1. New World Screwworm Draws Near, NMPF Prepares
National Milk Producers Federation News Release
April 1, 2026
As spring temperatures rise, the threat of New World screwworm making its way into the United States is also increasing. NMPF is working with agencies and stakeholders to ensure dairy preparedness.
Infestations continue to push north toward the U.S.-Mexico border, with the closest currently active case about 150 miles from Texas; meanwhile, sterile flies are being released in Texas up to 50 miles from the Mexican border to help suppress populations before they can reach American livestock.
NMPF brought several key partners together for a webinar March 16 to share the latest on New World screwworm and what it means for U.S. dairy.
Three experts, Dr. Adis Dijab, associate deputy administrator for APHIS Veterinary Services, Dr. Sonja Swiger, professor and extension entomologist Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, and Dr. T.R. Lansford III, deputy executive director and assistant state veterinarian at the Texas Animal Health Commission, walked through signs and symptoms of New World screwworm in livestock, the current status of the pest and some practical steps farmers can take to stay ahead of it.
The experts also shared what treatment options are currently available for livestock and gave an overview of potential cattle movement requirements or restrictions in the event of an outbreak in the United States.
Full text: https://www.nmpf.org/new-world-screwworm-draws-near-nmpf-prepares/
Two Wisconsin Horses Test Positive for Equine Influenza
EDCC Health Watch
EquiManagement.com
April 1, 2026
Two horses in Dane County, Wisconsin, have tested positive for equine influenza. One of the horses tested positive on March 31 after developing a fever, cough, and nasal discharge on March 23. There are currently no details on the second horse.
One additional horse is suspected to be positive, and four horses have been exposed. The sick horses are quarantined.
Equine Influenza Case Confirmed at Oregon Training Facility
EDCC Health Watch
EquiManagement.com
April 1, 2026
According to the State Department of Agriculture, one horse at a training facility in Lake County, Oregon, has tested positive for equine influenza. Two additional horses are suspected to be positive, and 40 horses have been exposed.
3. Studying HPAI in the air
Non-thermal plasma has been shown to deactivate airborne virus particles.
By Jim Lynch, Michigan Engineering
Michigan State University
Feedstuffs
March 31, 2026
Discovering how the bird flu virus degrades in the air around livestock and how engineering solutions can effect that degradation quickly and efficiently are core aims of a new University of Michigan Engineering-led project funded by the USDA. This work could help prevent or mitigate future outbreaks.
Since 2022, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or bird flu, has increasingly impacted poultry and livestock. A USDA-funded project led by Herek Clack, a University of Michigan associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, will study how long the virus remains infectious in the air inside these facilities and whether non-thermal plasma technology can reduce its infectivity.
Detection of bird flu infection within flocks and herds leads to the mass culling of animals, which disrupts food supply chains. The ongoing outbreak of HPAI H5N1 that began in 2022 in the U.S. has led to the loss of 175 million birds and, as of late 2024, has cost the industry roughly $1.4 billion.
The $2 million grant from the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service aims to answer two fundamental questions about bird flu:
How quickly does the virus that causes bird flu lose its infectivity in the air, specifically air found in enclosed livestock environments?
What technologies can effectively reduce bird flu's infectivity in those environments?
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/nutrition-and-health/studying-hpai-in-the-air
4. MDARD's Farm to Family Program Announces New Grant Opportunity
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development News Release
March 31, 2026
LANSING, Mich.-Today, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's (MDARD) innovative Farm to Family Program is announcing its next grant opportunity, which will focus on expanding market opportunities for farmers using regenerative agriculture practices.
Selected recipients will receive funding for purchases that may include on-farm point-of-sale equipment, marketing materials, light processing equipment and washing and packing infrastructure. Examples of eligible expenses include meat freezers for livestock producers that use rotational grazing or marketing services to highlight regenerative practices on product packaging.
"Our Farm to Family team is facilitating first-of-its-kind work to connect more Michiganders with fresh, healthy food while simultaneously increasing opportunities for farmers and growers who want to feed their communities," said MDARD Director Tim Boring. "We know that utilizing regenerative practices improves outcomes, so focusing on operations that are prioritizing intentional land management is the next natural step as we continue to strengthen our regional food systems."
5. The animal health impact: Benefits of adopting the PRRS-Resistant Pig [edited]
This innovation could paint a brighter picture for both swine health and responsible antibiotic use.
National Hog Farmer
April 1, 2026
For the past 20 to 30 years, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome has taken an incredible toll on the farmers and veterinarians striving for the best possible animal health outcomes. Efforts to control the disease and minimize animal suffering require intensive intervention, with research showing up to a 3.79x increase in antibiotic use for infected herds. And despite those best efforts, the end result can still be devastating.
"PRRS has been the most frustrating thing we've had to deal with as veterinarians," says Dr. Jason Hocker, partner and veterinarian at AMVC, a firm managing 161,500 sows across 11 states and 45 farms. "The virus changes and adapts and seems to always be one step ahead of us. It's something we've not been able to make lot of progress on as an industry."
Innovation to change the outlook
The decades-long trajectory could finally be changing with FDA approval of the gene edit used in PIC's PRRS-resistant pig. This new tool can help chart a new future.
The gene edit precisely removes the binding site for PRRS via a protein in the pig's DNA. Without the binding site, pigs can be resistant to the disease - and potentially avoid needless suffering, including fever, appetite loss, lethargy, weakness, death and more.
This innovation could paint a brighter picture for both swine health and responsible antibiotic use.
6. Robotics and AI to be employed on the range to raise sheep in harsh environments
University of Nevada, Reno researchers aim to improve flock performance and rangeland health through robotics, AI and genetics
By Emma Lande and Claudene Wharton
Nevada Today
April 1, 2026
The Basque sheepherders who emigrated to Nevada in the 1800s would be amazed to see what's going to be happening in the hills of Nevada today: a "RoboHydra" robot wandering with the sheep, providing them with water and tracking their movement and health.
Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno are developing an autonomous mobile robotic watering system, paired with a facial-recognition artificial intelligence model, that will digitally identify each sheep and automatically capture and store detailed health and performance data that can help producers identify early signs of illness and make more informed breeding and management decisions.
The project is one of two University projects recently awarded $1,150,000 each over the next four years to promote sheep production and health and enhance grazing management. The second project complements the first, creating a broader, national set of data for the sheep industry, including traits such as health indicators, feed intake and wool quality, and pairing it with genetic, microbial and economic data. Both projects are funded by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Full text: https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2026/sheep-robotic-research