This award will continue to support the nebraska department of agriculture activities related to disease surveillance, animal health emergency response planning and preparedness, and training and…

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded a Cooperative Agreement totaling $318,814.18 to the Nebraska Department of Agriculture on April 1, 2026, under the Plant and Animal Disease, Pest Control, and Animal Care program (CFDA 10.025). The award runs through March 31, 2027, and funds disease surveillance, animal health emergency response planning and preparedness, and training and outreach activities across Nebraska.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture will conduct active and passive surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza by sampling 3,500 birds across 10 county fairs, 4 livestock shows, 40 exotic sales, and National Poultry Improvement Plan participating flocks. The recipient will perform 4 hatchery inspections, 90 poultry dealer inspections, 3 avian influenza audits, and 3 biosecurity audits. The award supports identification and mapping of backyard flocks to enhance poultry movement and testing data. Outreach education activities include distribution of biosecurity tools and public health information at exotic sales, 4 livestock shows, and 35 county fairs. The recipient will update and exercise their low pathogenicity avian influenza plan and maintain and exercise their poultry depopulation trailer.

For cattle health, the award funds routine sample collection for tuberculosis and brucellosis at slaughter establishments, monitoring and training for caudal fold response rates, and tracing activities for suspect cases. The recipient will provide state-specific accredited veterinarian training and participate in quarterly meetings with the Department of Health and Human Services regarding livestock diseases of zoonotic concern. The award also supports surveillance for swine, sheep, and goat diseases including scrapie, swine brucellosis, pseudorabies, and swine vesicular diseases.

This award will continue to support the nebraska department of agriculture activities related to disease surveillance, animal health emergency response planning and preparedness, and training and outreach activities for livestock producers, industry stakeholders, and accredited veterinarians. Nebraska department of agriculture will use this award to support active and passive surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai), by sampling 3500 birds across 10 county fairs, 4 livestock shows, 40 exotic sales, and national poultry improvement plan (npip) sampling for participating flocks. They will also perform 4 hatchery inspections, 90 poultry dealer inspections, perform 3 avian influenza audits, and 3 biosecurity audits. They will continue to identify new backyard flocks and enter their information into the mapping system to enhance poultry movement and testing data. This award will also support outreach education at exotic sales, 4 livestock shows, and 35 county fairs including, distributing visual biosecurity tools and public health information, highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) and national poultry improvement plan (npip) educational materials. The nebraska department of agriculture will also use this award to update and exercise their low pathogenicity avian influenza (lpai) plan, and to maintain and exercise their poultry depopulation trailer. This award will support cattle health through routine sample collection for tuberculosis and brucellosis at slaughter establishments, routine monitoring and training for caudal fold response rates, and perform tracing activities for suspect cases. The award will also be used to support state specific accredited veterinarian training, and quarterly meetings with the department of health and human services to discuss livestock diseases of zoonotic concern. This award will support swine, sheep, and goat health through routine surveillance for scrapie, swine brucellosis, pseudorabies, swine vesicular diseases, african swine fever and classical swine fever at slaughter plants and livestock markets. Activities will also include monthly, quarterly, and annual state specific animal health reports, performing outreach and education activities at livestock markets, veterinary clinics, slaughter plants, industry meetings, and fairs, and hosting the annual livestock emergency disease response system conference and monthly meetings. With this award, the nebraska department of agriculture will sample 3500 birds at 10 county fairs, 4 shows, and 40 sales. They will also perform poultry inspections at 4 hatcheries and 90 dealers. They will distribute outreach and educational materials at 35 county fairs, industry meetings, the nebraska state fair, and county emergency management to increase awareness of livestock and poultry disease planning and preparedness, identify backyard flocks and increase national poultry improvement plan (npip) participation, and share zoonotic disease safety and prevention. These activities will continue to maintain the health of the nebraska livestock industries through routine surveillance of program diseases and allow for early detection and response. This award will support the annual livestock emergency disease response system (ledrs) annual conference and monthly meetings that include accredited veterinarians, county emergency responders, and industry stakeholders from across the state, to continue to plan and prepare for an animal health emergency. All activities will continue to support the state-wide emergency animal health preparedness and response efforts which will allow for a more coordinated, effective response which in turn protects the livestock and poultry both within the state and nationally. The recipient of this award, the nebraska department of agriculture, will carry out these activities to the benefit of 45,000 nebraska livestock producers, 1100 accredited veterinarians, 48 livestock markets, and 2+ million consumers through public health and food safety. No subrecipient activities are included in this award.