Farmed Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease

Management and Response Activities 2022

CooperativeAgreements

2022 Project Executive Summaries

September 2022
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Project Summaries for the Farmed Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease

Management and Response Activities 2022 Cooperative Agreements

USDA APHIS VS awarded $4.8 million through Cooperative Agreements to thirteen entities in twelve

states. These projects will allow recipients to further develop and implement CWD management, 

response, and research activities in farmed cervids, including surveillance and testing. The Executive

Summaries provided by the cooperators and the awarded amounts are below.

Farmed Cervid Management Projects

Exploring New Uses for PMCA and RT-QuIC in CWD Diagnosis: Prion Strain Discrimination and Soil 

Contamination, Texas Parks, and Wildlife Department (Lockwood, M.) Award amount $249,990

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal disease affecting several cervid species. This is disease is 

caused by unorthodox infectious agents called prions: misfolded protein aggregates devoid of nucleic 

acids (unlike viruses and bacteria). At present, CWD has been identified on three continents (North 

America, Asia, and Europe) and manifest in epidemic proportions. One of the main problems in the 

management of CWD is the lack of sensitive diagnostic tests able to diagnose diseased animals and 

the environment that contains them. While the real-time quaking induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and 

the protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) techniques provide us hope in this area, additional 

questions remain. One of them involves the strain diversity of CWD prions. CWD prion strains vary in 

their transmissible properties and rates of persistence in the environment, among several other 

relevant properties. For these reasons, it is extremely important to identify the specific CWD strains 

affecting cervid populations. By understanding the properties of the agent that is dealt with, better 

strategies for containment and eradication may be applied. Unfortunately, RT-QuIC and PMCA have 

not been explored for prion strain-specific diagnosis.

Another limitation of PMCA and RT-QuIC is that they have not been optimized for the identification of 

infectious prions in environmental components. Although both techniques have been suggested to be 

used for that purpose, few reports are available and most of them involve laboratory/artificial 

conditions. Relevant environmental reservoirs for prions are soils as they bind and concentrate 

infectious prions released by infected animals. Soils inhibit PMCA and RT-QuIC reactions, and as soils 

vary in their compositions, protocols to refine these techniques for this specific sample type is 

problematic. Fortunately, our group has extensive experience modifying the PMCA technique for 

different purposes. In fact, we have detected CWD prions in soils and other components from a 

taxidermist facility using PMCA. This suggests that environmental components may be screened for 

prion infectivity.

The purpose of this project is to standardize new uses for PMCA (and secondarily, RT-QuIC), namely: i) 

prion strain-specific diagnosis, and ii) screening of different soil types. Outcomes from this research 

may contribute to current efforts to diagnose CWD in deer and environmental components in a prion 

strain-specific manner.

Improving Herd Management of CWD Affected Mule Deer Herd through Antemortem and 

Postmortem Testing, South Dakota Animal Industry Board (Mendel, M.) Award amount $120,000

Currently ante-mortem CWD Immunohistochemistry (IHC) PrP testing of rectal biopsy samples is not 

validated for use in mule deer. Without a validated ante-mortem test, the current response to a CWD 

finding in a farmed herd is a quarantine of the affected herd, regulatory staff tracing if necessary, and 

depopulation if funding is available. By using this test protocol in a CWD affected herd and comparing 
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the results of these tests to follow-up post-mortem testing of suspect animals, as well as testing 

mortalities occurring in the herd, conclusions can be drawn on how accurate and useful ante-mortem 

CWD IHC PrP testing may be for controlling the spread of CWD in captive mule deer herds. All captive 

mule deer producers would benefit from having a validated ante-mortem test to use for both CWD 

monitoring and potential pre-movement testing. 

Utilization of CWD Management Strategies for CWD-affected herds and CWD-exposed cervids, 

West Virginia Department of Agriculture (Alt, E.) Award amount $9,790

CWD was first detected on a West Virginia (WV) cervid farm in August 2021. A second CWD-positive 

farmed cervid herd was discovered in January 2022. Both farms are located within the WV 

Department of Natural Resources CWD containment area. Depopulation is the preferred 

management strategy. However, the indemnification approval process can be prolonged due to 

increasing numbers of CWD-positive herd owners seeking federal indemnity. Without guarantee of 

indemnity funding, herd owners seek out other alternatives leaving long quarantines as the only 

option. Ante-mortem testing, and predictive genetics are tools that can assist herd owners in making 

evidence-based decisions when in long quarantines. This may include culling ante-mortem CWDpositive animals and those with undesirable predictive genetics. The overall goal of this project is to 

utilize CWD management strategies for CWD-affected herds and CWD-exposed cervids to control 

and/or prevent the spread of CWD.

