Lavaca County Farm Bureau

04/10/2026

The District 12 Engage Event, which is for high school kids that will be sophomores and juniors as of August 2026, is scheduled for May 5th in Seguin at the Red Barn. The registration deadline is April 20th but we will take same day registrations as well.

Engage – May 5, 2026
Primary & Tour Location: Big Red Barn, 250 Cordova Rd, Seguin, TX

Registration closes April 20. For more information contact your school counselor or call the Lavaca County Farm Bureau office at 361-798-3265 for more information.

12/19/2025

11/15/2025

USDA Announces Opening of Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility in Tampico, Mexico

FACILITY WILL INCREASE RANGE OF STERILE FLY RELEASE AND BOLSTER PREPAREDNESS FOR NEW WORLD SCREWWORM

(Washington, D.C., November 13, 2025) – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the next milestone in the fight against New World screwworm (NWS) – the opening of a sterile fly dispersal facility in Tampico, Mexico. The Tampico facility will allow USDA to disperse sterile flies aerially across northeastern Mexico, including in Nuevo Leon.

“The opening of the Tampico sterile fly dispersal facility is another incredibly important tool in our arsenal to stop the spread of screwworm. The facility will ensure flexibility and responsiveness in northern Mexico, giving us a greater ability to drop sterile flies and continue to push the pest south,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “Stopping the spread of screwworm is a top priority for the entire Trump Administration. Last week I had a productive meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and my counterpart Secretary Julio Berdegue on the joint response to screwworm. We are boosting our efforts and completing a joint review of our screwworm operations in Mexico to ensure our protocols are being followed. As we enter the winter months, we continue to prioritize the response in Mexico and the rest of our five-pronged plan (PDF, 434 KB) to protect U.S. livestock and the livelihoods of American farmers and ranchers.”

There are two methods of dispersing sterile insects – aerial dispersal and ground release chambers. Aerial operations are preferred because they allow for dispersal at a steady rate through a large area and also because sterile insects may be dispersed in areas that are unreachable from the ground. Ground release chambers are used when there’s a need to quickly deploy sterile insects outside of the dispersal facility range.

USDA continues to disperse 100 million sterile flies per week in Mexico, but until now, aerial operations have been limited to southern Mexico, necessitating the use of ground release chambers in more northern areas of the country. Mass production and targeted dispersal of sterile flies remain critical components of our effective response.

Although Mexico continues to confirm new cases of NWS, the overwhelming majority of these remain in the far southern part of the country, with no significant northward expansion over the past several months. Should that change, the Tampico facility will allow USDA to immediately tackle any cases that occur elsewhere in Mexico.

The two northernmost detections (approximately 70 and 170 miles from the U.S. border, respectively) occurred in Nuevo León, on September 20 and October 5, in young cattle transported from Chiapas, Mexico. Neither of those cases is still active and there have been no additional detections of NWS flies in traps or cases in animals in Nuevo Leon. USDA continues to disperse sterile insects in Nuevo Leon, and will now transition from ground release chambers to aerial dispersal in those areas.

USDA produces sterile flies for dispersal at the COPEG facility in Panama. USDA is also investing $21 million to support Mexico’s renovation of an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa—which will double NWS production capacity once complete. With ongoing support from APHIS technical experts, Mexico anticipates this sterile fly production to begin as soon as summer 2026.

To expand our domestic response capacity, USDA has also begun construction on a sterile fly dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, TX that is projected to begin operating in early 2026. APHIS is also expediting design and construction of a sterile fly production facility in Southern Texas, with a targeted maximum capacity of 300 million sterile flies per week.

USDA continues to work with Mexico’s agriculture authority, SENASICA, to implement the collaborative NWS Action Plan and guide trapping, surveillance, and movement protocols to help stop the northward spread of NWS.

10/25/2025

Lavaca County Farm Bureau helped sponsor the annual Texas AgriLife Extension Health Party at the Hallettsville KC Hall. Fifth grade students from 10 County schools participated in learning different subjects that effect their lives at 10 different viewing stations.

10/25/2025

Lavaca County Farm Bureau held it’annual membership meeting at Blase’s Place on October 12 with over 200 members in attendance. They approved new resolutions that will be presented for approval at the annual state in December and enjoyed State Representative A.J. Louderback recap of this years legislative session.

10/14/2025

Farm Bureau Board members from U.S. House District 27 met with their congressman Michael Cloud to discuss the status of the new Farm Bill, Mexico’s release of water down the Rio Grand to be used for irrigation in the valley, the federal government‘s response to the New World Screwworm fly moving up through Mexico towards Texas, and other important topics of interest.

10/14/2025

Lavaca County Farm Bureau sponsored all 4th grade students from all schools in the county to attend a day learning about agriculture at the Red Barn in Seguin from growing wheat, corn, and cotton to horses, cattle, sheep, and pecans. All the students were appreciative for the opportunity to spend the day learning about all the things produced by farmers and ranchers.

10/11/2025

New screwworm drug gets conditional approval from FDA

By Julie Tomascik
Editor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted conditional approval for a drug meant to prevent New World screwworm infestations.

