The southern border in Mexico and Arizona remains closed while officials work to stop New World Screwworm, but the cattle industry is eager to get it back open.
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller says there is no clear timeframe for cattle trade to resume.
“You know, I get that question a lot, and they don’t have anything definite. I can tell you, when we successfully stop the advance of the screwworm fly, for, say, 60 days, and we see it pushing back down, we probably open it up. Now, then, there is a possibility that we could open it up in November, December, or January, in the dead of winter. That’s actually when we get most of our feeder cattle in from Mexico.”
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins will be in Austin, Texas this morning at 11:30 Central to make a big announcement regarding New World Screwworm.
Border closures tied to the threat of New World Screwworm continue to stall Mexican fed cattle imports, tightening U.S. feeder cattle supplies over time — triggering feedlot closures that hinder herd rebuilding efforts, threaten the beef supply chain, and shrink production while consumer prices stay elevated.
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