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RANCHWELL / NEWS & NOTES

Know what’s changing.
Know what to do.

Useful updates from trusted sources.
A clear next step for your ranch.

Two Brahman cattle grazing in Brazos County, TexasANIMAL HEALTH

Archive photograph: Brahman cattle in Brazos County, Texas.

About this photo

Photograph by Beverly Moseley / USDA NRCS Texas

Breed/animal portrait. Does not establish animal health or diagnose disease. Resized and WebP encoded.

Original photograph ↗Public domain; also offered under CC BY 2.0 ↗Photo credits

Texas Animal Health Commission

Order: October 3, 2026 · Sources checked October 4, 2026

Brewster and Pecos: check the updated screwworm zone.

Texas changed a screwworm control area in parts of Brewster and Pecos counties on October 3, after a dog tested positive in Brewster County on October 2. Warm-blooded animals in this area need permission from TAHC before they leave it. Check the current zone with TAHC before loading or moving animals.

Check the current zone and movement rules Read the October 3 order ↗

Keep these on your radar.

OFFICIAL SOURCES / PRACTICAL NEXT STEPS
Two Brahman cattle grazing in Brazos County, TexasANIMAL HEALTH

Archive photograph: Brahman cattle in Brazos County, Texas.

About this photo

Photograph by Beverly Moseley / USDA NRCS Texas

Breed/animal portrait. Does not establish animal health or diagnose disease. Resized and WebP encoded.

Original photograph ↗Public domain; also offered under CC BY 2.0 ↗Photo credits

Texas Animal Health Commission · Announcement: October 1, 2026
Sources checked October 4, 2026

Bringing animals into Texas? Check the screwworm rules.

On October 1, Texas announced new entry requirements for livestock and certain birds from other states affected by screwworm. The rules depend on where the animals come from and the trip. Check the current TAHC guidance with your vet before moving animals.

Check current Texas guidance Read the October 1 announcement ↗
Ranch foreman Ralph Donahue and NRCS staff reviewing conservation work beside a pickupPEOPLE & EQUIPMENT

Ranch foreman Ralph Donahue and NRCS staff discuss conservation work, 2009.

About this photo

Photograph by USDA NRCS Texas

Real adults discussing ranch conservation. Not actors, RanchWell customers, or an endorsement. No moving machine or livestock work zone pictured. Resized and WebP encoded.

Original photograph ↗Public domain; also offered under CC BY 2.0 ↗Photo credits

National Education Center for Agricultural Safety · Event: September 21–25, 2026
Sources checked October 4, 2026

Safety Week ended. Keep the good habits.

The 2026 program covered roads, tired workers, hearing, and dangerous enclosed spaces. Pick one topic your crew needs, then talk through it together.

Find the training resources
A resting sika deer with velvet antlers in Nara, JapanWILDLIFE & ANIMAL HEALTH

Sika deer in Nara, Japan · Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0.

About this photo

Photograph by Jakub Hałun

Photographed August 19, 2024 in Nara, Japan. Species portrait used with a Texas notice that includes captive sika deer; the photograph does not establish disease status or a Texas location. Resized to 1200 pixels and WebP encoded; cards crop the frame. No generative alterations.

Original photograph ↗CC BY 4.0 ↗Photo credits

Texas Animal Health Commission · Announcement: September 15, 2026
Sources checked October 4, 2026

Keep elk or sika deer? Check the Texas rules.

The September 15 notice explains chronic wasting disease testing, animal identification and record rules for listed exotic deer species. Check which rules apply before a hunt or an animal move.

Read the official requirements
Illustration of a storm approaching a ranch

EVERYDAY FIELD LESSON

The weather gets a vote.

Hear thunder? The job stops. Watch the story and choose your safe shelter.

See the field film
Dates matter.

Order, announcement, and event dates are labeled separately from our source checks. Check the agency for changing rules before moving animals. A news summary cannot clear a trip. Source links do not mean the agencies endorse RanchWell.