At Express Ranches in Yukon, Oklahoma, Congressman Frank Lucas joined Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Senator James Lankford for an update on the fight against the New World screw worm. In today’s beef buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch director Ron Hays had a chance to talk with Congressmen Lucas, who praised Secretary Rollins’ leadership, noting both her background and her influence with the White House. “It helps being our neighbor from Texas, a similar focus, a similar kind of agriculture, and she also has the president’s ear,” Lucas said.
He emphasized the urgency of her efforts to secure resources, recalling her explanation of why it was necessary “to shut down all livestock coming across the border from Mexico” and to push for “$750 million for more facilities.” Lucas highlighted that this funding supports not only sterile fly facilities but also additional research and development.
Reflecting on past battles against the pest, Lucas described the origins of sterile fly technology from the 1950s and 60s. “Instead of using chemicals, they use X-rays to sterilize them, and you produce an infertile fly that mates with wild flies,” he explained, adding that improved detection and cost-effective tools are critical for the fight ahead. He stressed the reality that screw worms will always exist in parts of Central and South America, meaning “we’ve got to continue this fight.”
Lucas also painted a vivid picture of the devastation screw worms once caused in U.S. livestock and wildlife. “Within a matter of two weeks, they’ll consume a cow or a bull, any other warm-blooded animal,” he said, recalling stories from his father and grandfather about treating every wound on animals to keep them alive. He noted the parasite even harmed wildlife populations and occasionally attacked humans.
Lucas underscored the gravity of the threat but also his confidence in the current response. “This is a critical battle. We’ll prevail. It won’t take the 30 years like the last time we fought this battle, but we’ll prevail. We’ll develop better technology through the wonders of agriculture research and modern science.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
