Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Farm & Home News

Another of Arkansas' neighboring states has recently earned its class-free status from brucellosis.

Louisiana recently became the 45th state to wipe out brucellosis and receive the class-free designation. This leaves only five states remaining with a class A designation (Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida and South Dakota).

As of September 30 there were only three herds quarantined for brucellosis in the U.S.

Over the past half century the presence of brucellosis throughout the United States has cost the cattle industry billions of dollars in production losses, eradication costs, and lost or unrealized export markets. As long as the disease is present in the U.S. it poses a threat to the U.S. cattle industry.

Arkansas is continuing to make significant progress in maintaining a brucellosis free state since the state received the class free rating in October 1997. The number of brucellosis-infected herds in the state declined from 691 in September 1984 to zero in October 1997. December 22, 1997, marks the date of the discovery of the last known brucellosis infected herd in the state.

Obviously, three of the five remaining brucellosis class A states (Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri) border Arkansas. Therefore, it is very important that Arkansas cattle producers continue to vaccinate heifer calves against brucellosis and follow recommended herd health management practices.