Brian Haller UAEX White County Agent

There is a new Arkansas Department of Agriculture reporting system for New World Screwworm! Find more information below.

Congratulations to White County's Ben and Andrea Vinson Family for being selected as the East Central District Farm Family of the Year! White County is proud of you and your family.

2026 District Farm Families of the Year Announced 2026 District Farm Families of the Year Announced Published June 9, 2026 LITTLE ROCK – The 79th annual Arkansas Farm Family of the Year program has announced its eight district farm families, highlighting the diverse sectors that make up the state’s largest industry, agriculture. Judges will vis...

Here's the June 8th Edition of Cattle Market Notes Weekly regarding the effect of New World Screwworm being found in Texas on the cattle market: https://bit.ly/4uUlC2Z

appreciated the opportunity to speak AGLC Pasture walk hosted by Loyd and Juanita Daniels.

Here are some great resources to learn more about the New World Screwworm.

The first detection of New World Screwworm (NWS) has occurred in Zavala County, Texas, on a 3-week-old calf in the umbilical area. This detection was confirmed yesterday by USDA-APHIS.

Want to learn more about the pest and the current response? Here are some links to some helpful links:

🔘Official APHIS announcement of NWS case: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-confirms-presence-new-world-screwworm-united-states

🔘Unified Government website for most accurate and up to date NWS information: screwworm.gov

🔘USDA New World Screwworm Playbook and Supplemental materials: www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/nws-response-playbook.pdf

🔘U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Animal Drugs for New World Screwworm: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/safety-health/new-world-screwworm-information-veterinarians

🔘USDA APHIS Pesticides for Control of New World Screwworm: www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/pesticides-for-nws.pdf

🔘NCBA resources including posters and handouts (will be updated in coming days): www.bqa.org/screwworm

🔘NCBA Cattlemen’s Webinar on “New World Screwworm - Regulations, Readiness & Response”: https://youtu.be/Xv6TfIoUEfM?si=iejH3ZmG9LUpCnL1

The first New World Screwworm case has been confirmed in the US in Zavala County, Texas.

U.S. CATTLE REPORT 🚨 USDA Confirms First New World Screwworm Case in the United States 🚨

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the detection of New World screwworm (NWS) in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, marking the first confirmed U.S. case. The larvae were found in the calf's umbilical area, and no additional cases have been detected to date. New World screwworm is a serious pest whose larvae feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, posing risks to livestock, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, humans.

In response, USDA and Texas animal health officials have activated their NWS Response Playbook and are taking immediate action to contain and eradicate the pest. Measures include establishing a 20-kilometer quarantine zone around the detection site, increasing surveillance and trapping efforts, deploying additional sterile screwworm flies, implementing wildlife monitoring programs, and forming a unified incident command team. USDA emphasized that the U.S. food supply remains safe, as screwworm does not infest meat products and any affected animals would be identified during federal meat inspection. Officials also urged livestock producers and pet owners in the region to monitor animals closely for signs of infestation and report any suspected cases immediately.

🚜🌾 WHITE COUNTY FARM FAMILY OF THE YEAR 🌾🚜

Congratulations to the Ben and Andrea Vinson family of VW Family Farm in Rose Bud Arkansas for being named the 2026 White County Farm Family of the Year! 🏆

📍 VW Family Farm
5415 Highway 36 West
Rose Bud, Arkansas

The Vinson family has built one of the area’s fastest-growing farm stores featuring:
🥛 Registered A2A2 Jersey raw milk
🍞 Fresh sourdough bread
🍯 Local honey
🥩 Beef, pork, chicken & turkey
🥚 Farm fresh eggs
🌱 Garden products

Andrea Vinson tells ArkansasRadio.com News demand for their raw milk has exploded since Arkansas legalized in-store raw milk sales last year.

🚗 “People will stop traffic on the highway to get in here to get it,” Vinson said.

The family will receive special recognition during the White County Fair.

READ MORE on this story from ArkansasRadio . com CLICK the LINK BELOW in the comments

Great opportunity to learn about a new pest and tick-borne disease affecting Arkansas cattle.

Join us on May 22nd at 11:30 AM for a webinar on Asian Longhorned Tick and Theileriosis in Arkansas!

Topics that will be covered will include: regulations and the importance of testing and reporting; current geographical distribution of the tick and Theileriosis in Arkansas; prevalence of ticks and infection rates among cattle herds; tick management strategies and cattle management strategies; and research updates. Additionally, there will be a roundtable discussion with veterinarians who will talk about their experiences with Theileriosis, along with time for questions for the speakers.

📅Friday, May 22, 2026
⌚11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Link: https://uada.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NXdR3DMwT4SkFz0NakwHEg #/registration

For any questions, please email Kirsten Midkiff, [email protected]

Join us for a hands-on beef cattle program on May 15th at the University of Arkansas Livestock & Forestry Station in Batesville. Livestock & Forestry Research Station - Univ. of AR Division of Agriculture Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Arkansas Extension Beef Systems