Weekly Livestock-Equine News: October 12, 2026

Neuroproteins are potential diagnostic tool for newborn foals

Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that blood serum concentrations of both neuroproteins and neurosteroids are associated with neonatal maladjustment syndrome (NMS) in newborn foals. While clinical signs of NMS are variable, the most common one is lack of a normal nursing reflex. On the more severe side, foals can develop seizures and become comatose. The researchers’ work could lead to better diagnostic tools and potential therapies.

U of Minnesota online program helps GPs recognize and report swine disease threats

While specialized swine veterinarians are on constant alert for swine disease threats, the very first warning sign of an outbreak might not appear on a commercial swine facility. A free suite of live webinars and self-paced online modules are intended to “give every vet the confidence to spot something unusual, know precisely what steps to take, and support their clients through high-stress situations,” said Rachel Schambow, researcher and lead investigator of the project at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Animal Health and Food Safety.

What one hour of ransomware costs dairies, feedyards, hog barns

Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts files and demands payment for the key. On a livestock operation, it hits three spots: the controls, the records and the buyer. That split works the same in a feedyard, a hog barn, a dairy and a feed mill. Price the hour first, then build the fallback, like feed calls nobody can read, records that can’t be shown to an inspector and animals or milk with nowhere to go. North Carolina State Extension described in August 2026 how intruders shut down the robots at two dairies in California’s Central Valley in late 2023, stopped bulk tank cooling and started fans and misters. The likely way in was a system password nobody had changed from the vendor’s default.

Pig Livability Project secures $1.6M for swine mortality research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research, the Pork Checkoff and industry stakeholders are investing $1,643,357 in the Pig Livability Project. Led by Iowa State University in collaboration with Kansas State University, the project seeks practical ways to reduce pig deaths in the U.S. pork industry. The Pig Livability Project initially received $2 million from FFAR and the Pork Checkoff to fund research from 2019 to 2024. The research identified strategies to reduce pig mortality, including earlier treatment of sow lameness and improvements in nutrition, feeding and enrichment.

Antimicrobial residues found in Argentine beef feedlot soils

Researchers analyzing soil samples from 27 commercial beef feedlots in Argentina found that monensin, an antimicrobial feed additive widely used in beef production, was present in all feedlots surveyed and recorded the highest detection frequency. The study also identified significant concentrations of oxytetracycline, possibly due to the drug’s tendency to bind strongly to soil and resist degradation. The authors said their research provides a baseline for future studies into environmental antimicrobial contamination and could help inform policies aimed at improving medicine stewardship and monitoring in beef production.

New Zealand initiative intends to prevent Thoroughbred injuries

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing has welcomed the launch of the New Zealand Equine Safety Initiative, intended to connect information about horses’ early development, training, clinical history and movement to better understand factors associated with injury. Blood biomarker research is also exploring ways to detect changes in bone health before clinical signs appear. The initiative has been formed in collaboration with Massey University of New Zealand and Colorado State University.