Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The Department of Livestock Montana received a $710,098 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 April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027. The award funds an umbrella agreement comprising five coordinated surveillance and outreach components addressing animal disease detection and mitigation across cattle, avian, sheep-goat-cervid-equine, swine, and One Health initiatives. Specific surveillance activities include monitoring for brucellosis, tuberculosis, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle; avian influenza and Newcastle disease in poultry; scrapie and chronic wasting disease in small ruminants and cervids; and classical swine fever, African swine fever, pseudorabies virus, and swine brucellosis in swine populations.

Deliverables emphasize early detection and rapid response to both domestic and foreign animal disease incursions to mitigate economic impacts and preserve livestock and human health. The agreement includes disease surveillance activities meeting established sampling minimums across species, emergency response capabilities to investigate and contain disease outbreaks, and education and outreach to livestock producers and the public regarding zoonotic disease risks and mitigation strategies. Additionally, the award supports training in the Incident Command System to enhance Montana's preparedness for animal disease emergency response. These activities directly support the economic viability of Montana's livestock industries, encompassing approximately 1,000,000 beef cattle and 20,000 dairy cattle operations while contributing to national food security and agricultural employment.