Enhance animal disease traceability in missouri

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the Missouri Department of Agriculture $167,737 in a Cooperative Agreement (AP26VSSPRS00C022) effective April 1, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025) to enhance animal disease traceability in Missouri.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture will conduct producer and accredited veterinarian outreach to promote radio frequency identification (RFID) tag adoption and correct usage during the transition from metal tags for official identification purposes, including official calfhood vaccination, interstate movement, and regulatory testing. The Department will distribute 450,000 RFID tags this fiscal year to accredited veterinarians upon request. Of 1,085 Category II accredited veterinarians in Missouri, 112 currently order RFID tags routinely. The Department will distribute 20 handheld RFID readers to the 108 livestock markets in Missouri that capture official identification data for breeding cattle 18 months of age and older moving through the state's markets.

Staff will maintain official identification records in the USAHerds database, which the Department is transitioning to AgEnterprise. Animal disease traceability and administrative staff will attend the USAHerds/AgEnterprise annual meeting to track system enhancements and network with other states using the same database platform.

Performance occurs in Missouri with a period of performance through March 31, 2027. The award is assistance type Cooperative Agreement.

Missouri department of agriculture (MDA) staff will conduct outreach and work to educate producers and accredited veterinarians on the use and availability of radio frequency identification (rfid) tags. MDA currently issues the official rfid tags to all accredited veterinarians that request them. There are 1085 category II accredited veterinarians in missouri, of which 112 routinely order rfid tags. MDA will distribute 450,000 tags this year. MDA requires the use of rfid tags for official ID purposes, including official calfhood vaccination (OCV) purposes, interstate movement, and other times official ID is required, such as for regulatory testing. Official ID records will be entered into the usaherds database and are easily searchable. Through outreach efforts at industry meetings and conversations with producers and accredited veterinarians, the MDA will promote the correct use of the rfid tags with the switchover from metal tags. MDA will maintain an appropriate supply of tags to be shipped to accredited veterinarian upon request. MDA is in the process of transitioning from usaherds to agenterprise. MDA ADT and administrative staff will attend the usaherds/agenterprise annual meeting in order to keep up to date on enhancements, work to improve current functions, and network with other states using the same database. ADT and administrative staff will record all ADT information in the database and are able to easily conduct multiple queries related to animal identification and movements. Missouri currently captures official identification for cattle moving through the 108 livestock markets in the state for all breeding cattle 18 months of age and older. Those markets and market veterinarians are provided with handheld readers to capture rfid tag data. MDA will distribute 20 readers this fiscal year. The markets are also provided with a computer and printer for use in capturing and submitting data to MDA. MDA staff will assist markets when IT issues with equipment occur and replace when necessary. All tag distribution/allocation records are maintained in both the usaherds software database and the animal identification management system (aims). MDA will message identification data from usaherds to aher on a daily basis. Missouri will continue to promote the use of electronic certificate of veterinary inspection (ecvis) to accredited veterinarians. MDA works closely with accredited veterinarians to use ecvis effectively and efficiently. Each of the seven (7) district veterinary staff will visit with at least three (3) accredited veterinarians quarterly to encourage and display the use of ecvis. The most common ADT compliance issues noted on ecvis involve the new ADT rule relating to rfid as official ID in place of metal tags for certain bovine. MDA administrative and district staff will contact accredited veterinarians who use improper official ID for brucellosis vaccinations and other official test records, as well as movement documents. The missouri avic will be notified of repeat offenders. The missouri state ADT coordinator will work with federal ADT staff to set a date for the annual trace performance measures (TPM). All office staff involved with traceability will be informed to set that date and time aside to complete the tpms as required. The ADT coordinator will sign into emrs and complete the TPM utilizing the usaherds/agenterprise program, aher, aims, and other available resources. MDA's outreach efforts regarding rfid requirements has resulted in a nearly 100 percent compliance rate. MDA will continue to educate and promote the use of rfid tags and will monitor for compliance through review of movement documents and at livestock markets. MDA will continue to supply rfid tags to accredited veterinarians at no cost. MDA has invested in VET-CVI, an electronic CVI application, that is provided to accredited veterinarians at no charge. MDA field staff conduct quarterly visits with accredited veterinarians and encourage the use of ecvis. They also provide support for those who may be experiencing issues with the application. In addition, MDA provides a free electronic format for recording and submitting brucellosis vaccination and TB testing data. MDA will be moving to the updated version of usaherds called agenterprise in spring 2026. These programs help ensure data is organized and maintained in an efficient manner; removing human error that comes with paper files. Both programs offer a searchable database to provide traceability in the event of a disease outbreak. Missouri will continue to utilize the usaherds, and eventually agenterprise database to track the use of electronically searchable ecvis submitted by accredited veterinarians. MDA ADT and administrative staff will stay up to date on software enhancements and continue to network with others using the same database. MDA will ensure that the database meets the messaging requirements put forth by USDA to ensure seamless messaging of data. By successfully completing the required annual TPM, missouri is able to prove readiness in traceability in the event of a disease incursion. Animals can be traced to source in a matter of minutes allowing MDA to locate, quarantine, and prevent further spread of disease in a timely manner. The entire livestock industry in missouri will benefit from enhanced traceability since IT will allow regulatory authorities to respond more quickly to control disease outbreaks. A subaward is included for maintenance on software used to capture ID electronically at missouri livestock markets and through movement and test documents.