1. New AI lab at Penn Vet aims to transform livestock management
Dat-AI-Lab next chapter in Swine Teaching and Research Center's journey.
National Hog Farmer
June 16, 202
An innovative new initiative that aims to use the power of artificial intelligence to crack the code of animal behavior and help Pennsylvania farmers and agriculture has launched at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center.
Dat-AI-Lab, a collaboration between Penn Vet researchers and AgriGates, a Philadelphia-based agri-tech firm, has already begun working with animals from the Swine Teaching and Research Center and New Bolton Center's dairy herd, collecting data that may one day better inform livestock care and management and advance animal husbandry in an agriculture-rich state.
"AI opportunities in animal agriculture are limited only by imagination and science-backed research and implementation," said Andrew Hoffman, Penn Vet's Gilbert S. Kahn Dean. "We look forward to engaging stakeholders, connecting investors, founders and innovators with the academic AI ecosystem at Penn and our partners, and meeting the grand challenges and opportunities for the future."
2. New restrictions on animal movement could fight spread of New World screwworm [TX]
By: Alyssa Campbell
KXAN.com
June 15, 2026 (2:50 PM CT)
AUSTIN (KXAN) - As Texas jumps to 11 confirmed cases of New World screwworm (NWS) across six counties, an animal health commission is setting up "infested zones" to track the spread.
According to Texas Animal Health Commission, the screwworm was recently detected in a sheep in Sutton County on June 12. As a result, a new quarantine has been issued on parts of Kimble, Schleicher and Sutton counties.
To help reduce the spread of NWS to non-infested animals, the Texas Animal Health Commission issued an executive order outlining restrictions on animal movement in Infested Zone 06:
"Warm-blooded animals located within Infested Zone 06 may not be moved outside of the zone without prior authorization from the Commission. Any person in possession or control of such animals must obtain permission and comply with all conditions set by the Commission before transporting the animals beyond the quarantine boundaries.
To move warm-blooded animals outside of Infested Zone 06, the animal must be inspected and treated as required by the Commission and issued a permit or certificate for movement by a Commission representative.
Hides, carcasses, and parts of any animal capable of serving as a host for NWS must be inspected and undergo any treatment deemed necessary by a Commission representative prior to removal from the Infested Zone 06.
Unauthorized movement is prohibited and subject to administrative penalties and/or criminal prosecution."
Pennsylvania issues quarantine amid rising risk of screwworm
Herald-Standard
June 16, 2026
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced it is issuing a quarantine order to limit animal movement and tighten biosecurity amid the rising risk of New World Screwworm.
Secretary Russell Redding said that farmers must protect their livestock after cases of NWS have been reported in Texas and New Mexico.
Pennsylvania's quarantine order, which took effect on June 9, establishes movement restrictions and enhanced animal health requirements for susceptible domestic animals entering Pennsylvania from affected areas. The order includes provisions for veterinary inspection, animal health certification, and preventative measures designed to reduce the risk of NWS entering the commonwealth through animal movements.
MDARD Takes Steps to Protect Michigan from New World Screwworm
MDARD Press Release
June 16, 2026
Effective June 17, Michigan implements new domestic animal entry requirements to prevent spread of NWS
LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) today announced new domestic animal movement requirements designed to keep New World screwworm (NWS) out of Michigan. While no detections have been found in the state, confirmed infestations in Texas and New Mexico have prompted MDARD to take proactive action to safeguard against negative economic impact and protect animal health.
Effective tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, the updated requirements will apply to certain warm-blooded domestic animals entering the state. The specific requirements, which can be found on MDARD's website [below], vary based on the NWS status of the state or region of origin.
With the announcement of new requirements, MDARD is also launching a NWS webpage* dedicated to screwworm background and resources for producers, pet owners and veterinarians. The page will be updated regularly as the department monitors the ongoing threat.
[*See: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/animals/diseases/screwworm ]
Full text: https://www.michigan.gov/mdard/animals/diseases/screwworm/import-requirements
4. More Than One Way to Be a Veterinarian
From dairy practice to animal welfare leadership, entrepreneurship and regulation, Dr. Elizabeth Cox has spent her career finding new ways to serve animal agriculture.
By Andrea Bedford
Bovine Veterinarian
June 16, 2026
When Dr. Elizabeth Cox talks to veterinary students at her alma mater, the University of California, Davis, she often shares a message shaped by a career that rarely followed the script:
"Veterinary medicine can take you in a lot of different paths."
For Cox, that path has led from dairy practice to animal health industry roles, from calf nutrition to animal welfare leadership, from government regulation to entrepreneurship. Today, she leads California's Animal Care Program within the California Department of Food and Agriculture, overseeing implementation of Proposition 12 and helping shape conversations around animal welfare. She is also the creator of Calf Milk Calculator, a software tool designed to help producers simplify milk-feeding programs. Neither role was part of a carefully designed career plan.
Full text: https://www.bovinevetonline.com/news/more-one-way-be-veterinarian
5. SAFE MApp to bolster on-farm animal disease biosecurity
Free premises mapping app lets producers visualize potential disease entry points and strategize prevention methods
By Joanna Cummings
University of Vermont
Feedstuffs
June 15, 2026
Every day, livestock and poultry producers put time and effort into keeping their animals disease free. It can be a monumental goal considering how many people, vehicles and even animals enter and exit a farm daily.
A new mapping tool called SAFE MApp, the Secure Ag Farm Emergency Mapping App, gives producers the ability to visualize the potential entry points for diseases to the farm and then strategize methods to keep them out. [See: https://safemapp.org/ \
This free and easy-to-use application can be accessed with an internet connection and a web browser; there is no need to purchase software. SAFE MApp uses Google Maps and Open Street Maps as a familiar base, and users simply enter an address to automatically pull up an aerial view of a location.
Users mark their maps with features identifying locations where "biosecurity" barriers, activities, pathways, structures, etc., are located or could be added. In this context, biosecurity is a set of methods and practices that prevent or greatly reduce the introduction of diseases or pests to farm animals. These practices can also contain the spread of diseases between farm animals.
6. NCBA and FFAR host congressional staff briefing
Panel highlights importance of public-private partnerships to advance research on beef and swine sector antimicrobial stewardship.
Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research
Feedstuffs
June 15, 2026
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) hosted an educational briefing for congressional staff highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing antimicrobial stewardship in the U.S. beef and swine sectors.
The briefing featured a panel discussion on the initial success of research conducted through the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA), a public-private partnership FFAR established in 2019. The consortium has since invested $15 million in 31 research projects and plans to make additional awards in early 2027.
The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) hosted an educational briefing for congressional staff highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships in advancing antimicrobial stewardship in the U.S. beef and swine sectors.
The briefing featured a panel discussion on the initial success of research conducted through the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA), a public-private partnership FFAR established in 2019. The consortium has since invested $15 million in 31 research projects and plans to make additional awards in early 2027.
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/nutrition-and-health/ncba-and-ffar-host-congressional-staff-briefing