In today’s beef buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays continues his conversation from yesterday with Oklahoma State University Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, who raised concerns about the growing threat of New World screwworm as cases rise in Mexico. Hays reports that Mexican officials have seen the rise of screwworm cases in the most recent reporting period in their country, with nearly a 32% increase in confirmed cases of the flesh-eating screwworm parasite. The number of cases topped 6,000 with over 5,200 of them cattle, according to Senasica. Biggs warned that many U.S. cattle producers are not adequately prepared. “It’s one of my biggest concerns, frankly, with new world screwworm is access to facilities, access to be able to treat,” she explained, stressing that handling facilities are essential to identify and manage infestations quickly.
Biggs emphasized that many producers today lack firsthand experience with the pest. “I have concerns that the vast majority of producers don’t remember what it was like, and that includes me,” she admitted. “I have to listen to my father and others that had to deal with new world screwworm literally on a daily basis.” She noted that daily inspection of cattle was once routine for older generations of ranchers, and it may again become necessary.
She also pointed out that the threat is getting closer to U.S. herds. “We had the announcement that, you know, it’s 70 miles from the border. It looks like it’s inching closer,” Biggs said. In her view, this makes investment in proper facilities more urgent than ever. She added that once producers improve facilities, they often wonder, “Why did we wait so long to do that?”
Biggs advised ranchers to consider consulting veterinarians or other professionals when designing cattle handling systems. “Facility consults, I think, is a great approach. And again, now’s the time to invest,” she said. Depending on the operation, both portable and fixed systems could be valuable, but what matters most is that the system is functional and practical for the producer’s needs.
At the end of the day, Biggs stressed simplicity and safety. “It just needs to get the job done… it just needs to be safe and functional,” she explained. She also tied in current market conditions, encouraging ranchers to make culling decisions if cattle are too difficult to handle. “If she’s hard to catch, and you get her captured, maybe she needs to go to the sale barn,” Biggs said, underscoring the importance of being proactive as the risk of screw worm spreads closer to U.S. herds.
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.
