Play the videos below to watch the Beef Cattle Extension team share the current situation surrounding livestock diseases and pests. The Rancher's Thursday Lunchtime Series videos are timely and backed by research to supply producers and consumers top notch information and resources.

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New World Screwworm: National Response and Oklahoma Preparedness

Learn about the current situation, biology, surveillance, and regulatory response for New World screwworm (NWS) in the United States. In this webinar, experts from the USDA and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) break down the three-pillar eradication strategy, how to identify suspicious larvae, and the protocols for livestock movement and sample submission.

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New World Screwworm Management and Economics

In this session of the Rancher's Thursday Series, Oklahoma State University Extension specialists discuss the ongoing threat of the New World screwworm.

Dr. Jonathan Cammack (Livestock Entomology & Parasitology) and Dr. Amy Hagerman (Agricultural Economics) explore integrated pest management strategies, herd inspection protocols, approved treatments, quarantine procedures, and the farm-level economic impacts of surveillance and outbreak management.

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Understanding Theileria Orientalis and the Asian Longhorned Tick in Beef Cattle

In this edition of the Rancher's Thursday Lunchtime Series, Oklahoma State University Extension welcomes Dr. Ruth Scimeca (Associate Professor, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Section Head of Parasitology at OADDL) to discuss the emergence of Theileria orientalis in Oklahoma and the southern states. Dr. Scimeca shares findings from a 2024–2026 surveillance study, breaks down the life cycle and transmission via the invasive Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis), compares clinical signs with endemic anaplasmosis, and outlines herd management and diagnostic protocols. Hosted by Dr. Rosslyn Biggs (OSU Beef Cattle Extension Specialist) and Dr. David Lalman (OSU Extension Beef Cattle Specialist).

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Asian Longhorned Tick and Theileria in Cattle: Management, Symptoms and Reality

In this session of the OSU Extension Rancher’s Lunchtime Series, Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, Dr. Dave Lalman, and Dr. Paul Beck host Dr. John Currin, Clinical and Extension Veterinarian with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech. Drawing from years of frontline experience in the Mid-Atlantic endemic region, Dr. Currin shares practical insights, dispels common panic and social media myths, and provides actionable management advice for cattle producers.

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Pasture Mealybug: Identifying, Scouting & Managing an Emerging Threat

An invasive threat is knocking on Oklahoma's doorstep: the new pasture mealybug (*Heliococcus novavilii*). In this Oklahoma State University Extension presentation, Dr. Ashleigh Faris (Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Cropping Systems Entomology and IPM Coordinator) breaks down how to identify pasture mealybug, distinguish it from common lookalikes, recognize pasture dieback symptoms, and evaluate practical management strategies.