Beef prices in the U.S. have been on the rise for a variety of reasons. While pandemic-related food price surges have cooled, droughts, uneven supply-to-demand ratios and immigration crackdowns continue to affect the beef industry. The ongoing resurgence of the New World screwworm adds to the list of unfavorable conditions for cattle farmers and ranchers. First reported to have plagued herds in Central America, the screwworm has been screwing its way up to Texas.
Unfortunately for the screwworm, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins launched a new sterile male fly dispersal facility in South Texas on July 18, 2025. First discovered by Russian geneticist Alexander Serebrovsky and then developed by American entomologists Raymond Bushland and Edward Knipling, the introduction of sterile males into the population to render it infertile is the best, tried-and-true method for controlling the screwworm.
The USDA has developed a 5-step plan to address the current infestation in Mexico and curtail the spread of the screwworm to Texas. The plan includes steps to lessen the current infestation in Mexico, protect the U.S. border from being infiltrated, maximize readiness, disperse sterile male flies and encourage further research and innovation in the area of screwworm eradication.
Secretary Rollins has been commended for her efforts against the screwworm by the Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Cattle Feeders Association and the Texas & Southwest Cattle Raisers Association. While there are still concerns regarding ramping up male fly production fast enough to curb the screwworm, establishing the production facility is a step in the right direction.
For more information on the USDA’s plan to control the screwworm, please read the full press release from June 18, 2025. The resurgence of screwworm has previously been discussed on the BC Watchdog.
