New Mexico

U.S.-Mexico Border Battle Continues As the Threat of New World Screwworm Intensifies

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 21:29:05 GMT

With New World screwworm (NWS) confirmed just 70 miles from the U.S. border , producers, government officials and industry leaders are taking action. Finding NWS along one of the most heavily trafficked commercial thoroughfares in the world from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, to Laredo, Texas, is a red flag for the industry. Emphasizing the importance of maintaining strong safeguards, it’s time to plan for not “if but when” NWS crosses the border.

On Monday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins confirmed protecting the U.S. from NWS is non-negotiable and a top priority for President Trump.

UPDATE ON SCREWWORM THREAT:

Protecting the United States from New World Screwworm is non-negotiable and a top priority for @POTUS.@USDA landed boots on the ground this morning in Nuevo Leon, physically inspecting traps and dispersing sterile flies after the detection of the…
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) September 23, 2025

“The southern border remains closed to livestock trade, and we are aggressively expanding trapping and surveillance,” she wrote. “At the same time, we’re expediting operations at our sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Texas .”

On Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins reported 80,000 sterile flies were released on “spot” and nearly 200 surge staff had been deployed to Mexico.

Thank you, @IngrahamAngle, for paying attention to this important issue. Due to multiple failures from our southern neighbors and failure to act in the last Admin, the devastating parasite New World Screwworm is knocking on our southern borders door. We’re not waiting, we’re… pic.twitter.com/ZO5Vx5oes8
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) September 24, 2025

Mexico’s Response To New World Screwworm

According to Reuters, Mexican’s agriculture ministry said there is no risk of adult screwworm fly emergence due to the early detection of the infected bovine, which was confirmed on Sept. 21. The infected animal was in a shipment of 100 animals originating from the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz, according to the statement.

Fly traps in northern Mexico have not detected a single screwworm fly.

U.S.-Mexico Border Remains Closed to Cattle Trade

The Mexican border closure remains a topic of debate. The September Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor found 80% of ag economists surveyed oppose reopening the border to Mexican cattle due to screwworm risks.

(Farm Journal)

The border closure has created significant division within the cattle industry with producers, feeders and industry leaders on both sides of the fence.

“We have some cattle people that are glad it’s closed. We’ve got others who are hit pretty hard and are not happy about it,” explains David Anderson, Texas A&M professor and extension specialist — livestock and food product marketing.

NWS is a threat the industry can not ignore, says the ag economist with more than 30 years under his belt.

“I think this is the most serious problem the industry has faced since I’ve been a livestock economist,” he stresses.

From his perspective, keeping the border open with heightened monitoring and surveillance could have potentially been more effective than implementing a total closure.

“If we go back and look at data from the early ‘70s, when we had a big screwworm outbreak in the U.S. and Mexico, the border was open,” he says. “I probably would have leaned to not closing the border to begin with. I understand why you would want to do that, but I don’t know that it’s ended up reducing the likelihood that we’re going to get screwworms, and yet we’re paying a price for that.”

According to Anderson the economic consequences to the border being closed are:

Significant loss of approximately 26,000 imported cattle weekly
Estimated 18% reduction in cattle placements in Southern plains
Contributed to tighter beef supplies and higher consumer prices
Substantial economic hit to cattle feeders and ranchers

At this point, he’s quick to admit keeping the border closed is the best option.

When it comes to reopening the border, Derrell Peel, Extension livestock marketing specialist with Oklahoma State University, suggests the decision is not straightforward.

“Given everything I’ve experienced, it’s probably prudent to leave the border closed,” he says.

He adds any reopening should be “under very, very controlled, limited circumstances.”

Peel emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach with Mexico.

“We’re kind of in it together, and so whether it’s here or there, we’ve got to work together,” he summarizes. “We’re going to need to control it in both places. Otherwise, it’s not going to benefit either one of us.”

He also points out not everybody in Mexico is sorry the border is closed. For example, cattle buyers in Mexico can source cattle cheaper because the border is closed.

“Keeping the border closed does affect the movement of cattle south of the border ... it builds a backstop for cattle movement north,” he adds.