The desired outcomes for this proposal include: 

1) Assist CWD-exposed herd owners to effectively control and/or prevent the spread of CWD. 

2) Support CWD detection via ante-mortem testing in CWD-affected herds. 

3) Encourage selective breeding to minimize CWD susceptibility in exposed white-tailed deer

herds located in high-prevalence CWD-endemic areas.

Herds remain in long quarantines when depopulation is delayed due to the indemnity process or 

owners decline depopulation as an option. The proposed solution to manage CWD in these herds is 

utilization of all available tools including the following: ante-mortem testing, genotyping, selective 

breeding, and culling of positive animals. This approach provides herd owners with tangible 

information to make evidence-based decisions for the future of their herds.

Chemical Inactivation of Soil-bound CWD Prions, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 

(Storm, D.) Award amount $97,608

Environmental transmission may play an important role in the long-term dynamics of cervid CWD. 

Infected animals shed prions in feces, urine, and saliva, and prions can be deposited in the 

environment via infected carcass or viscera from infected cervids left by hunters. Prion infectivity can 

persist in the environment for years and contribute to the maintenance of epizootics. Contamination 

of enclosures by residual secretions, excreta, or carcasses from prion-infected animals is sufficient to 

transmit prion disease to naïve animals’ years after infected animals were present. Soil is a plausible 

reservoir of prions in the environment, and CWD prions have been detected in naturally 

contaminated soils. Prions are notoriously difficult to inactivate, exhibiting remarkable resistance to 

most methods of inactivation that are effective against conventional pathogens. Past efforts to 

disinfect prion-contaminated deer and elk pens have proven unsuccessful. The proposed research will 

test the efficacy of two potential decontamination agents in inactivating CWD prions in soil: 

peroxymonosulfate (PMS) and hypochlorous acid (HOCl). Both have been successful in 

decontaminating prions in solution. We will work out conditions to maximize their efficacy in 

inactivating prions associated with soil under controlled conditions in experimentally contaminated 
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soils. We will then test the efficacy of an optimized protocol for inactivating prions in soil samples 

from at least one field site with a high incidence of CWD. The goal of the project will be a robust 

decontamination protocol for application to potentially contaminated soil in situ (e.g., captive cervid 

facilities, mineral licks, scrapes).

Axis Deer (Axis axis) Susceptibility to CWD, Texas Parks, and Wildlife Department (Lockwood, M.)

Award amount $232,799

Recent prion protein research and anecdotal evidence suggests that axis deer are susceptible to CWD. 

However, state agencies in Texas are prohibited from placing regulatory requirements on a species 

until it is demonstrated that the species is naturally susceptible. Consequently, the first objective of 

this project is to determine if axis deer are naturally susceptible to CWD. This will be accomplished by 

housing eight axis deer with a CWD infected white-tailed deer (and an additional, initially uninfected, 

white-tailed deer which will serve as a sentinel demonstrating the infectiousness of the first). Animals 

will be housed in a biocontainment facility which will ensure that CWD from this project does not get 

out in the environment. Because we do not know the incubation period for CWD in axis deer, it may 

be necessary that this project extend beyond two years (under separate funding).

If axis deer are susceptible, it will be necessary to understand the disease course in the species. This is 

the second objective of the study. We will closely monitor axis deer for any abnormal signs, 

particularly those that are neurologic or might otherwise be suggestive of CWD. Documenting the 

signs and time-course of CWD in axis (if they are susceptible) will provide a clinical picture of the 

disease in this species. This will aid agency staff, cervid breeders, and the public in understanding 

what signs/lesions an axis at high risk of having CWD will exhibit.

More importantly, if axis deer are susceptible, we need to understand which diagnostic tests are 

useful for determining an individual’s CWD status. This is the third objective. Every 3 months a cadre 

of potential antemortem tests will be conducted on the deer. This includes IHC on tonsil and RAMALT 

and RT-QuIC and PMCA on tonsil, RAMALT, body fluids and feces, and molecular biomarker analyses 

using blood samples. When an axis deer dies or is euthanized, full necropsies, gross and histologic 

analysis will be conducted on a variety of tissues with particular emphasis placed on lymphoid and 

nervous tissue. Additionally, IHC will be conducted on brain, spinal cord, tonsil, retropharyngeal 

lymph nodes and others, alimentary tract-associated lymphoid tissue, and select additional organs. 

