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News Filed Under Animal Health

Sheep inside a barn standing on hay
May 2, 2025 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Goats and Sheep

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Sheep and goat producers, researchers and industry professionals will convene at Mississippi State University June 13-14 for the sixth annual Small Ruminant Conference.

The two-day event, hosted by the MSU Extension Service and the MSU Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, highlights cutting-edge research and practical applications in small ruminant production.

Doctor in a white coat smiling and standing beside a microscope
February 4, 2025 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Animal Health, Poultry, Avian Flu

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- If egg prices have seemed higher than ever lately, it’s because they are, and consumers can place much of the blame squarely at the feet of the ongoing bird flu outbreak.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the national average for a dozen eggs was $6.70 on Jan. 31 -- more than 60% higher than just six weeks before on Dec. 20, 2024, when the average was $4.07 per dozen. The average fluctuated mostly between the $1 to $3 per dozen range in 2024 until mid-October.

Collie dog stands in the snow.
January 17, 2025 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Small Animals, Family, Pets

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Remembering the “four P’s” of freeze safety -- people, pets, plants and pipes -- is an adage heard constantly this time of year, but doing so will be even more critical than normal during the week of Jan. 20-24 as temperatures are projected to dip below freezing and stay there for several days in Mississippi.

Caring for pets in prolonged cold weather will not involve many adjustments for owners of indoor pets, but protecting outside pets and livestock in these conditions requires extra attention.

Hand pours milk from a glass bottle into a cup
December 9, 2024 - Filed Under: Animal Health, Dairy, Poultry, Avian Flu, Food and Health, Food Safety

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A federal raw milk testing mandate has been issued to address bird flu outbreaks in U.S. dairy herds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, declared the federal order Dec. 6 in response to more than 700 herds in 16 states having tested positive for H5N1. The agency billed the announcement as the start of its National Milk Testing Strategy program.

White chickens
November 8, 2022 - Filed Under: Agriculture, Animal Health, Poultry, Avian Flu, Food and Health, Food Safety, Produce Safety

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi Board of Animal Health is asking backyard bird owners to be vigilant in their biosecurity procedures after a commercial breeder chicken flock in Lawrence County tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.