Peel notes cattle from Central America to Panama have increasingly made their way to the Mexican market, which validates NWS movement in Mexico and why recent confirmation has occurred.

“The longer this goes on, the more the Mexican industry will adjust,” he says. “It might permanently change the way the [U.S. and Mexico] work together.”

Texas Rancher Weighs In On Impact of New World Screwworm

Texas rancher Wayne Cockrell says the parasite’s entry into the U.S. is inevitable, suggesting that winter and colder weather might temporarily delay the spread until next April or May. Cockrell, who serves as the Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association director and chair of the cattle health and well-being policy committee, recently joined AgriTalk to talk about NWS.

“We would much rather stop this on Mexico’s southern border than our Southern border,” Cockrell says.

Mexican feeder cattle traditionally represented 30% of Texas feedyard inventory, he adds, but with current restrictions, feedlots are adapting.

“I think a lot of those feedyards have moved to the dairy-cross side,” he adds. “They have had to change the way they do business.”

Noting the broader economic implications of the border closure, 1.2 million fewer cattle for Texas represents “about two weeks” of impact nationwide, according to Cockrell.

“Winter and sterile flies is what we need now,” Cockrell summarizes.

Your Next Read: The Smell You’ll Never Forget: A Calf Infested with New World Screwworm

The Sweetest States: Where America Loves Ice Cream Most

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 20:53:24 GMT

July is National Ice Cream Month, and Americans are indulging like never before. But which states truly have the biggest sweet tooth? Recent research from SpinBlitz analyzed Google Maps listings nationwide to rank states by ice cream shop density, specifically the number of ice cream shops per 100,000 residents. Here are the top states who take their frozen dairy treats most seriously.

Top 10 Ice Cream-Loving States

1. Vermont (18.51 shops per 100K residents) Vermont tops the list with the highest number of ice cream shops per capita, and it’s not just thanks to Ben & Jerry’s. The state has a strong dairy foundation and a deep appreciation for small-batch, locally made ice cream. Whether in rural towns or tourist-friendly spots, ice cream shops are a visible part of Vermont’s food culture.

2. West Virginia (18.08) West Virginia ranks second in ice cream shop density thanks to a strong presence of locally owned parlors, custard stands and small-town scoop shops. It might not be a headline-grabbing food destination, but the state has a steady, long-standing appreciation for traditional favorites like banana splits, hand-dipped cones and floats.

3. Rhode Island (17.84) Rhode Island earns bronze in the nation for ice cream shop density. Known for regional favorites like frozen lemonade and coffee milkshakes, the state also supports a strong network of ice cream parlors across its coastal towns and neighborhoods. From tourist areas to local main streets, frozen treats are easy to find.

4. Pennsylvania (17.58) Pennsylvania ranks fourth with a diverse ice cream scene that reflects its mix of communities. From family-run creameries in rural areas to innovative shops in urban centers, the state offers a wide range of frozen dessert options.

5. Wisconsin (16.44) Known far and wide for its cheese, Wisconsin also delivers big on ice cream. Known as the Dairy State, it’s no surprise the state is brimming with mom-and-pop scoop shops, custard stands and local brands producing rich ice cream. Whether you’re at a farmstead creamery or a college-town cone counter, Wisconsin’s pride for ice cream shines.

6. Illinois (16.12) Chicago might be the driving force behind Illinois’ ranking, with its booming food scene filled with Instagram-worthy sundaes, small-batch gelato and quirky flavors. But don’t overlook the rural towns and suburbs, where old-school diners and small-town scoop shops keep the classics alive.

7. New Mexico (15.89) The only Southwestern state to crack the top 10, New Mexico might surprise you. But with sizzling summer temperatures and a thriving local food culture, it makes sense frozen treats are in demand. You’ll find shops serving everything from chile-spiked chocolate to cactus fruit sorbet.

8. Michigan (15.79) Snow doesn’t stop Michiganders from indulging. With thousands of inland lakes and summer tourists flooding towns like Traverse City and Petoskey, ice cream is a lakeside staple. From old-fashioned scoops to cherry-studded blends, Michigan’s ice cream culture is powered by nostalgia, local ingredients and a serious sweet tooth.

