Improve mad cow testing. When the first American case of mad cow disease was detected in December 2003, the Bush administration swung into action. It quickly announced plans for an "enhanced" testing program. [News Source]

Glitch halts Canada beef facility’s exports. Ottawa has disqualified a Calgary beef-processing facility from exporting to Japan due to a technicality that was found by Japanese inspectors. [News Source]

Rice says Japan’s renewed beef ban excessive. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso on Saturday that Tokyo's reinstatement of a ban on U.S. beef over mad cow disease was an excessive reaction. [News Source]

Officials try to trace cow’s life. Agriculture officials investigating the origin of a cow with mad cow disease identified two of her offspring Friday and are trying to track the bovine's lifespan from birth to death. [News Source]

US probe seeks second calf from Alabama mad cow. Officials investigating the new U.S. case of mad cow disease said on Friday they had a "strong lead" on a second calf from the crossbred beef cow and hoped to find the farm where the cow was born a decade ago. [News Source]

Officials locate mad cow’s calf. The 6-week-old calf of an Alabama cow that had mad cow disease is now at a federal animal-testing lab in Iowa and appears to be healthy. [News Source]

`Mad’ cow’s origins may never be clear. cow infected with mad cow disease was bought at an Alabama auction about a year ago, state and federal officials said Friday, but they were unsure whether they will ever trace the animal's origins. [News Source]

Did human remains in India lead to mad cow? Mad cow disease may have originated from animal feed contaminated with human remains washed ashore after being floated downriver in Indian funerals. [News Source]

NRD stops drilling in two counties. A natural resources district stopped irrigation development in parts of two southeast Nebraska counties until Dec. 31, while researchers try to figure out why the water table is dropping there. [News Source]

Japan’s 24th BSE case first in beef cow. A Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry panel confirmed Friday the country's first case of mad cow disease in cattle specifically raised to provide meat, ministry officials said. [News Source]