The agency authorized limited use of Dectomax-CA1, an injectable drug produced by Zoetis that aims to treat New World screwworm larval infestations and prevent reinfestation for 21 days.

It has the same active ingredient as Dectomax, which is already approved to treat certain parasites in cattle and swine.

“We understand the urgency with which America’s farmers and ranchers are asking for tools to fight New World screwworm,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “Today’s conditional approval—the first in the U.S. for NWS—shows our dedication to rapidly advancing important animal medicines when they are needed most. We continue to work tirelessly to complete review of other NWS products to protect multiple animal species in the U.S.”

FDA said Dectomax-CA1 qualifies for conditional approval because it targets and treats a serious or life-threatening disease in cattle. It also addresses an unmet animal health need and demonstrating effectiveness of the drug would require complex or particularly difficult studies.

According to Zoetis, the conditional approval applies to beef cattle, female dairy cattle less than 20 months of age, pregnant beef cows, newborn calves and bulls.

Ranchers are encouraged to work closely with their herd veterinarian to implement strategic prevention and control measures.

“Ranchers are on edge knowing the New World screwworm is this close to the border,” said Tracy Tomascik, Texas Farm Bureau associate director of Commodity and Regulatory Activities. “Conditional approval of this treatment offers some reassurance, but we must continue pushing for long-term solutions to keep our herds safe.”

Last month, Mexico confirmed a case of New World screwworm 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

FDA will continue to expedite review of animal drugs to help ranchers combat the devasting threat of the New World screwworm.

Click here for more information on Dectomax-CA1.

10/11/2025

Hunter, landowner awareness can help screwworm early detection

By Emmy Powell
Communications Specialist
TPWD

Texas hunters and landowners are being asked to stay alert for signs of New World screwworm as hunting season gets underway.

Although the pest has not yet been detected in the U.S., vigilance remains critical for early detection in wildlife, livestock, equine and pets. While livestock, equine and pets are routinely monitored by owners, wildlife roam freely and do not recognize borders. That’s why hunters and landowners are encouraged to watch for any signs of screwworm infestations while in the field.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is working closely with the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) to equip biologists and staff to identify and respond to potential screwworm cases.

Kory Gann, TPWD big game program director, said hunters and landowners are vital partners in surveillance efforts.

“Wildlife surveillance is going to be extremely important in identifying screwworm infestations in Texas,” he said. “Hunters are going to be extremely important. As they go out into the hunting season, there will be a lot of eyes out there on wildlife between trail cameras, hunting out of blinds and observing wildlife. We’re instructing hunters that if they do observe potential New World screwworm infestations in wildlife, that they contact their local wildlife biologists.”

When a potential infestation is reported, the biologist will work with the wildlife health team to collect samples and send them to a lab for confirmation.

“Things to be looking for are going to be open sores or wounds that have maggots in them, animals shaking their heads, have an irritated demeanor or a foul rotted flesh odor,” Gann said. “If there’s a live animal with maggots in its wound, then it’s definitely going to be a concern of ours to try to get our hands on those maggots to get them shipped to see if they screwworms.”

All warm-blooded mammals can be infested with New World screwworm, but white-tailed deer, rabbits (jackrabbits, cottontails), small mammals and turkeys are wildlife species that are more commonly affected, according to TPWD.

Common sites of infestation include:

Umbilical stump or navel of newborn animals
Mucous membranes such as eyes, nose, mouth and genitalia
Areas of damaged skin—cuts, scrapes, stings, tick bites, antler/velvet shedding;
Wounds from management-related procedures—ear tagging, castration, branding, fawning.
TPWD published a PDF guide on New World screwworm identification and reporting. Gann noted the importance of quick reporting by anyone who suspects an infestation.

“It’s extremely important that landowners, hunters or really anybody that sees suspected cases contact the appropriate agencies,” he said.

TPWD and TAHC are developing a factsheet for landowners and hunters that will become available later this fall. It will include guidance on animal treatment, ways to kill larvae and proper carcass disposal methods for suspected screwworm cases.

“If you see something suspicious, report it,” Gann said. “If New World screwworms do arrive in Texas, early detection is going to be key as we look at how we’re going to respond. Prompt detection of screwworm in wildlife is going to allow for rapid response efforts, including sterile insect release programs to contain outbreaks and prevent further spread to livestock and other animals.”

For more information, visit the TPWD website or find a local wildlife biologist here.

Learn more about New World screwworm at screwwormtx.org.

October 9th, 2025

New World Screwworm Resources – A Website for Texans Identify Screwworm Quickly:Photos, symptoms and behavior signs Report Suspicions:Learn how to report suspected infestations of NWS Learn about the Pest:Learn how NWS spreads and how it was previously eradicated in the U.S. New World screwworm (N...

07/07/2025

Lavaca County Farm Bureau presented four scholarships to deserving graduating high school seniors at their Awards Programs at Shiner St. Paul, Hallettsville Scared Heart, Hallettsville High School, and Yoakum High School. Each scholarship is valued at $500.00.