Contact Us
AgNet
  • About KDA
      • Office of Commissioner
      • Office of Administrative Services
      • Office of Agricultural Marketing
      • Office of Agricultural Policy
      • Office of Communications
      • Office for Consumer & Environmental Protection
      • Office of Legal Services
      • Office of State Veterinarian
      • Request an Official Appearance
      • International Trade
      • Kentucky Hunger Initiative
  • LICENSING & LAWS
  • Forms
  • News
      • KDA receives $500,000 grant
      • Western Kentucky Disaster Relief
      • Western Kentucky Disaster Relief
      • Kentucky Agricultural News
      • Press Releases
      • News Archive
      • Ag-Related Resources
      • Kentucky Hunger Initiative
      • Dicamba Training
      • Hemp Program
      • Licensing and Certification Portal (login required)
      • Livestock Entry Requirements
      • Market News
      • Pesticide Registration and Renewal
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
  • Online Services
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Ag Businesses Directory
      • Ag Ringtones
      • ARD Inspector Search
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Hay for Sale
      • Hemp Licensing Portal
        (login required)
      • KDA Calendar of Events
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Licensing and Certification Portal
        (login required)
      • Nuisance Weed Spraying Program
      • Online Permitting System
      • Pest Control Company Directory
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pollinator Protection Registration System
      • Product Registration and Renewal System
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • Service Agency
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
  • Ag Policy
      • KADF Applicants
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund Applicants
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF)
      • Administrators
      • Applicants
      • Applicant Reporting
      • County Agricultural Development Councils
      • Kentucky Agricultural Development Board
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation (KAFC)
      • Application Deadlines
      • Kentucky Agricultural Finance Corporation Board
      • Lender & Mentor
      • Loan Programs
      • Kentucky Agricultural Policy Publications
      • Annual Report 2019
      • Annual Report 2020
      • Annual Report 2021
  • Animal
      • Animal Control
      • Animal Disposal and Rendering
      • Animal Health
      • Animal Marketing Programs
      • Aquaculture
      • Beekeeping
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Emergency Management
      • Equine
      • Farmed Cervids
      • Livestock
      • Livestock Welfare Complaints
      • Market News
      • Movement and Identification
      • Online Permitting System
      • Poultry
      • Purebred Breeders Directory
      • Spay/Neuter
      • State Veterinarian
      • Stockyards and Dealers
      • Stray or Abandoned Horses
  • Plant
      • Farmers Markets
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • GAP-Good Agriculture Practices
      • Ginseng
      • Grape and Wine
      • Hemp
      • Hemp Licensing Portal
        (login required)
      • Horticulture
      • Landscape Plant Availability Guide
      • Organic
      • Plant Marketing Programs
      • Produce Safety Program
  • Regulatory
      • Aerial Recreational Devices
      • Amusement Ride Inspections
      • Brands
      • Composting
      • Egg Licensing
      • Food Programs
      • Grain Licensing and Regulation
      • Grain Licensing Search
      • Licensing and Certification Portal
        (login required)
      • Market News
      • Organic Program
      • Pest Control - Agriculture
      • Pest Control - Structural
      • Pesticide Product Registration
      • Pesticide Complaint Form
      • Pesticide Training and Testing
      • Public Pest and Recycling Assistance
      • Rendering
      • Stockyards and Dealers
      • Teen & Tobacco
      • Weights and Measures
      • Weights, Measures & Motor Fuel Complaint Form
  • Promotional
      • Ag Businesses
      • Ag Education
      • Agritourism
      • Appalachia Proud
      • Buy Local
      • CSA - Community Supported Agriculture
      • Eat to Win KY
      • Emergency Management
      • Farm License Plate
      • Farm Safety
      • Farm to Campus
      • Farm to Fork
      • Farm to School
      • Farmers Markets Directory
      • Farmland Preservation/PACE
      • Farms Are Fun
      • Forage/Hay Testing
      • Free Web Page Builder
      • Good Agricultural Practices - GAP
      • Grants
      • Homegrown By Heroes
      • Hunger Initiative
      • International Trade
      • Jobs for Vets
      • Junior Chef
      • Kentucky Proud
      • Kentucky Wine
      • Livestock Tag
      • Market News
      • Mobile Science Activity Center
      • Promotion and Development
      • Shows and Fairs

Livestock

 

Animal Identification

The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is cooperating with USDA on improving the traceability of US livestock moving interstate when animal disease events take place. Currently, all livestock 18 months or older sold at a Kentucky approved livestock market must be identified to the farm of origin.

Under the proposed rule, unless specifically exempted, livestock moved interstate would have to be officially identified and accompanied by an interstate certificate of veterinary inspection or other documentation, such as owner-shipper statements or brand certificates. The proposed rule encourages the use of low-cost technology and specifies approved forms of official identification for each species, such as metal ear tags for cattle. However, recognizing the importance and prevalence of other identifications in certain regions, shipping and receiving states or tribes are permitted to agree upon alternative forms of identification such as brands or tattoos.

 

Bovine Program

Tuberculosis (TB) Accreditation Program
Kentucky became a Tuberculosis Free state in November 1987. We continue to manage this voluntary program for those herd owners that wish to maintain a "tuberculosis accredited herd status". This program is managed by our office, but the qualifying methods are mandated by USDA (listed in the UM&R, latest update 1/1/05). The certification program is only available for cattle, bison, or cervid herds.
Bovine Tuberculosis Pamphlet-Information for Producers.

