An Update on Ticks and Tick-Borne Disease in Ohio: Plus the Buckeye Tick Test Lab

May 29, 2025

By Dr. Tim McDermott

It seems in Ohio it is never too early to start scouting animals for ticks. While we commonly think of summer as tick season, we actually see tick activity and positive detections of tick-borne disease all 12 months of the year in Ohio. One of the ticks of the biggest concern impacting livestock, especially cattle, in Ohio is the invasive Longhorned Tick(LHT).

This tick was first discovered in Ohio on a dog in Gallia County in 2020 and has rapidly increased its range in Ohio since then. As of the beginning of 2024 we had positively identified LHT in 11 counties in Ohio including Franklin, Delaware, Ross, Gallia, Vinton, Jackson, Athens, Morgan, Monroe, Belmont, and Guernsey county. Since that point we have added Pike, Lawrence, Noble, Coshocton, Wayne, Muskingum, Washington, and Licking bringing our total up to 19 affected counties. We anticipate adding to that list in 2025.

The Longhorned tick can be a tremendous problem for cattle being able to cause mortality through blood feeding as well as through the transmission of the protozoal disease Theileria orientalis. Theileria is a protozoal blood parasite of cattle that can cause increased heart rates, respiratory rates, anemia, jaundice, open cows, and increased mortality.

Source : osu.edu

Video: Season 7, Episode 1: Managing Risk and Seeing Opportunities in U.S. Pork Production

Today’s episode features three guests discussing the similarities and differences between pork production in the United States and Brazil, along with strategies for managing risk in today’s industry while recognizing and acting on opportunities. First, Dr. Anne Caroline de Lara, executive manager of live pig production at Seara Alimentos, a JBS company in Brazil, is joined by Dr. Matthew Turner, head of operations for JBS Live Pork. Together, they discuss how labor, climate and ventilation challenges vary between Brazil and the United States, while underscoring their shared commitment to raising healthy pigs. They also point to lessons producers in both countries can take from one another’s systems and on-farm experiences. Then, Brady Reicks, risk manager at Reicks View Farms, shares his perspective on risk management, drawing from his background in markets and his transition into farming. He discusses how protecting margins varies by operation and offers practical approaches producers can use to make marketing and business decisions with greater confidence rather than hesitation.

Both conversations were recorded at recent industry events focused on swine livability, including the International Conference on Pig Livability and Iowa Swine Day.