06/10/2026
๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ: ๐๐ญ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ โ๐๐๐ง๐ข๐โ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ?
โ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ต ๐ฑ๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ.
Iโm going to say this plainly.
In the five days since I first made my post about New World Screwworm, confirmed detections have continued moving north. What started as concern closer to the border has now moved hundreds of miles farther north, including detections in the Fredericksburg/Gillespie County area. Whether you own cattle or not, that should get peopleโs attention.
And yet somehow, people asking questions, preparing, or contacting elected officials are being labeled as โpanicked.โ No. Panic is buying random products with no plan and spreading misinformation. Preparedness is asking hard questions before your veterinarian, producer, pet owner, or wildlife community is caught flat-footed.
Preparedness is understanding this is not just a cattle issue.
If you own horses, hunting dogs, working dogs, pets that get cuts or hot spots, livestock of any kind, or if you simply care about food supply and beef prices, this concerns you too. Here is what concerns me: too many people are sitting back assuming somebody else will handle it.
That is not how agriculture works.
The folks in the trenches, producers, veterinarians, hunters, dog owners, horse owners, and rural communities are usually the first ones forced to adapt while everybody else catches up.
So Iโm going to remind people again:
๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ.
1. Your U.S. Congressman
2. Your U.S. Senators
3. USDA & APHIS
4. Your State Department of Agriculture & State Veterinarian
5. Farm Bureau, livestock organizations, hunting groups, and outdoor organizations
And quit sending vague messages saying, โSomebody needs to do something.โ
Ask direct questions:
โข What is the preparedness plan if cases continue moving north?
โข Is surveillance and trapping expanding?
โข Are veterinarians receiving updated treatment guidance?
โข What support exists for producers without working facilities?
โข How are pets, horses, hunting dogs, and wildlife being factored into planning?
โข What education is being provided to producers, veterinarians, and pet owners?
โข What economic protections exist for producers and consumers if this escalates?
Because hereโs the truth: we do not get extra credit for waiting until there is a confirmed case in our backyard. Being informed is not panic. Being proactive is not panic. And waiting until thereโs a bigger problem before asking questions has never been a winning strategy in agriculture.
๐ญ ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐
Have you contacted anyone yet? If not, whatโs stopping you?
โ ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ.
๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ.
๐๐ค๐ช๐ง๐๐๐จ
U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). New World Screwworm Response and Preparedness Resources. Washington, DC: USDA, accessed June 9, 2026.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. New World Screwworm Producer and Veterinary Education Resources. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University System, accessed June 9, 2026.
World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). New World Screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax): Technical Disease Information. Paris: WOAH, accessed June 9, 2026.
