1. Senators urge Rubio to restore New World screwworm funding
Dissolution of USAID terminated $250 million for FAO transboundary animal disease work and $72 million for 16 Feed the Future Innovation Labs.
National Hog Farmer
August 19, 2026
U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Luján (D-NM), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the state department to restore funding that helps safeguard American livestock at risk from the ongoing spread of New World screwworm and other pests or highly contagious and transmissible diseases.
In the letter, the senators warn that NWS has already been confirmed in 45 cases in the United States and could cost the Texas cattle industry alone an estimated $1.8 billion. They point to the dissolution of USAID, which terminated $250 million for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's transboundary animal disease work and $72 million for 16 Feed the Future Innovation Labs. These programs, in addition to cuts in funding for international transboundary animal disease prevention programs, strengthened disease surveillance and outbreak response in partner countries, including the Central American nations that are the source of NWS cases now entering the United States. Noting that American farmers already face inflation and rising costs, the senators call on Rubio to urgently restore U.S. funding for international animal disease surveillance, prevention and response.
2. Veterinarian warns fertilizer, insecticide exposure can kill cattle quickly
RuralRadio.com
August 17, 2026
An Iowa State University veterinarian is urging cattle producers to take additional precautions around fertilizers and insecticides following several poisoning cases involving significant death losses.
Dr. Scott Radke, a clinical associate professor at Iowa State University, said fertilizers and insecticides can pose serious risks to cattle during the summer. In an article published by the Iowa Beef Center, Radke said many poisonings are preventable but can progress too quickly for treatment to be effective.
Fertilizer contamination
Hot weather makes reliable access to clean water especially important. When drought or equipment problems disrupt normal water supplies, producers may be tempted to use large tanks or trailers that previously held fertilizer.
Radke warned that equipment used to store or transport fertilizer can remain hazardous even after repeated washing. That includes plastic tanks, steel tanks, hoses and other equipment.
Ruminants are particularly vulnerable to nitrate and urea because of the chemical processes that occur in the rumen. Poisoning can cause incoordination, tremors and rapid death.
Cattle exposed to urea may also experience stiffened forelimbs, collapse, increased urination, frothing at the mouth and diarrhea. Nitrate poisoning may cause breathing problems and blue-gray or "muddy" mucous membranes. In some cases, the first sign of a problem is finding cattle dead.
3. Register and join us for the next ZOHU Call on September 2, 2026, 2 - 3 pm ET.
CDC
August 19, 2026
Presentations:
You?can't manage what you don't measure: Utilization of CASVNET, a national electronic database, to measure antimicrobial prescribing in companion animals
Jennifer Granick, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM), Professor, Internal Medicine, Veterinary Clinical Sciences
University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine
A multicenter iatrogenic outbreak of Purpureocillium septic arthritis in horses from contaminated injected pharmaceuticals
Douglas Pluta, MS, PhD Student, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine
Virginia Tech
Register: https://tinyurl.com/2ccnuo6x
Minnesota Confirms First Equine West Nile Virus Case of 2026
By Tom Akaolisa
Minneapolimedia
August 19, 2026
SAINT PAUL, MN -- Minnesota animal-health officials have confirmed the state's first equine case of West Nile virus this year and are urging horse owners to update vaccinations and reduce mosquito-breeding areas.
The infection was identified in an unvaccinated 3-year-old standardbred gelding in Polk County, according to the Minnesota Board of Animal Health.
The horse developed moderate weakness and loss of muscle coordination and fell during a neurological examination. Its veterinarian began supportive treatment, and the animal showed improvement within several days.
Georgia Reports First EEE Case of 2026
EDCC Health Watch
TheHorse.com
August 19, 2026
According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, one horse in Clinch County has tested positive for Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE). This is Georgia's first confirmed EEE case of 2026.
Full text: https://thehorse.com/1146628/georgia-reports-first-eee-case-of-2026/
5. Smartphone AI could one day flag Salmonella in poultry [edited]
Early results show promise, but the tool still needs refinement.
By Elizabeth Doughman
WATT AgNet.com
August 19, 2026
The future of Salmonella detection in poultry barns could be as easy as taking a picture with your smartphone, according to early concept research at the University of Georgia.
Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness in the U.S., causing symptoms such as diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, and poultry products are recognized as one of the primary sources of human infections.
The current standard for on-farm detection involves collecting litter or fecal samples and sending them to a lab for microbiological testing. The method is accurate, but its labor-intensive, costly nature and multi-day turnaround pushed Guoming Li, assistant professor in the Department of Poultry Science and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Georgia, and Adelumola Oladeinde, research microbiologist in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Poultry Research Center, to look into whether AI and computer vision could offer a quicker, more practical alternative.
6. Moose, deer & elk from CWD areas must be processed before entry into Vermont [edited]
Vermontbiz.com
August 19, 2026
Hunters traveling outside Vermont to hunt moose, deer, or elk need to follow a regulation designed to protect Vermont's deer and moose from chronic wasting disease, according to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
The potential exists for CWD prion proteins to be introduced to the environment through the body parts of CWD-positive deer, elk or moose and then persist in the environment for extended periods of time.
Vermont rules on importing and possession of deer, elk or moose from areas with chronic wasting disease (CWD) and captive hunt areas or farms:
It is illegal to import or possess deer, elk or moose, or parts of deer, elk or moose, from states and Canadian provinces that have had chronic wasting disease, or from any captive hunt or farm facilities regardless of location with the following exceptions:
- Meat that is cut up, packaged and labeled with hunting license information and not mixed with other deer or elk during processing;
- Meat that is boneless;
- Hides or capes with no part of the head attached;
- Clean skull-cap with antlers attached;
- Antlers with no other meat or tissue attached;
- Finished taxidermy heads;
- Upper canine teeth with no tissue attached.
Full text: https://vermontbiz.com/news/2026/august/20/moose-deer-elk-cwd-areas-must-be-processed-entry-vermont