9. New Hampshire (15.54) New England knows its dairy, and New Hampshire is no exception. This state might not be flashy, but its abundance of seasonal roadside stands, maple-infused flavors and mom-and-pop ice cream stops make it a solid contender. Summer drives through the mountains or along the lakes are rarely complete without a cone in hand.

10. New York (15.35) New York ranks 10^th, where ice cream is as diverse as the state itself. From trendy, creative scoop shops and food trucks in the heart of New York City to time-tested creameries in upstate towns, there’s a flavor and style for everyone. With tourists and locals alike lining up for their favorite cones, New York’s ice cream doesn’t disappoint.

See How Your State Stacks Up in the Ice Cream Race
Whether you’re craving a classic cone or something a little more adventurous, it’s clear that some states really know how to satisfy that ice cream craving. Curious how all 50 states stack up in the great ice cream showdown? Check out the full ranking and see where your home ranks:

Rank	State	Ice Cream Shops per 100,000 residents
1	Vermont	18.51
2	West Virginia	18.08
3	Rhode Island	17.84
4	Pennsylvania	17.58
5	Wisconsin	16.44
6	Illinois	16.12
7	New Mexico	15.89
8	Michigan	15.79
9	New Hampshire	15.54
10	New York	15.35
11	Massachusetts	14.99
12	North Dakota	14.92
13	Ohio	14.90
14	Maine	14.89
15	Nebraska	14.83
16	Alaska	14.79
17	Indiana	14.78
18	Idaho	14.27
19	Delaware	14.05
20	Montana	14.00
21	South Dakota	13.96
22	Hawaii	13.78
23	Florida	13.67
24	New Jersey	13.61
25	Wyoming	13.56
26	Mississippi	13.25
27	Iowa	13.02
28	North Carolina	12.58
29	Texas	12.40
30	Arkansas	12.23
31	California	12.10
32	Arizona	12.09
33	Kansas	11.71
34	Connecticut	11.60
35	Virginia	11.25
36	Oklahoma	10.66
37	Nevada	10.54
38	Utah	10.38
39	Minnesota	10.37
40	Oregon	10.37
41	Tennessee	10.26
42	Louisiana	10.20
43	Georgia	10.00
44	Colorado	9.98
45	Kentucky	9.73
46	Washington	9.43
47	Alabama	9.23
48	South Carolina	8.80
49	Maryland	8.56
50	Missouri	8.44

Not Your Average Operation: Large-Scale Farming in the New Mexico Desert

Thu, 05 Jun 2025 13:00:00 GMT

The high desert of northwest New Mexico might seem an unlikely place for a large-scale commercial farming operation. The region receives only about 20" of annual precipitation. However, at an elevation of 5,300' to 5,800' with 279 often sun-filled growing days a year and naturally near neutral-pH soil, it offers the perfect environment for year-round production of many crops. All one has to do is add water.

That’s exactly what Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI), the country’s largest contiguous, irrigated farmland operation, is doing. Located on the Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation in the U.S., it occupies 275,876 acres. More than 72,000 of those are in active production in northwest New Mexico near Farmington.

Established by the Navajo Nation Council as a Navajo-Owned Enterprise to generate employment opportunities for tribe members and develop a profitable agribusiness, NAPI has been operational since 1970. In the past 55 years, NAPI’s initial mission of employing and feeding the Navajo people remains unchanged, but the operation, which has been GlobalG.A.P.-certified since 2001, sells to customers around the world, including Walmart, Bueno Foods, Whole Foods and Frito-Lay.

(Google Earth)

Irrigating the High Desert
Aaron Benally has been involved in farmland operations on the Navajo Nation, which occupies 27,000 sq. mi. across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah, for more than 40 years. He began his career as a laborer, but now serves as NAPI’s potato crop manager.

“I love what I do and helping my own people,” he says.

Critical to that mission of food and economic security is water. NAPI’s farmland operations are 100% irrigated.

