Brucellosis Found in 2 Bulls on Montana Ranch

BT_Angus_Bull
BT_Angus_Bull
(Wyatt Bechtel)

Two bulls on a Beaverhead County, Mont. ranch have tested positive for brucellosis.

The Department of Livestock says the bulls were euthanized and all other animals on the ranch have tested negative for exposure to the bacteria that causes cattle to abort.

The ranch is within Montana's brucellosis Designated Surveillance Area. The infected bulls were identified during a voluntary whole-herd test and the ranch has been placed under quarantine.

State Veterinarian Dr. Marty Zaluski said Tuesday the early discovery shows the DSA program is working to protect the state and its trading partners.

Officials have determined elk to be the likely source of the brucellosis infections in livestock in the Greater Yellowstone Area.

Livestock officials say this is the eighth brucellosis infected herd found since the creation of the DSA in 2010.

 

Latest News

Quantifying the Value of Good Management
Quantifying the Value of Good Management

Historically low current US cowherd inventories and limited evidence of heifer retention indicates the robust markets we currently enjoy should be sustained for at least the next couple of years.

Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities
Properly Prepared Beef Remains Safe; Meat Institute Calls For Guidance to Protect Workers at Beef Facilities

The Meat Institute said properly prepared beef remains safe to eat and called for USDA and the CDC to provide worker safety guidance specific to beef processors to ensure workers are protected from infection.

 A Message to the Ag Industry about H5N1
A Message to the Ag Industry about H5N1

The livestock industry needs a comprehensive, cohesive plan to address the virus. Producers, their employees and veterinarians need clear answers and support from U.S. agricultural leadership, moving forward.

USDA Now Requiring Mandatory Testing and Reporting of HPAI in Dairy Cattle as New Data Suggests Virus Outbreak is More Widespread
USDA Now Requiring Mandatory Testing and Reporting of HPAI in Dairy Cattle as New Data Suggests Virus Outbreak is More Widespread

USDA is now ordering all dairy cattle must be tested prior to interstate travel as a way to help stop the spread of HPAI H5N1. This comes a day after FDA confirmed virus genetic material was found in retail milk samples.

Lessons Learned After Disaster
Lessons Learned After Disaster

Recently we were reminded of the devasting impacts of Mother Nature during the wildfires that destroyed parts of Oklahoma and Texas. There is a lot to learn from such events so we can be better prepared in the future.

Mistrial Declared in Arizona Rancher’s Murder Trial
Mistrial Declared in Arizona Rancher’s Murder Trial

A lone juror stood between rancher George Kelly and innocent. “It is what it is, and it will be what it will be. Let me go home, okay?”