The U.S. National Wildlife Health Center and U.S. Geological Survey produce this map of CWD’s current distribution in North America. The version shown here is current to Sept. 9, 2019. (NWHC.usgs.gov)

Deer heads required from Kootenay region for CWD tests

The discovery of chronic wasting disease in deer in northwestern Montana has officials in CWD-free British Columbia tightening their testing net. The province on Wednesday announced a mandatory sampling program, in which hunters must submit heads from mule deer and white-tailed deer harvested in wildlife management units 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5, 4-6 and 4-7 […] Read more





(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. northern Plains ranchers welcome hay lottery

Reuters — Hundreds of livestock ranchers in the drought-stricken U.S. northern Plains are embracing what organizers say is the first lottery designed to provide some much-needed relief to their operations. The prize? Tons and tons of hay. Ranchers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana have been suffering through the region’s worst drought in 30 […] Read more



Culicoides sonorensis. (Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Livestock seen threatened as biting insects press north

Bluetongue’s most recent appearance in the Canadian cattle herd may be a taste of what’s to come as insect species expand northward, a new study warns. Anna Zuliani, previously a graduate student in veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary (UCVM), recently published a paper on how geographical distribution of biting midges relates to the […] Read more

This photo shows uneven growth in a Montana barley field on June 22. The field is highly infested with cereal cyst nematodes.

Cereal cyst nematodes getting closer to the Prairies

These nematodes are in Montana, and their symptoms are worse in drought conditions

Prairie grain producers should be on the lookout for cereal cyst nematodes (CCN) this year. This soil-borne pest has not yet been discovered in the Prairie provinces, but the species Heterodera filipjevi has been newly confirmed in Montana. Cereal cyst nematodes are worm-shaped, microscopic soil-dwelling organisms that can cause yield losses of 30 to 50 […] Read more


Cereal Cyst Nematode confirmed in Montana

Cereal Cyst Nematode confirmed in Montana

The effects of Cereal Cycst Nematode (CCN) can be confused with Rhizoctonia root rot. Now is the time to watch for signs/symptoms of this pest in cereals. For more information on what symptoms and signs look like, see the Montana AgAlert for CCN. To learn more, or to see more MSU alerts, visit the Montana […] Read more

(Dave Bedard file photo)

Canada blocking poultry from Montana, South Dakota

Canada is blocking cross-border shopping for raw poultry, eggs and live birds from another border state, after H5N2 avian flu was confirmed in central Montana on Friday. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Friday expanded restrictions that block travellers to Canada from H5N2-positive states from bringing in live birds, hatching eggs, eggs, yolks, egg […] Read more