1. US, Mexico inaugurate sterile fly plant in Chiapas in cross-border screwworm fight [edited]
By Cassandra Garrison
Reuters
June 27, 2026
METAPA, Mexico June 27 - Senior Mexican and U.S. officials inaugurated a sterile fly production plant in southern Chiapas on Saturday, a milestone in efforts to contain the New World screwworm outbreak as it has spread across borders and disrupted cattle trade.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins attended the opening of the facility in Metapa de Dominguez, near the Guatemala border. The plant, a U.S.-Mexico project costing over $50 million, will eventually produce up to 100 million sterile flies weekly to suppress the wild screwworm population.
In response to the outbreak, the U.S. has kept its border mostly closed to Mexican live cattle since May 2025, disrupting a trade that previously supplied more than 1 million animals annually to U.S. ?feedlots. The move has squeezed supply in Texas, leaving some feedlots with empty pens and contributing to historically tight cattle inventories.
The disruption has also driven a shift in Mexico. Ranchers who once exported live cattle north have increasingly opted to fatten and process animals domestically, investing in feedlots and slaughter ?capacity. With fewer live exports, Mexican beef shipments to the U.S. surged in 2026.
The new sterile fly plant is expected to double the number of insects available for release beyond what COPEG's plant in Panama produces. That plant has been operating at capacity with about 100 million flies per week. Those sterile flies have most recently been released along the U.S.-Mexico border near Texas.
2. The Tick Researchers Couldn't Find - Until Now
New Missouri-based research offers insight into how bovine anaplasmosis spreads naturally and why infected ticks have remained so difficult to detect.
By Andrea Bedford
Drovers.com
June 30, 2026
It has been known for decades that American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis) can transmit Anaplasma marginale, the bacterium that causes bovine anaplasmosis. Laboratory studies established the tick's role as a vector, but finding infected host-seeking ticks in the field has proven surprisingly difficult.
So when University of Missouri researchers finally detected A. marginale in a host-seeking American dog tick, the reaction wasn't what many might expect.
"I wasn't surprised that we found it," says lead researcher Dr. Rosalie Ierardi, DVM. "I was surprised that we didn't find more of it."
That unexpected response reflects a question that has puzzled researchers for years: If American dog ticks transmit bovine anaplasmosis, why have infected ticks been so difficult to find?
The study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology may offer part of the answer.
Full text: https://www.drovers.com/news/tick-researchers-couldnt-find-until-now
3. Fox tapeworm, a zoonotic parasite, found in Pacific Northwest
By Devin Rokyta, College of Veterinary Medicine
WSU Insider
June 30, 2026
PULLMAN, Wash. - A parasite commonly carried by foxes that can be passed to domestic dogs and cause severe illness in humans on rare occasions appears to have established itself in the Pacific Northwest.
Commonly known as the fox tapeworm, Echinococcus multilocularis is carried by foxes and coyotes and can spread to humans through contact with feces or feces-contaminated soil. When humans are infected, they can develop a disease known as alveolar echinococcosis. Symptoms may take years to appear and often do not emerge until significant liver damage has occurred. The disease can mimic liver cancer and spread to other organs if left untreated.
While common in parts of Europe, Asia and northern North America, the parasite was not believed to be present in the Pacific Northwest until recently. In May, pathologists at Washington State University's Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory detected the tapeworm during a necropsy of a fox kit found on the WSU Pullman campus. The diagnosis followed a study published in March in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases that found the parasite is widespread in coyotes in the Puget Sound area.
4. Nebraska startup develops robotics to help solve poultry industry challenges
RuralRadio.com
June 29, 2026
As poultry production continues to grow across the United States, one Nebraska startup believes robotics can help solve one of the industry's biggest challenges: a shrinking labor force.
On the latest episode of the Building Nebraska podcast, Bird's Eye Robotics President Dusty Reynolds shared how the company is developing autonomous technology designed specifically for poultry barns, helping producers improve efficiency while giving growers better insight into flock health.
"The live production side is a couple of decades behind," Reynolds said. "We're lacking animal husbandry skills, we're lacking access to labor, and we're still stuck a couple of decades behind everything else."
Bird's Eye Robotics began with a simple idea in 2018 after Reynolds learned that one of the least desirable jobs inside poultry barns was collecting dead birds. Using an old electric wheelchair purchased online, Reynolds and his team built an early prototype capable of performing that task remotely.
5. Managing Swollen Joints in Cattle
Prompt action can help preserve joint function, while delayed treatment may lead to chronic lameness and reduced longevity.
By Andrea Bedford
Bovine Veterinarian
June 29, 2026
A swollen joint may not seem like an emergency at first glance, but according to veterinarian Rachel Loppe, delaying treatment can have long-term consequences for an animal's health and future productivity.
While swollen joints can occur in cattle of any age, Loppe said she has recently been seeing a number of septic joint cases in calves. Regardless of the cause, delaying treatment can increase the risk of permanent joint damage.
"It's probably not going to just get better by itself," Loppe says.
For producers, recognizing when a swollen joint requires veterinary attention and knowing what to do while waiting for help can make a significant difference.
Full text: https://www.bovinevetonline.com/news/education/managing-swollen-joints-cattle
6. Secretary Rollins Announces Program to Support Small- and Mid-Size Beef Processors [edited]
USDA
June 30, 2026
Washington, D.C.- Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) Program that will provide temporary support for eligible beef processing establishments. Under SPUR, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide up to $500 million in payments to eligible entities to support stronger and more stable market opportunities for American ranchers.
"America's ranchers deserve a strong, competitive marketplace that rewards their hard work and preserves opportunity for generations to come," said Secretary Brooke L. Rollins.
These payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and are administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Payments are intended to provide financial support to eligible beef processors who have faced increased costs of acquiring cattle for processing due to the abnormally low number of cattle being raised in the U.S at this time and other conditions currently impacting the cattle market. Additional information, including applications, will be provided to eligible entities using contact information that is currently on file with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.