**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** SOME ANIMAL DISEASES, SUCH AS FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE (FMD), SPREAD EASILY ACROSS STATE AND COUNTRY BOARDERS AND ARE MAJOR THREATS TO US AGRICULTURE. THESE EASILY SPREADING DISEASES ARE CALLED TRANSBOUNDARY ANIMAL DISEASES (TADS) AND WILL POTENTIALLY AFFECT US FOOD SECURITY AND THE ECONOMY. IN THE US, THE LARGEST LIVESTOCK INDUSTRIES THAT COULD BE DAMAGED BY FMD ARE CATTLE AND SWINE. PAST OUTBREAKS IN OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE SHOWN US THAT IF WE CAN UNDERSTAND HOW LIVESTOCK ARE SHIPPED AROUND THE COUNTRY AND HOW DISEASE SPREAD DIFFERS IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE COUNTRY, WE CAN DEVELOP SUCCESSFUL RESPONSES TO OUTBREAKS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO CREATE PREDICTIONS OF HOW FMD AND OTHER TADS COULD SPREAD ACROSS THE US BASED ON LIVESTOCK SHIPMENT AND DISEASE DATA. WE HAVE THREE OBJECTIVES: 1) DEVELOP PREDICTIONS OF THE NUMBERS AND SIZE OF CATTLE AND SWINE SHIPMENTS; 2) USE THE SHIPMENT PREDICTIONS (OBJ. 1) AND OTHER INFORMATION TO PREDICT HOW FMD COULD SPREAD AND INVESTIGATE THE SUCCESS OFRESPONSES THAT FOCUS MORE ON CATTLE OR ON SWINE; AND 3) USE THE DISEASE PREDICTIONS TO UNDERSTAND HOW DISEASE IN CATTLE AFFECTS SWINE (AND VICE VERSA) DEPENDING ON IF FMD OCCURS FIRST IN CATTLE OR IN SWINE. THIS PROJECT WILL GIVE US A WAY TO DETERMINE HOW MUCH RISK THERE IS OF AN FMD OUTBREAK AND HOW WELL PREPARED WE ARE FOR TAD OUTBREAKS IN THESE TWO MAJOR LIVESTOCK INDUSTRIES. WE WILL WORK WITH THE US DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) TO MAKE SURE THAT POLICY-MAKERS HAVE THE PREDICTIONS AND THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT SO THAT THEY CAN DEVELOP THE BEST POSSIBLE RESPONSE PLANS TO PROTECT PRODUCERS AND US AGRICULTURE IN GENERAL WHEN SUCH DISEASES OCCUR. HAVING THE INFORMATION WE WILL PROVIDE FROM THIS PROJECT WILL HELP WITH CRITICAL DISEASE MANAGEMENT AND ENSURE THE SAFETY AND WORLD-WIDE ADVANTAGE OF US AGRICULTURE.