South Dakota has recorded its first anthrax case of the year, detected in cow-calf pairs in Meade County, according to State Veterinarian Dr Mendel Miller. The case came to light after a producer moved animals between pastures.

Dry conditions across the state complicated the first assessment: a water problem was one early suspect, and the producer vaccinated for anthrax to cover that possibility before testing came back positive. "This time of year in South Dakota, you never know if it's a water situation, especially as dry as it's been," Miller told South Dakota News. "They changed pastures and vaccinated for anthrax, just kind of to cover both bases, and then did some testing after that, and it was confirmed that it was anthrax."

Anthrax is a bacterial disease that livestock pick up from the ground. Its spores can persist in fields for decades, Miller said, so areas with a history of the disease remain a risk long after the last confirmed case has been forgotten — and South Dakota's history with anthrax is a wide one. Other sudden-death events among cattle in the state this year tested negative; the Meade County detection is the first confirmed case of 2026.

A vaccine is available, and Miller pointed to its low cost as a reason for producers in known anthrax areas to use it every year. He urged producers to watch their herds closely, particularly on operations where anthrax has appeared before, since dry pastures and pasture changes can both raise exposure.

Sudden, unexplained death losses warrant a closer look, he said: producers who see them should have the animals tested to rule anthrax in or out.

Source: AGDAILY