RT-QuIC and PMCA will be conducted on lymphoid and nervous tissue as well as body fluid (to include 

CSF) and feces. Prion strain typing will also be conducted to explore the identity of the CWD agent in 

this new animal species.

Results of this study will be distributed to the scientific community and wildlife managers via peerreviewed journal (Journal of Wildlife Diseases, Prion, etc.). Exotic animal producers will be notified via 

their trade magazines and public meetings. Results will help all the above develop management and 

regulatory programs to minimize the spread and reduce the prevalence of CWD in captive and freerange cervid populations.
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CWD Prevention & Education in New York State, New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, 

Division of Animal Industry (Shane-Holser, B.) Award amount $61,780

With CWD cases in two contiguous states, the closest case within 5 miles of a New York border, New 

York must engage in CWD prevention efforts, including the application and execution of the federal 

CWD HCP. Education of private veterinarians and veterinary students about CWD and cervid health 

will ensure high levels of surveillance in the state. Our captive cervid producers will benefit from NY 

remaining CWD free, including being one of two states who can move captive cervids to Indiana.

Enhancing Herd Management, Sample Collection, and CWD Educational Outreach for the Farmed 

Cervid Industry in Georgia, Georgia Department of Agriculture (Weaver, D.) Award amount $73,357

Georgia Department of Agriculture is the primary responding agency to issues regarding farmed 

cervid operations. There are multiple gaps identified within the State’s capacity to address and 

regulate its farmed cervid herds. Despite regulatory CWD controls, Georgia has had minimal industry 

involvement with surveillance and testing. The funding will provide the necessary resources to further 

develop Georgia’s capability to respond to the needs of the farmed cervid industry. The opportunity 

will also improve the industry’s knowledge of CWD, biosecurity, herd management, and bolster the 

State’s CWD sampling program. In addition, the programs funded by this grant will promote individual 

animal identification and accurate herd inventories.

CWD Information Systems Improvement Plan for Ohio’s Herd Certification Program, Ohio 

Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health (Summer, D.) Award amount $249,020

Ohio plans to improve the Herd Certification Program (HCP) through electronic application and 

licensing services, including on-line payments. This project addresses a critical need for improved data 

management for OH’s HCP. Implementation of Ohio’s CWD HCP is dependent on farmed cervid 

owners obtaining a license (required) under Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 943. Ohio uses a paper-based 

application process using traditional postal services. These paper applications are further processed 

by state staff into an electronic form by manual data entry into USAHERDS. This leads to inefficient 

implementation of the HCP due to increasing the follow-up time and labor hours by administrative 

staff needed to achieve compliance. Failure to maintain annual licensing leads to compliance issues 

with CWD standards and Ohio law. Paper based systems are slower and harder to manage due to 

voluminous paper records, leading to potentially inaccurate data due to human error (handwriting, 

legibility, or re-transcription into electronic form). This leads to potential gaps in traceability and 

investigations due to inaccurate records, lost paper records, and expired licenses. This reduces the 

consumer confidence in the HCP, according to verbal reports from Ohio’s cervid industry and 

stakeholders.

By developing a web-based dealer licensing and payment system, OH reduces labor time and 

increases efficiency for program enrollment, verification, and enforcement. Reducing paper records 

increases industry support through improved consumer confidence and better records/data 

management. Increasing accuracy and data management of licenses will deliver improved traceability 

for CWD-affected herds. Creating an automated e-notification of license renewals will also reduce 

time by staff for follow-up calls, emails, letters, or site visits. This will allow Ohio administrative staff 

more time to work through movement records, inventories, and trace investigations, and enhancing 

the HCP.

Goals achieved would be 1) improved management of CWD-affected herds; 2) improved records and 
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data; 3) improved HCP implementation (i.e. enhanced compliance and enforcement activities); and 4) 

development of educational materials for producers.

