Texas Modifies New World Screwworm Infested Zone
APHIS Stakeholder Registry
October 6, 2026
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has modified a New World screwworm (NWS) infested zone, with concurrence from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). This action comes after State and Federal subject matter experts confirmed that portions of the area met requirements outlined in APHIS' New World Screwworm Response Playbook for zone release.
The zone being modified is: Infested Zone 15
Modifying infested zones removes NWS-related movement requirements for livestock and pets within certain areas. All interstate movement requirements and international export requirements will still apply.
Several infested zones in Texas remain in place, and APHIS continues to work closely with TAHC to evaluate conditions for future zone releases. All Texas animal owners should visit the TAHC website to ensure they have the latest information about the location of infested zones, movement requirements, and zone-specific requirements.
APHIS and TAHC remain committed to supporting continuity of business for producers and will continue applying science-based surveillance, early detection, and rapid response measures to ensure that areas are released as soon as the criteria have been met.
Sterile screwworm fly facility in Edinburg to be completed sooner, USDA says
KRGV.com
October 5, 2026
Edinburg, TX (KRGV) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture says its nearly $800 million sterile screwworm fly production facility near Edinburg will be finished sooner than planned.
In an exclusive interview with Channel 5 News, the agency said the facility will produce up to 300 million sterile flies every week once it is complete.
Recent pictures from a week ago show construction progress at Moore Air Base. The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted them to its rapid response social media account.
"After some additional review and commitments on staffing and double shifts we are now going to target completion for construction of Moore Air Base in April 2027," USDA Under Secretary Dudley Hoskins said.
Once construction is complete, the U.S. Department of Agriculture still has to build a colony of sterile flies. The agency expects to hit that goal by the end of 2027.
2. DCHA Webinar Addresses Calf Behavior Monitoring
This webinar will provide an overview of how behavior-based monitoring technology supports calf health management
MorningAgClips.com
October 6, 2026
NEW PRAGUE, Minn. - Dairy Calf & Heifer Association's (DCHA) Oct. 21 webinar features "Calf Behavior Monitoring 101." Jennifer Wilson, Merck Animal Health, will lead this free, one-hour educational offering, which starts at 3 p.m. Central time (Chicago time).
To register for the webinar, go to: https://bit.ly/MAH102126.
This webinar will provide an overview of how behavior-based monitoring technology supports calf health management from birth through the heifer development period. Participants will learn how behavior data can be used to manage individual animal health. Additionally, participants will gain practical insights on how to use this data to evaluate and practically manage young calf production systems to improve heifer-rearing systems.
Full text: https://www.morningagclips.com/dcha-webinar-addresses-calf-behavior-monitoring/
3. Groundbreaking held at Penn State for $65M animal diagnostic lab expansion
By Gary Sinderson
WJAC.com
October 5, 2026
CENTRE COUNTY, Pa (WJAC) - A groundbreaking at Penn State for a new research center aimed at providing better prevention and protection measures involving animal-related diseases.
Pennsylvania's Secretary of agriculture, Russell Redding, was joined by Troy Ott, the dean of the college of agricultural sciences, and others, at the groundbreaking for the expansion of Penn State's animal diagnostic laboratory --- one of several centers statewide that are primarily dedicated to farm animal health.
"For decades, this laboratory has been where farmers, veterinarians, officials, and researchers turn when they need answers. Particularly when animal diseases arrive on our farms and have potential to impact animal health or human health."
4. Does knowing lineage give insight after a PRRS outbreak?
Herd immunity, previous exposure, vaccination, gilt acclimation, outbreak-response, herd demographics and other factors can influence the outcome.
By Ana Paula Poeta Silva, Elisa De Conti, Mariamawit Mohammed, Alejandrina Da Silva, Christopher Rademacher, Tina Peterson, Gustavo S. Silva, Giovani Trevisan and Daniel Linhares, Iowa State University
National Hog Farmer
October 6, 2026
Any producer or veterinarian who has managed multiple porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome outbreaks knows that they do not all look the same. Some herds experience relatively modest production changes, while others face sharp increases in abortions, sow mortality and piglet losses followed by a prolonged recovery. Part of that variation is likely related to the PRRSV itself.
Peer-reviewed experimental studies have demonstrated clinical differences among PRRSV lineages and variants. Melini et al. (2025, more details here) reported that L1C.5 required fewer infectious units to infect pigs and produced more severe microscopic lung lesions than L1A and L9A. More recently, Wiarda et al. (2026, more details here) found that L1C.5 had broader tissue distribution, higher viral loads, stronger immune responses and greater lung lesions than MN184, a considered moderate PRRSV strain that circulated widely in the United States in the early 2000s.
These experimental findings raise an important field question: Do differences among PRRSV lineages and variants translate into measurable differences in production outcomes under commercial conditions?
5. New Bolton Center Breaks Ground on $94M Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
By Leah Mikulich
Philadelphia Today
October 6, 2026
A $94 million laboratory built to catch animal disease faster is coming to Kennett Square.
Penn Vet is breaking ground on a new Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at New Bolton Center, the latest major investment in Chester County's large-animal research campus.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Dr. Andrew M. Hoffman, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, are scheduled to mark the occasion at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, Oct. 2.
The planned 63,000-square-foot facility will put two programs under one roof, the New Bolton Center's diagnostic laboratory and the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology Research Laboratory, or PETRL.
Full text: https://philadelphia.today/2026/10/penn-vet-veterinary-diagnostic-laboratory/
6. Two EHV Cases Confirmed in Maryland
EDCC Health Watch
Equi-Management.com
October 6, 2026
The Maryland Department of Agriculture has confirmed two equine herpesvirus (EHV) cases in Howard County.
On Sept. 30, a 16-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse gelding at a horse rescue reportedly tested positive for EHV-1. He initially developed clinical signs on Sept. 25.
On Oct. 2, a yearling Belgian gelding at a horse rescue reportedly tested positive for EHV-4. Twenty-five horses have been exposed.
The horses have been placed under voluntary quarantine.
Full text: https://equimanagement.com/news/edcc-health-watch/2-ehv-cases-confirmed-in-maryland/