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.
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.
February 23, 2026 01:40 PM
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Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller joins us to discuss the cattle herd rebuild, trade concerns, and how ranchers would define “America First” policy priorities.
February 13, 2026 12:50 PM
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The USDA opened a new sterile fly-dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in South Texas to prevent a potential outbreak of New World screwworm and protect the small U.S. cattle herd.
February 12, 2026 10:47 AM
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RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey was in Mission, Texas, where state and federal officials addressed growers and producers at a round table event hosted at a citrus grower’s facility. He shows us how welcome news was all around.
February 10, 2026 12:05 PM
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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
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