I suppose that if I were a seedstock producer, with any thought that heifers/cows I was producing might end up, at some point, in a part of the country where brucellosis exposure was a possibility, I might consider going back to vaccinating heifers; I used to do it, back in the '80s, when I was raising dairy replacements, and building my original beef herd.
But, I'm a commercial producer in a brucellosis-free state, surrounded by brucellosis-free states, and most, if not all, heifers/cows I sell should be going to slaughter, not into a breeding herd. I have no worries about brucellosis popping up in my herd. I'm more likely to win the big jackpot in the lottery.
I'll spend my animal health $$ and efforts on keeping BVD-PI animals out of the herd and properly immunizing the calves I produce before they go on to the next person in the production chain, so that they(the calves and the stocker/feeder) have less problems with BRD.
Kenny,
I don't know if the elk released in eastern KY were infected with Echinococcus - I've not seen any reports from my colleagues at the UK-LDDC about diagnosing hydatid cysts in any they've posted through the years - or in cattle in that part of the state. But, the TN Fish & Wildlife guys were unconcerned when we diagnosed the first case in LBL elk, just before TN bought some to reintroduce into the Smokies - 'cause they already had that parasite established in the dog/coyote/cattle populations over there, thanks to some dairy cattle imported from Canada back in the late '70s.
There's been some work done in Aus/NZ on developing a vaccine for use in sheep, but nothing here in the US, that I'm aware of. Main emphasis for control is aimed at routine deworming of potentially infected dogs(but what do you do about the coyotes?) and preventing consumption of offal and deadstock by dogs/coyotes.
At any rate, Its unlikely to have a major impact on cattle production in your area - you might get condemnation of 'specialty meats', like liver, if the inspector finds the hydatid cysts, but my bigger concern is for humans who may be exposed - and can become infected - if their dog has the adult tapeworm and they fail to practice good hygiene and accidentally ingest the tapeworm eggs.
http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/html/Echinococcosis.htm