Animal health
Outgoing USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture acknowledging the progress made in reopening cattle trade between the two countries following the detection of New World Screwworm, but says more action is needed to resume trade.
The report echoes calls by other scientists to ramp up the surveillance of felines, which are susceptible to the virus and have a high mortality rate. The AVMA says several cases in cats linked to poultry or wild bird exposure had been reported before the outbreak began in dairy cows last spring.
As 2024 comes to an end, roughly 70% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought and dryness. What does that mean for 2025? According to one meteorologist, in six of the past 10 years with a really dry fall, the spring to follow was also dry.
Nearly half of all farmworkers are undocumented, and industries such as dairy and meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to labor shortages.
The CR includes nearly $110 billion in disaster and farmer aid, which includes $10 billion in farmer aid and $21 billion ag disaster aid. $2 billion of that disaster aid is specifically for livestock producers. The measure also includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill.
The eroding health of the overall farm economy was the emphasis of the latest Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor, which is a survey of nearly 70 leading agricultural economists from across the country.
USDA announced on Oct. 30 the first reported case of H5N1 in a pig in an Oregon backyard farm.
Parts of the Texas Panhandle, Kansas and Nebraska could get some rain as early as this weekend. Other parts of the Midwest might have some moisture relief as well by early next week.
Shared employment, housing and movement of employees between facilities are possible factors. Such insights could potentially be leveraged to address biosecurity needs in the state and others as well, the agency says.
This is the third human case associated with the virus. Last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a plan to produce 4.8 million doses of a vaccine for human use to counter H5N1.