Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins traveled to South Texas this week for a series of agricultural stops aimed at strengthening water security for farmers and protecting American livestock from the growing threat of the New World Screwworm.
Water Treaty Breakthrough Discussed in Mission
In Mission TX, the Governor and Secretary met with Texas agricultural producers for a roundtable discussion focused on the recent negotiations surrounding the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty. The conversation centered on what state and federal leaders described as a breakthrough agreement expected to improve water deliveries to South Texas—particularly critical for the region’s citrus industry.
“Thank you to President Trump for stepping up and doing more than any other President has ever done to enforce this treaty,” Governor Abbott said. “The urgency of it was heard at this roundtable today. We have an obligation to ensure more water goes to the men and women who grow crops in our state.”
For years, uncertainty over Mexico’s water deliveries under the treaty has created challenges for farmers along the Rio Grande Valley. Limited and inconsistent water flows have strained irrigation systems, reduced crop yields, and placed financial pressure on producers—especially citrus growers who rely heavily on dependable water supplies.
Secretary Rollins emphasized that multiple federal agencies, including the State Department, USDA, and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), worked with Mexican officials to secure improvements.
“Uncertainty over water deliveries from Mexico negatively impacts South Texas especially,” Rollins said. “Recent treaty negotiations have resulted in significant increases in deliveries and improvements in the reliability of the water cover. It’s time to make a change, and that’s what we’re working to do.”
During the roundtable, state leaders also highlighted the recent passage of Proposition 4, described as a generational investment in Texas water infrastructure. The measure is designed to strengthen long-term water supply reliability through infrastructure upgrades, conservation efforts, and expanded capacity—an issue of growing importance as Texas faces ongoing drought concerns and population growth.
Among those participating in the Mission roundtable were Lone Star Citrus Growers President Jud Flowers, Vice President of Operations TJ Flowers, Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening, and other agricultural leaders from across the region.
New Facility Opens to Combat Screwworm Threat
Following the Mission stop, Abbott and Rollins traveled to Edinburg for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the grand opening of a Domestic New World Screwworm (NWS) Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility. The facility is part of a broader effort to prevent the northward spread of the destructive livestock pest into Texas and the United States.
“America is going to take care of ourselves, including dealing with the approach of screwworm as it gets closer to our border,” Abbott said. “We put together the resources necessary for Texas to provide a Texas-size response to this.”
The New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae infest and feed on the living tissue of warm-blooded animals, posing a serious threat to livestock, wildlife, and in rare cases, humans. Past outbreaks have caused significant economic damage to the cattle industry and required coordinated international eradication campaigns.
Secretary Rollins described the sterile fly dispersal facility as a high-priority project completed in record time.
“This sterile fly dispersal facility was a high priority project, and our team delivered it in record time,” Rollins said. “This new facility is a monumental achievement for our domestic preparedness efforts, but we are also diligently working to stop the spread of screwworm in Mexico, conduct extensive trapping and surveillance along the border, increase U.S. response capacity, and encourage innovative solutions.”
The sterile insect technique works by releasing sterilized male flies into the wild. When they mate with female screwworm flies, no offspring are produced, gradually reducing and eventually eliminating the pest population.
Texas’ Proactive Response
Governor Abbott has taken several preemptive steps to prepare Texas for the potential spread of NWS, including:
- Issuing a statewide disaster declaration to better equip the Texas New World Screwworm Response Team
- Announcing that USDA is investing $750 million in a new Domestic Sterile Screwworm Production Facility
- Directing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to establish a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team
State and federal leaders framed the coordinated effort as part of a broader commitment to safeguard Texas agriculture—a sector that contributes billions annually to the state economy.
Officials joining the Edinburg event included USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins, Congressman Tony Gonzales, Senator Adam Hinojosa, Representatives Ryan Guillen, Stan Kitzman, Janie Lopez, Don McLaughlin, and Nate’s Honey Founder Nate Sheets.
Together, the stops in Mission and Edinburg underscored a two-pronged approach: securing reliable water resources for farmers while aggressively protecting livestock and wildlife from emerging threats—an effort leaders say is essential to keeping Texas agriculture strong for generations to come.
