Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller is continuing the fight to keep New World Screwworm out of the United States. He recently announced new steps he is taking in the Lone Star State.
His department will be using a synthetic bait called “Swormlure Five,” which is engineered to smell like an open wound, attracting Screwworm flies to the bait. Once they reach the trap, they die.
Miller says prior tests using the new bait took out 90 percent of the flies within two to four weeks. He says the remaining flies are wiped out using sterile male flies in the same area.
The project with this new bait is an effort alongside USDA. They are also working with the Mexican government to do their part. Miller says, “We’ve beaten this before, and we’ll do it again,” which is in reference to when the pest was found in U.S. herds in the 1970s. He adds it will take all hands on deck this time around to keep it outside U.S. borders.
Top issues facing the beef industry took center stage at CattleCon this year in Nashville.
February 06, 2026 04:58 PM
Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who sits on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, spoke exclusively with RFD NEWS about what Congress is doing to address screwworm concerns, including funding for a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.
February 06, 2026 12:07 PM
·
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy calls on cattle producers to retain breeding cows while Ivomec receives emergency authorization to prevent New World screwworm.
February 06, 2026 11:48 AM
·
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller discusses the state’s latest efforts to prevent the New World screwworm from reaching Texas.
February 02, 2026 12:22 PM
·
Early indications suggest the U.S. cattle industry may be nearing the end of its liquidation phase. Oklahoma State University livestock economist Dr. Derrell Peel says the industry could be at or near the cyclical low.
January 29, 2026 12:44 PM
·
Marilyn Schlake with the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics joined us for a closer look at the evolving role of livestock sale barns.
January 27, 2026 12:19 PM
·
Nearly everyone in the South Texas ag community appears extremely worried about the potential of a New World screwworm epidemic, according to a local veterinarian. RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey reports.
January 23, 2026 11:56 AM
·
Wayne Cockrell with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association joined us to discuss preparedness, producer awareness, and the industry’s response to New World screwworm concerns.
January 21, 2026 12:00 PM
·
Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller joined us to discuss data center expansion, farmland preservation, rural economic impacts, and imminent cattle biosecurity concerns affecting agriculture today.
January 16, 2026 01:28 PM
·
