1. APHIS Approves Release of New World Screwworm Infested Zone in New Mexico
APHIS Stakeholder Registry
August 30, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has approved the release of the only New World screwworm (NWS) infested zone in New Mexico, concurring with the recommendation made by New Mexico's state veterinarian, Dr. Samantha Holeck, and the New Mexico Livestock Board (NMLB).
"New Mexico's animal health officials have been exceptional partners throughout our response to New World screwworm. Their vigilance, expertise, and deep commitment to protecting livestock and wildlife exemplify the strong state-federal collaboration that makes our national safeguarding system work," said Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins. "Today's milestone reflects not only New Mexico's leadership, but the impact of USDA's aggressive, science-driven actions to slow NWS spread and keep case numbers low across the United States. Together, we're proving that early detection, rapid response, and close coordination are the keys to protecting producers, communities, and the health of our nation's animals."
This action comes after state and federal subject matter experts confirmed that New Mexico met all requirements outlined in APHIS' New World Screwworm Response Playbook (884.59 KB) for zone release. No additional cases have been detected since the initial confirmation on June 7. The infested zone is officially released as of today, August 30.
On June 7, the State of New Mexico detected its first-and only-case of NWS myiasis in a dog. APHIS and New Mexico officials quickly responded to the detection, establishing an infested zone and carrying out additional response activities including:
Domestic animal movement requirements and animal inspections
Wildlife and fly surveillance
Strategic sterile NWS fly releases
Lifting the infested zone removes the NWS-related requirements on the domestic movement of livestock and pets from that area, allowing producers and owners to resume normal intrastate and interstate movement without inspection for NWS. It also enables APHIS to work with international trading partners to address and negotiate removal of New Mexico-specific NWS-related export restrictions.
APHIS will continue to work closely with New Mexico agriculture officials to ensure fly trapping and wildlife surveillance continue in New Mexico to monitor for any future risk of NWS introduction. The agency remains committed to science-driven surveillance, early detection, and rapid response measures nationwide.
2. Texas A&M rebrands cattle nutrition diagnostics lab
Grazingland Animal Nutrition Lab renamed Ranch Diagnostics Lab to reflect broader ranch and wildlife focus and expanded testing.
By Sarah Fuller
Texas A&M University
Feedstuffs.com
August 28, 2026
A Texas A&M AgriLife Research laboratory known for three decades of cattle nutrition diagnostics has a new name and a broader mission. The Grazingland Animal Nutrition Laboratory, or GAN Lab, is now the Ranch Diagnostics Laboratory, reflecting an expanded focus on grazing- and wildlife-based production diagnostics for Texas ranches.
The lab is now housed in the Texas A&M Center for Grazinglands & Ranch Management, where it will continue to provide core nutrition testing services and several updated offerings. Those include Escherichia coli and total coliform water testing, cyanotoxin screening and updated pricing for dietary diagnostic analysis and reports.
"The lab will deliver rapid, science-based solutions to improve animal performance, supplementation timing, grazing management and efficiency, soil health management, sustainability outcomes and, more broadly, ranch-scale decision support," said Jeff Goodwin, Ph.D., director of the Center for Grazinglands & Ranch Management and AgriLife Research assistant professor in the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management.
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/nutrition-and-health/texas-a-m-rebrands-cattle-nutrition-diagnostics-lab
3. Trace Mineral Management Plays Key Role in Beef Cattle Production
Oklahoma Farm Report
August 28, 2026
Trace mineral management can have a significant impact on beef cattle production, influencing herd reproduction, immunity, calf development and overall efficiency, according to Dr. Jerry Rusch, beef cattle veterinarian and technical service veterinarian with Axiota Health. Rusch spoke about the importance of trace minerals during a recent webinar hosted by ANCW.
Rusch explained that while trace minerals are required by cattle in much smaller amounts than macrominerals, those small quantities are still critical to cattle health and performance. "They're needed in very small amounts, but that very small amount is critical for optimal reproduction and optimal immune function," Rusch said.
Macrominerals include nutrients such as calcium and phosphorus, while trace minerals include copper, zinc, selenium and manganese. Rusch compared the difference to adding ingredients to a mineral feeder. "With your macro minerals, it's like taking that big mineral feeder in the middle of the pasture, and I'm going to add a bucket of calcium to it, and I'm going to add a bucket of phosphorus and a bucket of sodium and that kind of thing," he explained. "But when I get to the trace minerals, I'm going to add a tablespoon and a teaspoon, very small amounts."
Despite those small quantities, Rusch said a deficiency can have consequences that are much larger than the amount of mineral involved. "But if we have even a small deficiency of that, it can have far-reaching impact on, like what I was talking about, the reproduction and immunity," he said.
4. Can nematodes curb spread of cattle fever ticks?
Roundworms that invade and kill insects and ticks may be an innovative and natural means of control.
Agricultural Research Service
Beef Magazine
August 28, 2026
Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service are working on innovative ways to control cattle fever ticks and bovine babesiosis, a malaria-like disease caused by protozoan parasites that infect bovine red blood cells and are transmitted by cattle fever ticks.
While bovine babesiosis has been eradicated in the United States, it remains a major issue in Mexico, raising concerns about its potential reappearance.
ARS research is showing entomopathogenic nematodes, roundworms that naturally invade and kill insects and ticks, may be an innovative and natural way to control the spread of cattle fever ticks.
Full text: https://www.beefmagazine.com/livestock-management/can-nematodes-curb-spread-of-cattle-fever-ticks-
Two Potomac Horse Fever Cases Confirmed in Tennessee
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
August 28, 2026
Two horses in Blount County, Tennessee, have tested positive for Potomac horse fever (PHF), and one horse is suspected to be positive. All three horses have been euthanized.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1146892/2-potomac-horse-fever-cases-confirmed-in-tennessee/
Three Nevada Horses Euthanized After Testing Positive for EIA
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
August 27 2026
On Aug. 13, two horses at a private facility in Clark County, Nevada, tested positive for equine infectious anemia (EIA). The facility housed five horses in total, and follow-up testing found one additional horse to be positive. All three horses were euthanized.
The facility is under quarantine. The remaining two horses will be retested to confirm negative status before being released from quarantine.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1146876/3-nevada-horses-euthanized-after-testing-positive-for-eia/
6. How Sweden Cut Antibiotic Use Without Sacrificing Mastitis Control
Sweden's mastitis strategy relies on pathogen-based treatment, selective dry cow therapy and narrow-spectrum antibiotics.
By Andrea Bedford
Bovine Veterinarian
August 26, 2026
For more than four decades, Swedish veterinarians have had a reason to pause before reaching for an antibiotic.
That pause is part of a much larger system. Antibiotic use in Swedish livestock has been tightly regulated for more than 45 years, and overall veterinary antibiotic sales have fallen about 70% since the 1980s. At the same time, veterinary-treated clinical mastitis in dairy cattle fell from 23% in 1995 to 8% in 2023. Bulk tank somatic cell count has remained around 200,000 cells/mL in recent years.
A new publication by Karin Persson Waller and Ylva Persson traces how Sweden's approach to mastitis treatment has evolved. The story is not simply about using fewer antibiotics. It is about becoming more selective about which cows get treated, which pathogens warrant treatment and which drugs are appropriate.
The authors do not claim that antibiotic restrictions caused the decline in mastitis. No direct causal studies have established that connection. Instead, Sweden provides a long-term example of antimicrobial stewardship embedded within mastitis prevention, diagnostics, monitoring and veterinary decision-making.