1. Powder disinfectant shows promise against PRRSV spread
The risk associated with a market trailer does not necessarily end when pigs leave the farm.
Swine Health Information Center
National Hog Farmer
November 10, 2026
A study funded by the Swine Health Information Center Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program, in partnership with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Pork Checkoff, sought to examine whether preventing trailer cross-contamination during unloading at a commercial harvest facility may help reduce viral transmission from positive to negative herds. Noelle Noyes, of the University of Minnesota, led the study to evaluate the efficacy of a commercial powder disinfectant to reduce trailer cross-contamination in this setting. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus contamination was observed among treated trailers compared with control trailers following unloading. These results suggest that the use of a commercial powder disinfectant may reduce trailer contamination with PRRSV.
Find the industry summary for SHIC project #24-095 here:
https://www.swinehealth.org/results/?_sp=c92b87de-279d-4538-8a53-a0db3cc4f4d6.1794339712633
[Note: this is the fifth item down from the top of the list]
2. USDA Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a Dairy Herd in Oregon
APHIS Stakeholder Registry
November 10, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed via PCR (polymerase chain reaction) detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 clade 2.3.4.4b in a dairy cattle herd in Oregon. APHIS will complete genetic sequencing and announce final results as soon as they are available. The affected herd was tested as part of Oregon's ongoing surveillance for HPAI in dairy cattle. Prior to this detection, the herd has consistently tested negative through routine surveillance conducted under the National Milk Testing Strategy program.
This marks the first reported case of HPAI in cattle in Oregon. While dairy cattle in a total of 22 states have been infected since the start of the outbreak in March 2024, APHIS has seen cases in previously unaffected states this year. APHIS is working closely with the Oregon Department of Agriculture to conduct additional on-farm investigations, diagnostic testing, and epidemiological data collection to better understand the detection and prevent further disease spread.
The detection does not change USDA's HPAI eradication strategy. Biosecurity is still key to mitigating the risk of disease introduction or spread between premises. APHIS recommends enhanced biosecurity measures for all dairy farms. Producers should immediately report any livestock with clinical signs, or any unusual sick or dead wildlife, to their state veterinarian.
This detection does not pose a risk to consumer health or affect the safety of the commercial milk supply. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating HPAI virus, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted from the commercial milk tank or destroyed so that it does not enter the human food supply.
3. Bird flu spreading fast in Oregon's Willamette Valley
By Jerry Howard
KDRV.com
November 9, 2026
SALEM, Ore. - Reports of highly pathogenic avian influenza in ducks and geese are increasing in the Willamette Valley.
According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, many geese migrating across Oregon are showing signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza, with many other sick and dead birds being reported. Most of these reports are from the Willamette Valley, and a smaller subspecies of the Canada goose called the Cackling goose appears to be the most heavily affected bird.
ODFW says people should avoid contact with sick birds and keep their pets away. Dead birds can be thrown away, but the agency recommends wearing disposable gloves and a mask to double-bag a carcass before putting it in trash.
4. Equine Performance Labs Publishes In Vitro Study of Investigational equicenta® CTMAniCell Biotech Launches the EquusCell Line of Regenerative Therapies for Horses
New research from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine demonstrates the structural and biological characterization of equicenta® CTM.
Edited Press Release
EquiManagement.com
November 10, 2026
Equine Performance Labs (EPL), the team behind equicenta® CTM, announced the publication of a third peer-reviewed study on its ready-to-use, cryopreserved equine umbilical cord tissue allograft. The study, published Oct. 27, 2026, in Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports, under in vitro test conditions detected microscopic particles and proteins that could break down using biological pathways.
The study was led by Britta S. Leise, DVM, PhD, DACVS-LA, of the Equine Health and Sports Performance Program at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, with Antonio P. N. Catunda, DVM, PhD, and Alicia L. Bertone, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR. It builds on two earlier publications: a 2025 study in BMC Medicine that characterized the product's protein content and biocompatibility in equine joints and tendons and a 2026 multicenter clinical trial in Frontiers in Veterinary Science involving 138 performance horses with 195 conditions across eight U.S. equine practices.
"Our first paper showed what's in equicenta® CTM. Our clinical trial showed what it does for horses. This paper helps explain how it works," said Heather Rogers, CEO, Equine Performance Labs. "Veterinarians want to understand the biology behind the products they use. Three peer-reviewed publications in about a year reflect our commitment to building this product on science."
5. Smarter Calf Pneumonia Detection
Activity monitors, new sensor applications and artificial intelligence could help veterinarians identify respiratory disease earlier and make better use of herd data. Dr. Curt Vlietstra sees opportunities ahead, while emphasizing that technology must work in the realities of the farm.
By Andrea Bedford
Bovine Veterinarian
November 10, 2026
"One of the points I always try to reinforce is that cattle, by design, are prey species," Vlietstra says. "They try to hide their illnesses and weaknesses from predators, but also from people. And so, just by nature, a lot of times if we wait until we see overt signs of BRD, there's going to be a lot of subclinical disease."
By the time a calf shows obvious signs of pneumonia, respiratory disease may already be well established. Emerging monitoring technologies could give veterinarians and producers more opportunities to recognize changes earlier, before clinical signs become apparent.
For Dr. Curt Vlietstra, senior professional services veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim and the most recent guest on "The Bovine Vet Podcast", the next generation of calf pneumonia detection will build on technologies already used in adult cattle, with new opportunities to monitor young animals and make better use of the information those systems collect.
Even attentive calf caregivers can miss early cases. Vlietstra says the people responsible for calf care on many farms are highly observant, but traditional detection methods still have limitations.
"There are different ways that a calf can express [disease], whether it's labored breathing, nasal discharge, fever, listening to the lungs," he says. "There's some benefit to having consistent clinical scoring. But if you wait for those signs of disease, a lot of the newer studies will say that you're still missing a good percentage of early cases."
6. Judge Rejects USDA Bid to Move Ahead with Reorganization During Appeal
FEDweek
November 10, 2026
Updated: A federal judge has denied the government's request to suspend his order blocking a USDA reorganization while the case is appealed - leaving in place restrictions on relocating some 2,600 employees.
In a November 5 text order, District Judge Vince Chhabria of the US District Court for the Northern District of California denied the government's request for a stay pending appeal - and he directed the parties to meet so they can jointly propose how to clarify the order. For issues the parties cannot resolve by agreement, the court also said it would consider "a very narrow motion to clarify or modify" the stay order.
Steps allowed by the court include voluntary relocations of employees who applied for another job remain allowed, as are relocations of employees within the national capital area and the closing of offices there that already have been emptied by relocations of employees within that area.