Enhanced Electronic Collection of Data During Domestic Elk Movements, Utah Department of 

Agriculture and Food, (Price, A.) Award amount $44,000

Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) proposes to increase animal traceability, improve 

CWD surveillance, increase compliance with state and federal regulations, and reduce data entry time 

and costs for UDAF brand inspectors and Domestic Elk Program staff by developing modules for the 

mobile brand inspection application that allows rapid and seamless collection of elk movement and 

inventory data on domestic elk farms and parks. By significantly improving the accuracy of inventories 

and movement events on domestic elk facilities, UDAF will be better able to respond to any CWD 

outbreak within our state. Moreover, adding these two modules to our brand inspection program will 

save significant time as well as personnel costs.

CWD Disease Management and Assessment of the Ecology of Wildlife near the Perimeter Fence of 

Cervid Farms, Minnesota Board of Animal Health, (Glaser, L.) Award amount $ 924,245

Results from our recent APHIS-funded CWD study identified risks associated with CWD-positive herd 

status in Midwest and Northeast cervid operations. One risk factor identified was the introduction of 

cervids from a cervid herd later found to have CWD positive animals. Another risk factor was 

proximity of the farm to the nearest CWD-positive wild deer (≤10km), while other factors centered 

around activities related to the movement of scavengers through the perimeter fence that could 

introduce CWD infection (e.g., access by cats to cervid pens, on-site disposal of resident cervid 

carcasses above ground, use of single perimeter fencing). Overall, these factors highlight the 

importance of considering how transmission of CWD could occur due to indirect contact of farmed 

cervids with wildlife that approach or cross the fence line of cervid operations.

An important next step is to evaluate interactions between infected wild cervids and farmed cervids 

through wildlife activity near the perimeter fence. The objectives of this study are to 

1. Identify and characterize wildlife activities associated with cervid farms in Midwest US regions 

with endemic CWD in wild deer populations, and 

2. Update the on-farm CWD Risk Assessment tool for cervid producers and their veterinarians to 

assess the risk of CWD introduction to the operation.

Results from this study will provide estimates of the central tendency and variability of different 

wildlife interactions near the farm perimeter fence line, and relationships between these estimates 

and farm/environmental factors. Better understanding of the associations between cervid farms and 

wildlife that may serve as vectors for CWD transmission through fences will support development of 

improved farm biosecurity, in effect giving producers tools to protect themselves against a disease 

that threatens the sustainability of their operations. This project aligns with the APHIS priority area, 

‘Improve the management of CWD-affected farmed cervid premises,’ through ‘controlling or 

preventing the spread of CWD from ... (the) surrounding area by implementing or improving upon 

current guidance, ... and may include ... scavenger management or other biosecurity measures’.

CWD disease management will be improved by the removal of CWD exposed, suspect and/or positive 

cervids with indemnity.
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Cervid Producer Online Portal for Herd Data Submission, Minnesota Board of Animal Health (Glaser, 

L.) Award amount $ 226,747

Accurate and timely herd data are critical to the prevention, management, and response to CWD. The 

current model sees producers submitting data on paper forms through regular mail or through herd 

visits by regulatory officials. The specific problem this project solves is streamlining of data submission 

by producers by facilitating data submission through an online portal. This will greatly minimize the 

time it takes for the producer to perform the review and contribute towards the timeliness and 

accuracy of the returned census. The central plank of this project is to eliminate the need for annual 

census gathering as producers can submit data at the time of an event (e.g. herd addition, death) 

through the portal. This results in essentially real-time data being made available to regulatory 

officials, improving herd management, traceability, and responses to CWD detections. Data 

submission through the portal will result in reductions of staff time in State Animal Health Officials’ 

offices. The target audience or beneficiaries of this project will be farmed cervid producers, State 

animal health officials and animal health officials with the USDA.

Landfill disposal of CWD-infected carcasses is a topic of extreme concern for state agencies, captive 

cervid facilities, landfill operators, and the public. Previous studies have found that prion transport 

through porous media was slow, and generally regard the risk associated with prion transport to be 

low. Nevertheless, doubt remains as to the risk associated with landfill disposal of CWD-infected 

carcasses. Many private and public landfill operators refuse to accept any deer carcass materials for 

fear of liability if prions leach from their properties. This leads to complex problems where state 

agencies are responsible for disposal of CWD-infected carcasses but are unable to do so for lack of a 

disposal site. To better articulate any risks associated with deer carcass disposal in landfills, we 

propose the following study. Our study aims to address knowledge gaps which exist in our 

understanding of prion transport using quantitative measurement of prion migration in landfill 

materials. New ultra-sensitive prion detection assays, such as RT-QuIC, are capable of detection of 

prions at far lower concentrations than older technologies and are amenable for use with a variety of 

sample types. Our multi-pronged approach involves optimization of RT-QuIC to detect CWD prions in 

landfill leachate, experimental investigation of prion transport through materials relevant for carcass 

burial, mathematical modeling of prion transport in the same materials, and analysis of leachate from 

several landfills for the presence of CWD prions. We first propose to adapt RT-QuIC for detecting CWD 

prions in solid waste leachate. We then plan to conduct column experiments to simulate prion 

movement through a variety of porous materials, including fresh and aged municipal solid waste. 

