Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “New World screwworm”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $25 million in a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Arizona, as part of its ongoing effort to keep New World screwworm from reaching American livestock herds. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the funding during a visit to the Douglas Port of Entry in Arizona, where USDA officials are preparing to resume livestock …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking a major step toward restoring livestock trade with Mexico. USDA announced a phased reopening of southern ports of entry beginning with the Douglas, Arizona, cattle crossing on August 24. The move comes after nearly a year of restrictions designed to protect the U.S. livestock industry from the threat of New World Screwworm, a …
The battle against the new world screwworm isn’t being fought with insecticides or fences. Instead, USDA is deploying an unusual weapon, millions of sterile flies. It sounds like science fiction, but it’s a proven strategy called the sterile insect technique or SIT. The idea is simple. Scientists raise screwworm flies in specialized facilities and expose them to gamma radiation, making …
At the recent Florida Cattlemen’s Association Convention, Southeast AgNet was able to catch up with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President, Gene Copenhaver. Copenhaver commented on the upcoming NCBA meeting. Here is what Copenhaver had to say. “Our summer business meeting is July 12th through the 14th and at that meeting it’s not as quite as big as our cattle …
This week the USDA’s official NWS X account, New World Screwworm Rapid Response, made a post describing the progress in eradicating NWS. The post includes several bullet points detailing strategies being taken to combat NWS. The post reads, “ Audio Reporting by Elizabeth Sanders for Southeast AgNet. Sponsored ContentCIR Agriculture Harvester ProductsJuly 1, 2026FL Cattle Enhancement Board Wraps up Funding …
With the detection of New World Screwworm now in the United States, we sat down with Dr. Edwin Burgess, Assistant Professor of Veterinarian Entomology at the University of Florida, a Florida Cattle Enhancement Board awarded researcher, to learn more about the New World Screwworm. “So New World Screwworm is a fly. It is a shiny green fly, very closely related …
In a recent post on X, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins reflected on a Gillespie County, Texas town hall meeting focused on protecting America’s livestock with an emphasis on NWS protection. Over 1,000 ranchers and key partners were in attendance. Rollins said on the post “We discussed our combined unprecedented response, our investments in surveillance and preparedness, and the historic …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced funding for the 40 Breakthrough projects in an effort to defend against New World Screwworm. Through the program proposals will receive a combined total of $105 million. According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website this funding will be used “to sharpen detection, accelerate control and eradication tools, and strengthen …
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins was in one of the New World Screwworm infested zones last week and provided an update on the efforts so far to address this pest. “Continue to note that our food supply is completely safe. There’s no compromising of that. Our great American beef, this is an issue. It is a pest that we will continue …
President Donald Trump has appointed a new Senior Advisor for New World Screwworm Preparedness. John Bellinger has been appointed in this role and according to USDA, “will integrate into USDA’s team to help further drive its robust effort to explore all available technologies to combat the New World Screwworm.” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said, “I want to thank …