Brucellosis Certification Program
Kentucky became a Brucellosis Free state in 1997. We continue to manage this voluntary program for those herd owners that wish to maintain a "brucellosis certified-free herd". This program is managed by the KDA, Office of State Veterinarian, but the qualifying methods are mandated by USDA (listed in the UM&R). The certification program is only available for cattle, bison, or cervid herds.
Testing Qualifications

Johnes Information & Education
Johne's (pronounced "Yo-nees") disease is a chronic, contagious bacterial disease that affects the small intestine of ruminants such as cattle, sheep, goats, deer, antelope and bison. All ruminants are susceptible to Johne's disease.

Johne's disease is caused by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, a hardy bacterium that embeds itself in the wall of the lower part of the small intestine known as the ileum. As an immune response, infected tissues attempt to regenerate healthy tissue which leads to visible thickening of the intestines. This prevents nutrient absorption, resulting in weight loss. Late in the infection, antibody production by the animal can be found in serum of animals and is an indicator that clinical signs of disease and death from the infection will soon follow.

 

Sheep and Goats

Effective January 1, 2018, ALL sheep and goats MUST be identified with an official Scrapie identification prior to unloading/sold at a Kentucky Livestock Market or Swap Meet.  This requirement applies to all sheep and goats regardless of age, breed or sex.  (Pursuant to 302 KAR 20:065/040)

 

Updated Information Regarding Scrapie Tag Orders

Effective September 1, 2019, USDA APHIS VS is no longer providing free metal scrapie tags to Kentucky sheep and goat producers.  For the next 12 months, USDA APHIS VS will still provide up to 80 free, white plastic serial tags for producers that have never received free scrapie tags before.  Tag applicators for the plastic tags will have to be purchased by producers.

Sheep and goat producers can still order the metal serial tags (now orange rather than white) from National Band and Tag (NB&T).  Producers will also have to purchase the tag applicators if they do not already have them, as USDA APHIS no longer has funds to provide these.

National Band & Tag Company
Phone: (859) 261-2035
Fax: (859) 261-8247
E-mail: tags@nationalband.com
NB&T Website

If you believe that you are eligible for the free plastic scrapie tags, or if you have questions regarding scrapie tag ordering, please contact:
USDA APHIS VS
105 Corporate Drive, Ste. H
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone: (502) 848-2054
Fax: (502) 848-2041


Swine

›   Pseudorabies - Kentucky is Stage V

›   Brucellosis - Kentucky is a Free State

Garbage Feeding
Feeding Garbage to swine is illegal.  It is one of the ways to spread Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).  FMD is a severe, highly communicable viral disease of cattle and swine.  This country has been free of FMD since 1929, when the last of nine U.S. outbreaks was eradicated.
Garbage Feeding Brochure

 

The following swine shall not be imported into KY for any purpose:

•   Garbage Fed Swine

•   Swine vaccinated with Pseudorabies vaccine
•   Wild, captive wild or feral swine, Sus scrofa per definition, including Russian wild boars or Eurasian wild boars

Additional Links

  • Listing of Participants by State of the NPIP program
  • USDA Proposed Animal Disease Traceability Rule
  • Animal Movement

Office of the Kentucky State Veterinarian

Animal Disposal and Rendering
Emergency Programs
Equine
  • Equine Export Statistics
  • Equine Herpesvirus 1
  • Equine Infectious Diseases & Emergency Response
  • Equine Infectious Diseases Archive
  • Equine Infectious Anemia
  • Equine Viral Arteritis
  • Importing from CEM Countries
  • Stray or Abandoned Horses
  • West Nile / EEE Summary Information
  • Farmed Cervids
    Honey Bees
  • Pollinator Protection Registration System
  • Livestock
  • Livestock Welfare
  • Livestock Welfare Complaint Form
  • Movement and Identification
    Poultry
  • Facts about Avian Flu
  • Stockyards and Dealers
    Online Permitting System

      Additional Contacts

    • KDA State Veterinarian
      (502) 782-5901
    • KDA State Veterinarian Fax
      (502) 573-1020

    Forms & Documents

    KDA Video

    Beekeeping 101: A Guide for Beginners

    State Apiarist Tammy Horn Potter tells beginner beekeepers the four essential tools they need to get started.

    Commissioner Quarles asked Facebook to stop rejecting pages that promote hemp

    Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles told legislators about the conflict with a social media giant.

    Commissioner Quarles talks to WHAS11 about Industrial Hemp in Kentucky

    Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles talked to WHAS11's Chris Williams about the enthusiasm for industrial hemp.

    The Kentucky Hemp Comeback

    Kentucky farmers are exploring industrial hemp, a crop that connects Kentucky’s past to its future. Kentucky businesses are taking that raw material and turning it into products.

    ABOUT KDA AGNET CONTACT US REQUEST AN APPEARANCE
    KY Department of Agriculture |Phone: (502) 573-0282 |Fax: (502) 564-2133 |1-800-327-6568 |Disclaimer |Ag links
    • © Kentucky Agriculture Department. All rights reserved.