Using RT-QuIC, we expect to be able to detect prion movement in these materials at far greater 

resolution than was previously possible. A particularly important aspect of the proposed research is 

the investigation of the role of preferential flow paths (macropores) on prion migration in soil and 

municipal solid waste. From these results, we intend to develop quantitative models which describe 

prion transport in each of these materials. Our experimental and modeling results will inform 

decisions about CWD disposal in extant landfills, and properly inform the public about any risk 

associated with landfill disposal of prion-infected materials. Finally, we plan to use our RT-QuIC 

protocol to analyze current landfill leachate for the presence of CWD prions, using leachate from 

three operational landfills. One of these landfills has never received CWD-infected materials; another 

formerly accepted deer carcasses, but no longer does so; and the third one actively receives deer 

carcasses. Focus on these landfills will allow a first assessment of the long- and short-term risk posed 

by prions in landfills. Our project represents the most thorough risk assessment of prion transport in 

solid porous media and leachate to date. This work will provide valuable information to the numerous 

stakeholders interested in effective CWD material disposal and expand the use of RT-QuIC as a tool 

for assessment of the environmental hazard posed by prions.
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Genomic Predictions for Selective Breeding to Reduce Susceptibility to CWD in Farmed White-tailed 

Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), North Dakota Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Division, 

(Jacobs-Kopp, X.) Award amount $ 52,500

It has been demonstrated that differential susceptibility to chronic wasting disease (CWD), and 

variation in natural disease progression, are both highly heritable polygenic traits in farmed U.S. 

white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We propose to comprehensively define the genetic 

landscape of farmed white-tailed deer in North Dakota with respect to differences in CWD 

susceptibility using whole genome methods for the purpose of genetic improvement (i.e., reduced 

susceptibility) via selective breeding. The proposed project generates all the resources necessary to 

stimulate stakeholder changes in action, which will directly facilitate a reduction in CWD susceptibility 

among farmed white-tailed deer; and the potential for reducing the overall prevalence of CWD.

Genomic Predictions for Selective Breeding to Reduce Susceptibility to Chronic Wasting disease 

(CWD) in Farmed White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Minnesota Board of Animal Health 

(Glaser, L.) Award amount $ 240,638

Dr. Seabury and his colleagues recently demonstrated that differential susceptibility to chronic 

wasting disease (CWD), and variation in natural disease progression, are both highly heritable 

polygenic traits in farmed U.S. white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Moreover, using machine 

learning and cross validation, Dr. Seabury and his colleagues also demonstrated that genomic 

prediction accuracies for differential susceptibility to CWD were high, thereby providing robust 

evidence that the implementation of genomic selection (i.e., genome-assisted selected breeding) can 

be expected to reduce the prevalence of CWD in farmed U.S. white-tailed deer. To further 

demonstrate the utility of genomic predictions with respect to differential susceptibility to CWD, Dr. 

Seabury has since performed a blind validation study (2021) with USDA APHIS (VS) using more than 

480 samples; the results of which clearly show that genomic predictions for selective breeding can 

potentially reduce the prevalence of CWD by ≥ 85% in farmed white-tailed deer. Moreover, until 

recently, no impactful management, veterinary, or predictive interventions existed for mitigating risk 

of CWD in Minnesota white-tailed deer farms. Therefore, we propose to learn more about the 

genetics of Minnesota farmed white-tailed deer related to differences in CWD susceptibility using the 

same whole-genome methods recently described; for the purpose of genetic improvement (i.e., 

reduced susceptibility) via selective breeding. The proposed project generates all the resources 

necessary to stimulate stakeholder changes in action, which will directly facilitate a reduction in CWD 

susceptibility among farmed white-tailed deer; and the potential for reducing the overall prevalence 

of CWD.

