Federal officials and Texas ranchers converged Friday at Moore Air Base in Edinburg as the U.S. kicked off construction on a long-planned sterile-fly production plant designed to keep the New World screwworm from menacing American herds. The groundbreaking brought out USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and local leaders, along with cattle-industry representatives who say the project is overdue. The new facility follows a dispersal site that opened on the same base in February and sits inside a broader federal push to rebuild domestic insect-rearing capacity.
Secretary Rollins and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ commanding general led the ceremony, calling the plant "a major investment in safeguarding America’s livestock" and saying it will put sterile-fly production "in American hands," according to USDA. The department has cast the project as a cornerstone of a five-pronged strategy to combat New World screwworm and protect the food supply.
Production Goals And Timeline
USDA says the plant is aiming for initial operational capability in November 2027, with a first phase that would turn out about 100 million sterile flies per week. Construction is slated to continue until the facility reaches a 300 million-per-week capacity, according to the agency. The plant is one piece of roughly a $750 million effort announced last year to restore domestic sterile-fly production and related tools, AP reported.
Ranchers Weigh In
Local ranching groups showed up in force and cheered the federal investment. The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association said members attended the event and that association president Stephen Diebel called the move essential to defending "herd health, food security and the economy," as reported by Oklahoma Farm Report. The association noted it had also taken part in the February opening of the Moore Air Base dispersal facility in a statement on its website.
How Close Is The Threat?
Officials say the outbreak remains centered in Mexico but has edged northward. A recent active case reported near Monterrey was roughly 90 miles from the Texas line, a proximity that is fueling industry concern, Beef Magazine reported. Federal reporting and news coverage indicate that dispersal operations and temporary restrictions on live-animal imports are still part of the layered response while production capacity ramps up.
Building Fast And Cutting Red Tape
USDA is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on design and oversight and has moved quickly to lock in construction contracts. APHIS says a Mortenson contract will help accelerate the project. APHIS materials also note that the Texas plant is intended to complement production upgrades in Panama and a modernization effort in Mexico to boost sterile-fly capacity across the region.
For Rio Grande Valley producers, the takeaway is blunt: another defensive line is going up, but full protection will not be instant. Veterinarians and state animal-health officials continue to urge daily vigilance, check wounds promptly and report suspicious cases to your state animal health office.
