Provide the cattle fever tick eradication program (cftep) with support in better understanding how ticks are spreading/moving through south texas and from mexico

Northern Arizona University received a $275,000 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025), effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. The primary deliverable is comprehensive technical support to the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program (CFTEP) in South Texas, focusing on understanding tick population dynamics and movement patterns across the region and from Mexico. NAU will conduct molecular identification and testing of tick samples collected from wildlife and livestock, perform population genetic analysis, and test for pesticide resistance to inform treatment decisions and herd management strategies.

The services include quarterly reporting to CFTEP stakeholders, participation in strategic planning sessions with CFTEP and Texas Animal Health to identify target populations, and implementation of a fast-track testing mechanism for high-priority herds. The molecular testing and genetic analysis results will directly support epidemiological tracing and livestock movement authorization decisions, providing South Texas ranchers with improved herd management protocols based on tick population data. No sub-awards are anticipated under this cooperative agreement.

Ticks will be sampled from wildlife and livestock, identified, and tested molecularly to determine relationships to other known tick populations. This helps with strategic planning and epidemiology traces. Furthermore, ticks are tested for pesticide resistance. NAU submits quarterly reports per the agreement and also participates in strategic planning sessions with cftep and texas animal health on what populations to target. We have recently created a fast-track mechanism for testing herds that are of high importance. This helps US better understand what kind of herd plans we can put in place and if movement is possible. Testing for pesticide resistance allows US to use the correct treatments in certain areas. Livestock ranchers in south texas will greatly benefit from cftep better understanding the population genetics of the ticks that infests their animals. USDA cftep, ARS and texas animal health use the information provided to make better tick control decisions. We do not believe there will be subawards.