DATCP Resources on New World Screwworm

Check out these online resources to help stay aware and ahead of New World Screwworm (NWS).

New World Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax/NWS) is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on living tissue. After being eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, NWS has re‑emerged in Central America and Mexico. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), NWS has been detecte​d in​ the U.S. and in animals near the U.S.-Mexico border. USDA is working with affected states to respond with sterile fly releases, surveillance, and movement controls. At this time, NWS has not been detected in Wisconsin. 

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Wildfire Smoke Makes Fieldwork Difficult

Wisconsin had 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork statewide for the week ending July 19, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Wildfire smoke blanketed the state for several days, making outdoor work difficult. Crops are starting to show stress due to the lack of recent precipitation in many parts of the State.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 5 percent very short, 15 percent short, 75 percent adequate, and 5 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 4 percent very short, 15 percent short, 75 percent adequate, and 6 percent surplus.

Corn silking was 23 percent complete compared to the 5-year average of 26 percent. Corn condition was 79 percent good to excellent, down 4 percentage points from last week. Soybeans were 62 percent blooming compared to the average of 54 percent. Sixteen percent of soybeans were setting pods. Soybean condition was 74 percent good to excellent, down 4 percentage points from last week.

Oats were 94 percent headed. Oats were 70 percent coloring compared to the average of 66 percent. Oats were 10 percent harvested. Oat condition was rated 80 percent good to excellent, unchanged from last week. Winter wheat was 96 percent coloring. Winter wheat was 29 percent harvested compared to the average of 19 percent. Winter wheat condition was 81 percent good to excellent, unchanged from last week.



The second cutting of alfalfa hay was 86 percent complete compared to the average of 82 percent. The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 12 percent complete.

USDA Feral Swine Program Commits $35 Million Toward Grants to Protect American Farmland

USDA is fighting back against the negative impact of feral swine in the U.S. by making $35 million available for partnerships to protect American agriculture, landscapes and human and livestock health from these pests.

This is just a part of a broader $105 million investment for the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program led by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The Working Families Tax Cuts Act delivers the largest long-term investment in NRCS conservation programs in decades, USDA notes, including support for this program. The legislation extends the program for another five years with a $105 million total investment split between NRCS and APHIS.



“We are collaborating with our partners at USDA and across the country to help combat feral swine and keep our farms, ranches and landscapes safe,” NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley says in a release. “These invasive species cause more than $3.4 billion in damage each year, including damage to agricultural landscapes. Thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, NRCS is able to expand this effort, giving producers and partners more resources to protect working lands and strengthen the long-term resilience of agricultural operations.”

Anaplasmosis vs. Theileriosis: What Cattle Producers Really Need to Know

For decades, anaplasmosis was the tick-borne disease cattle producers in the South and Midwest learned to watch for every summer. Now a second, newer disease is moving into the same pastures — and it can look almost exactly the same from the chute.

Bovine theileriosis, caused by the protozoan Theileria orientalis Ikeda, was first identified in U.S. cattle in a Virginia cow-calf herd in 2017. Since then it has spread by the Asian longhorned tick, an invasive species now confirmed in more than 25 states. As that tick’s range grows, veterinarians and diagnostic labs are increasingly fielding cases that look like classic anaplasmosis but test negative — or positive for both diseases at once.

When a mature cow goes off feed, turns lethargic and shows signs of anemia, most producers in endemic areas immediately think anaplasmosis. Dr. Craig Payne, University of Missouri director of veterinary extension and continuing education, says the challenge is that “these diseases behave very similar, at least in terms of the clinical signs that you will see,” and “the only way that you’re going to know the difference between the two is through diagnostic tests using the PCR.”

Equity Cooperative Livestock Sales Association

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