CDFA Announces 14 Vacancies On Cattle Health Task Force Advisory Board

Dec 29, 2025

CDFA's Animal Health Branch is announcing fourteen vacancies on the Cattle Health Task Force Advisory Board. The Board makes recommendations to the Secretary on matters pertaining to: 

Adoption, modification, and repeal of regulations and procedures

Rate and collection of license fees and penalties

Posting and providing notice for changes in bylaws, general procedures, or orders

All matters pertaining to Food and Agricultural Code (FAC) Division 5, Part 2, Chapter 4, including, but not limited to, the control and management of cattle health diseases, evaluating effectiveness of cattle health programs, necessary fees to provide adequate services, and regulations required to accomplish the purposes of the chapter.

Current vacancies:

Minimum of Three (3) Industry members – The Advisory Board will consider a variety of state livestock industry representatives for this vacancy, including, but not limited to, the following: active cattle producers or are recognized representatives of a livestock trade association.

Minimum of Three (3) academic, university or extension members – The Board will consider academic, university or extension members for this vacancy, who specialize in cattle health diseases.

Minimum of Three (3) licensed veterinarians – The Board will consider licensed veterinarians for this vacancy, who specifically practice veterinary medicine for beef and/or dairy cattle.

Source : ca.gov

Video: Stress as a Nutrient Thief - Dr. Sarah Pearce

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sarah Pearce, Research Animal Physiologist with USDA ARS, explains why stress can act as a nutrient thief in pigs. She discusses gastrointestinal health, barrier integrity, inflammation, feed efficiency, stress interactions, and emerging biomarkers that may help predict performance challenges before they occur. Listen now on all major platforms!

Click here to read the full research article: https://academic.oup.com/af/article/1...

"Stress can steal calories and nutrients because energy normally used for growth is redirected toward immune activation, gut repair, and other costly survival responses."

Meet the guest: Dr. Sarah Pearce / sarah-pearce-phd-3a5881a5 earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Iowa State University and currently serves as a Research Animal Physiologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Her research focuses on gastrointestinal physiology, nutrition, stress biology, immune function, and productivity in pigs and poultry. Learn more from Dr. Sarah Pearce on the Swine Nutrition Black Belt Podcast, available on all major platforms.