CWD Disease Management and CWD Selective Breeding by performing Vasectomies in Whitetail 

Deer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, (Proctor, B.) Award amount $ 1,282,711

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will partner with captive cervid facilities within the 

Commonwealth and will ensure all data collected will be shared between all participants including the 

USDA. All captive cervid facility participants must be active and in compliance with all CWD program 

standards commensurate with their enrollment level, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of 

Agriculture Quarantine Orders. Registered premises must also participate in Dr. Christopher Seabury’s 

Genomics Predictions Study, all participating whitetail deer (including fawns) must have an official 

identification number as specified in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, General Quarantine 

Order and born on premises within Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will 

reimburse participating facilities up to $200.00 per whitetail with a maximum of four procedures 
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completed per visit, excluding anesthesia and other drugs associated with the procedure.

Dr. Dustin Davis of Laurel Highlands Animal Hospital will perform all vasectomies for all participants in 

the program. Dr. Davis describes the procedure as follows; vasectomies are routine procedures in 

certain aspects of veterinary medicine (small ruminants especially). The vasectomy is the best way to 

sterilize an intact male without interfering with hormonal processes. It is typically done under general 

anesthesia and takes about 20 mins per whitetail. An area is clipped and prepped sterilely just 

proximal to the testicle on the scrotum. A small stab incision is then made, and the spermatic cord is 

exteriorized. The vas deferens is isolated from the other structures of the cord and a large (about 4') 

section is removed and both ends are crushed. The skin is then closed with absorbable suture (usually 

#2 vicryl) after the cord is reduced back into the scrotum. This type of procedure does not produce 

any long-term side effects allowing the whitetail to mature and be harvested.

CWD disease management will be improved by the removal of CWD exposed, suspect and/or positive 

cervids with indemnity.

CWD Disease Management and Farmed Cervid remote identification and surveillance using 

Bluetooth® eartags and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Kansas Department of Agriculture, 

Division of Animal Health, (Nelson, J.) Award amount $ 332,486

Cervids present their own unique challenges, not only for people who choose to raise them as 

livestock but also for the groups who have the responsibility of oversight for such operations. Unlike 

other livestock species that have been domesticated over centuries, if not millennia, farmed cervids 

share many of the behaviors of wild cervids. For many farmed cervid species, the flight portion of the 

fight or flight response is just as heightened as their wild counterparts. It is incredibly difficult to 

evaluate health or production parameters of a farmed cervid herd let alone one specific farmed cervid 

when these animals instinctively avoid any potentially threatening interactions by keeping their 

distance, running away, and/or hiding. Even attempting to locate or identify a particular animal can 

be time consuming and unsuccessful.

Identification ear tags that use Bluetooth® technology for transmission of data to a reader offer 

producers and regulatory agencies more accurate animal and herd information. When the reader is 

programmed to transmit the collected information from the ear tags to a smart device, this 

information is collected and shared much more efficiently, requiring less time, less energy, and less 

animal handling. The combination of Bluetooth® ear tags and readers can collect information on 

animals in their enclosure and transmitting that data to a smart device for remote monitoring. The 

ear tags transmit a Bluetooth® signal and the reader has a read range of greater than 100 yards. Once 

the reader collects the data, cellular networks are then used to transmit the data from the reader to a 

smart device where data is housed and manipulated via a software program. This project will look at 

the effectiveness of Bluetooth® equipment and technology in Kansas farmed cervid operations. KDA 

DAH will partner with licensed farmed cervid producers to apply Bluetooth® ear tags in herds of 

different cervid species, varying terrains, multiple sizes, and diverse purposes. 

Cervid compatibility with the ear tags will be evaluated. Reading ability and value of data collected 

will be compared between readers stationed at commonly frequented locations verses readers 

attached to an UAS. The usability of data collected from Bluetooth® ear tags that collect only 

identification and relative location information verses Bluetooth® ear tags that also collect 

accelerometer and ambient temperature information along with identification and relative location 

will also be determined from a producer standpoint and a regulatory agency standpoint. The 
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producers who volunteer for the project will be surveyed as to the ease of use of the equipment and 

technology, any benefit gained from the animals wearing the ear tags, and the worth of the data 

collected from the different versions of ear tags.

CWD disease management will be improved by removal of CWD exposed, suspect and/or positive 

cervids with indemnity.