“Our water quality is the most pristine of any coming off the Upper Colorado River Basin,” says Preston Toehe, NAPI engineering technician.

Navajo Lake, built between 1958 and 1963, serves as the principal storage for the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (NIIP). President John F. Kennedy signed NIIP into law in 1962, as partial satisfaction of the Navajo Nation’s treaty and water rights, dating as far back as 1868.

NAPI has an allowable diversion from Navajo Lake of 508,000 acre-feet of water, which travels to NAPI’s farm operations via 90 miles of canals, 13 miles of tunnels, 7 miles of siphons and with the help of 84 pumping plants. The farm’s nearly 700 pivot irrigation systems are all remotely monitored and controlled. The federally funded NIIP remains incomplete, however, and stands at about 72% buildout. Its future will be dependent on receiving continued federal funding.

(NAPI)

Growing for Better Health
“The point is economic stability for the Navajo Nation,” explains Sky Hayes, specialty crop manager of NAPI’s organic foods program, which produces USDA organic-certified melons, squash, pumpkins, chiles, wheat and corn. While NAPI sells some of that organic produce locally, the farm also has contracts with the Navajo Nation, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers and other grocers in New Mexico, Colorado and even some as far as Pennsylvania.

Hayes says NAPI started the organics operation to address health concerns on the Navajo Nation where nearly half the adult population has Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.

“Newer generations are really looking at what they’re eating” he says. “Greens are especially popular.”

Two years ago, NAPI started growing Huckleberry Gold low-glycemic potatoes and is currently working with New Mexico State University to perform testing that would eventually allow the farm to market the potatoes as low-GI.

“We brought back the low-GI potato to provide a healthy food staple to the Navajo people,” Hayes says.

“There has been a lot of research on Huckleberry Gold potatoes, but farmers struggle to get certification,” he adds. “NAPI has an advantage there. I don’t know of any farmers growing that kind of potato.” He expects the testing and certification process to take another three years.

Filling the Native Foods Gap
Meanwhile, NAPI produces an array of value-added native food products — 80% of which are sold directly to Navajo consumers. Among those native foods is traditional corn. NAPI cultivates more than 400 acres of it in a typical year.

Other native foods the farm produces, processes and packages on-site are sumac; Navajo tea; blue, white and yellow cornmeal; blue corn pancake mix and Navajo frybread mix.

“Being an enterprise of the Navajo Nation, we want to carry on the tradition of Navajo farming and provide food for future generations,” Hayes explains. “Farming on the Navajo Nation has decreased the last 15 years.” That’s largely due to increasingly insufficient access to water on the reservation, which has become a major issue for local dryland farmers.

“The reservoirs have dried up,” Benally adds. “We’re all affected by climate change.”

(NAPI)

Raising Staple Dryland Crops
NAPI’s bread and butter crops are alfalfa, corn, pinto beans, potatoes and small grains. In a typical year, the farm plants more than 19,000 acres of alfalfa, 10,000 acres of feed corn and 3,500 acres in winter wheat. NAPI’s No. 2 corn is traded on the Chicago Board of Trade, and both feed corn and wheat go to Purina, New Mexico, dairies and hog feedlots. Flour is also sold under the Navajo Pride brand through wholesale and direct-to-consumer sales.

NAPI also has nearly 6,000 acres of pinto beans in production. Beans are triple cleaned, packaged in an on-site processing plant and shipped nationwide and internationally. Mexico receives 75% of the crop each year, and the rest mostly stays in California and New Mexico — appearing as featured items on restaurant menus in Farmington and Albuquerque.

“We have the best pinto beans in the world,” says Aaron Benally, NAPI’s potato crop manager.

NAPI has also been growing potatoes since the early 1980s, when Benally first joined the farm as a laborer.

At one point, NAPI had 2,700 acres in potatoes, though its production has declined dramatically. Last year, the farm saw its lowest historic potato yield due to poor weather conditions. NAPI also leases farmland to Navajo Mesa, which sells the chipper potatoes it produces on the Navajo Nation to Frito-Lay.

