Animal health

A shrinking labor pool is already having an impact, and ag experts say it’s only going to get tougher.

The image, the smell, the emotions: five cattle producers and veterinarians from around the world share their first-hand experience with New World screwworm.

Secretary Rollins takes decisive action and shuts down cattle, bison and equine trade due to further northward spread of the devastating pest in Mexico.

Identifying the flesh-eating parasite, which actually isn’t a worm, is key to keeping it out of the U.S. Recognizing a problem in an animal might come down to seeing a larval infestation in unusual circumstances.

Following a New World screwworm assessment by USDA staff in Mexico and ongoing conversations between Secretary Rollins and the Mexican Secretary of Agriculture, USDA will start reopening the ports for cattle, bison and equine.

As the fight to keep the flesh-eating parasite out of the U.S. intensifies, the economic impact on ranchers and the industry is top of mind. “This pest will be one that leaves quite a mark on our economy,” says one veterinarian.

Native to east Asia, the ALHT was first detected in New Jersey in 2017. Since then, it has spread to more than 20 states with recent confirmations in Illinois, Michigan and Iowa.

A 25-page criminal complaint alleges the researcher and her boyfriend were attempting to bring Fusarium graminearum into the country. The fungus causes significant diseases in a number of food crops, including corn, wheat, barley, soybeans and rice. Toxins from the fungus are harmful to humans and livestock.

NCBA’s Woodall says the goal is complete eradication — not just from the U.S., but from Mexico and Central America, ultimately pushing the fly back to its original range in South America.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says climate models have consistently shown a ridge across western North America that could lead to drought development, drought continuation or even drought expansion across portions of the Plains and West.