.
Flynn recommends monitoring horses' temperatures twice daily throughout an event and immediately reporting any reading above 101.5°F to a veterinarian.
Lesson 2: Speedy Identification Saves Critical Time
In an active outbreak, the speed at which organizers can identify infected, exposed and at-risk horses determines how quickly they can contain the spread. Paper records and visual identification methods slow down the process exactly when speed matters most.
Full text: https://equimanagement.com/news/what-did-we-learn-from-last-years-ehv-1-outbreak/
3. LDWF issues declaration of emergency as another CWD case is confirmed [LA - edited]
By Destiney Sutton
KNOE.com
March 12, 2026
OUACHITA PARISH, La. - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries announced they have issued a Declaration of Emergency throughout Ouachita Parish and its surrounding areas.
Tyler Bosworth, the LDWF Secretary issued the declaration in response to a confirmed CWD detection in a hunter-harvested white-tailed deer in Ouachita Parish in January.
LDWF says this is the first confirmed case of CWD in Ouachita Parish and each confirmed case the DE expands the existing CWD control area.
Full text: https://www.knoe.com/2026/03/12/ldwf-issues-declaration-emergency-cwd-cases-rise/
Avian flu strikes more Indiana poultry facilities
By Steephanie Soucheray, MA
CIDRAP News
March 13, 2026
Indiana continues to be a hotbed of avian flu activity, according to this week's reports from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The state had eight outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu in the past week in three counties, Elkhart, Lagrange, and Jay. Jay County had the largest outbreak, involving 20,600 birds on a commercial turkey meat farm. Elkhart County had four separate outbreaks, three of which involved duck meat facilities.
Wisconsin reported two major outbreaks among egg-laying chickens on farms in Jefferson and Walworth counties, with more than 3 million birds affected.
14 million birds affected in past month
Also of note this week: another detection of avian flu at a live-bird market in Queens, New York, affecting 40 birds.
In the past 30 days, APHIS has confirmed 77 avian flu outbreaks that affected 41 commercial farms and 36 backyard flocks, with 13.98 million birds affected.
Wild-bird avian flu detections continue across the country, but have slowed down in the past week with only 29 noted by APHIS, including waterfowl in Kentucky and a bald eagle in Kansas.
5. Kent County commercial poultry farm found HPAI positive [MI]
By Nicole Heslip
BrownfieldAgNews.com
March 12, 2026
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has confirmed the first commercial case of highly pathogenic avian influenza on a poultry farm this year.
The state says the West Michigan flock is the first to be detected in Kent County since the virus was first found in 2022.
State Veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland says the threat of the disease is increasing as wild birds migrate this spring, and preventative measures must be taken to protect poultry farmers.
Full text: https://www.brownfieldagnews.com/news/kent-county-commercial-poultry-farm-found-hpai-positive/
6. Jefferson County online avian influenza dashboard launched [WI]
By Cary Docter
Fox6Now.com
March 12, 2026
JEFFERSON, Wis. - The Jefferson County Health Department (JCHD) announced on Thursday, March 12, that it has created an online resource to share updated information regarding the avian influenza outbreaks in Jefferson County.
What we know:
A news release says the Jefferson County Avian Influenza Outbreaks Dashboard is designed to provide residents with real-time data regarding each of the response categories at the two affected locations.
The dashboard features a summary of the outbreak followed by description, status, and oversight responsibility for the six response tasks at each location: depopulation, composting, cleaning/disinfection, groundwater quality monitoring, air quality monitoring, and symptom monitoring.
Full text: https://www.fox6now.com/news/jefferson-county-online-avian-influenza-dashboard-launched