Evaluating Long Range Low Energy Ear Tags for Tracking White-tailed Deer “Released” from CWDPositive Deer Breeding Facility into a Hunting Enclosure, Texas Animal Health Commission, Schwartz, 

A.) Award amount $ 250,000

Raising white-tailed deer in captivity for ultimate “release” into high-fenced enclosures or “release 

sites” is a practice allowed in many states, including the state of Texas. Implementing an accurate 

electronic identification system would strengthen the deer breeders’ accountability for reporting and

allow real-time animal tracking that is extremely valuable for inventory, disease surveillance, and 

management of both affected and non-affected herds.

The Texas Animal Health Commission and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), working in 

conjunction with MicroTraks, will develop and test the potential for Long Range Low Energy tags as a 

solution for CWD traceability in a real-world pilot study. Ox Hunting Ranch, a recipient of captive 

cervids raised at Ox Genetics deer breeding facility currently operating under an intensive, selffunded, genetic-selection project aimed at reducing CWD susceptibility within the herd, has 

volunteered to be the testing site for this new technology.

Microtraks will specifically design tags with regenerative power technology that will power the tags 

through the duration of a hunting season to ensure 100% of the” released” white-tailed deer are 

recovered following natural mortality, escape from the "release site” enclosure, or harvest. 

Specifically, MicroTraks will:

• Monitor and notify the ranch manager/owner and TPWD of any deer that is not moving 

within 8-hours, helping to eliminate samples missed due to carcass deterioration.

• Monitor and alert all parties if a deer jumps, or escapes, the enclosed parcel of land, 

facilitating recapture and reducing opportunities for disease spread.

• Provide a 100% accurate manifest of all deer that have been harvested over the hunting 

season and which deer still remain on the parcel of land, providing information critical to 

management of the herd and regulatory oversight.

• Provide accurate reporting until all deer have been harvested and identified and confirmed by 

TPWD, thereby proving compliance with the genetic management herd plan.

• Once the pilot has concluded, it will yield tools and resources to monitor farmed cervid herd 

movements, greatly reducing man hours and valuable state and federal resources. Lastly, this 

pilot will prove the first surveillance of farmed cervid movements to decrease the spread of 

CWD, which can serve as a model to other states to control the spread of CWD.

The primary audience or population that will directly benefit from this project are the deer breeders 

of Texas. However, the project will also benefit state and or federal regulators tasked with reducing 

the prevalence of CWD in farmed cervids.
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CWD Genetic Improvement Plan and Continued Support of Ohio’s Herd Certification Program, 

Ohio Department of Agriculture, Division of Animal Health, (Summers, D.) Award amount $340,997

Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) regulates Ohio’s captive cervid industry and protects and 

promotes the health of farmed cervids. To maintain a healthy captive cervid population, it is critical 

that ODA has a strong HCP and continuously works to reduce the risk and spread of CWD. ODNR 

detected a total of eleven CWD-positive wild white-tailed deer from 2020-2022 hunting seasons and 

culling efforts. With a history of CWD positive captive premises in previous years, recent CWD 

detections in wild white-tailed deer and spreading geographic distribution in the U.S., it is important 

for ODA to have a veterinary epidemiologist to provide support to the HCP. It is also critical to use 

selective genetics to reduce CWD susceptibility in captive white-tailed deer. 

ODA proposes to maintain a veterinary epidemiologist on staff to provide critical support and subject 

matter expertise to Ohio’s cervid industry and to continue to build upon the HCP improvements made 

with VS FY2021 Farmed Cervid Funding through increased compliance, monitoring, and enforcement. 

The epidemiologist will continue to expand outreach activities, in-field sample collection trainings, 

writing standard operating procedures and developing informational documents for ODA’s CWD 

webpage. By enhancing the HCP further, the epidemiologist will increase disease surveillance and 

increase consumer confidence and industry support for the HCP. 

Dr. Seabury et al. demonstrated that CWD susceptibility and natural variation in disease progression 

are moderately to highly heritable and that genomic predictions for selective breeding can reduce the 

prevalence of CWD. Ohio proposes to implement a voluntary genetic improvement plan for whitetail 

deer herds enrolled in the HCP. Participants will be able to have genetic testing completed through 

North American Deer Registry at a subsidized rate. Genetic improvements will be made by culling and 

selective breeding which will reduce CWD susceptibility of Ohio’s captive deer. 

ODA’s proposal for epidemiological support for the HCP and to implement a voluntary, novel genetic 

improvement plan will overall strengthen Ohio’s captive cervid population, prevent the incidence of 

CWD in captive cervids and increase consumer and industry support for the HCP and CWD 

management. 

Total $4,788,668