In addition to its conventional potato crop, NAPI produces USDA organic-certified potatoes, which it sells to local retail stores and Natural Grocers. All those potatoes are hand washed and hand packaged at the farm’s fresh-pack facility. “It’s labor-intensive,” says Vincent Cowboy, NAPI’s sales and marketing manager, but he hopes the farm will eventually produce and sell organic potatoes on the same scale as their conventional crop.

(NAPI)

Working for the People
NAPI contends with the unique challenge of operating a commercial farm under two government jurisdictions — that of the Navajo Nation as well as the U.S. government. But Hayes says at the end of the day, it’s not going to be the government or even the weather that will determine the farm’s success so much as water: “That’s the farm’s lifeline.”

Along with its people.

NAPI employs around 300 full-time staff. Ninety-eight percent of the farm’s workforce is Navajo, and a third of employees are women. Like many commercial operations around the country, NAPI often struggles to find and retain employees.

“The willingness of people to work in the ag industry has been declining,” Hayes says. “People want an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. indoor job, and we’re seeing a decrease in participation – even among our own people.”

And while NAPI is one of the largest industries located in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, it’s competing with the higher-margin oil and gas industry for workers,

“Energy companies can pay twice as much,” Toehe says.

On the downside, however, energy employment is subject to travel and frequent boom and bust cycles.

“People who want a stable job are going to stay with us,” Toehe explains. “NAPI has the backing of the Navajo Nation to keep it going into the next generation.”

“I could have gone to work in the mines,” says NAPI veteran Benally. “But this is a good place to work for people who don’t have a higher education degree and are willing to work hard and move up the ladder.”

Cattle Kills Prompt Removal of Mexican Gray Wolves

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:59:16 GMT

Two endangered Mexican wolves have been removed from the wild and are undergoing testing to determine if they’re behind a string of livestock deaths in southwestern New Mexico, marking the latest wrinkle in the strained effort to return the predators to the American Southwest.

The two young female wolves were recently captured in an area of the Gila National Forest where ranchers had reported a dozen instances of cattle being killed over a four-month period.

An order also was issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calling for the removal of a third wolf in hopes of curbing the predation. The order allows for wildlife managers to use lethal force if necessary, but biologists want to avoid that if possible.

“We will use that as a very last resort,” said Brady McGee, who coordinates the Mexican wolf recovery program.

Wildlife managers initially tried to capture the wolves earlier this year during an annual aerial survey but were unsuccessful. Two more livestock kills were reported and then the female wolves were caught in the area, officials said.

Environmentalists have asked that the animals be released and that the removal order be cancelled for the third wolf, citing the difficulty the program has had in growing the population over the last two decades.

Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity said there have been issues in the past in an area known as Rainy Mesa. He said more needs to be done to mitigate the problems, including ensuring that the carcasses of any cattle that have died from other causes be removed to discourage scavenging by the wolves.

“This whole incident is an unwise continuation of management that has hurt the Mexican wolf population from the beginning,” he said. “The wolves are being scapegoated for the government’s refusal to institute meaningful standards to prevent conflicts.”

Robinson and others have long called for more captive wolves to be released to boost the wild population.

Ranchers have pushed back, citing the livestock kills and safety concerns for those who live in the rural communities scattered through the mountainous recovery area that straddles the Arizona-New Mexico border.

Officials have said their cautious approach to management of the population — from releases and relocations to removals and the fostering of captive-born pups in wild dens — is primarily centered on building up the genetic diversity of the wolves in the wild.

The wild population in Arizona and New Mexico has struggled to gain significant ground since the first release in 1998, as the effort has stumbled due to poaching, legal battles and politics.

About 114 wolves are believed to be roaming the two states, but that could change as wildlife managers compile the results from the recent survey. The new numbers are expected to be released later this month.

A subspecies of the gray wolf, the Mexican wolf once roamed parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Mexico. As the region became settled, wolves came into conflict with livestock. As a result of private, state and federal extermination campaigns, the wolf was all but eliminated from the U.S. and Mexico by the 1970s.