In today’s Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association about the recent human case of New World screw worm and how federal agencies have responded. He said the CDC’s work was effective, noting, “their protocol worked well.” But the bigger focus for cattle producers, Woodall explained, is USDA’s plan to protect livestock. He stressed that Secretary Rollins’ recent announcement in Austin was “very important to the cattle industry.”
One of the key elements of that plan, Woodall said, is building a domestic sterile fly production facility. “We only have one that’s up and running. It’s that one in Panama producing about 117 million a week.” He explained that eradication requires around 500 million sterile flies per week. “With the 300 million that will come from this facility… couple that with the facility in Panama and also the facility in Mexico we’re going to get close to that 500 million so we’ll be prepared.”
The timeline is still a challenge, Woodall admitted. “The question is, just how quickly can we get our facility up and running? Take a while to build that.” That is why he sees Secretary Rollins’ announcement of funding for research as critical. “Her announcement of $100 million for new technology is also important to either make the process faster or look at ways to genetically engineer pests to be able to fight back. I think that could very well be a game changer for us.”
Woodall also emphasized the importance of U.S.–Mexico cooperation. “She’s spending a lot of time with Secretary Bergadé, and he understands the expectation… that they need to step up and do more.” He noted that progress is showing, saying, “the fly, the last known northern most report was about 370 miles from the Texas border and I think a lot of that is because we are getting all of the current fly production dispersed into the wild. There’s about 44 flights a week that are making that happen.”
At the same time, Woodall cautioned against misinformation. “We’ve had a couple of rumors out there, one in Missouri, one in Oklahoma. We don’t believe we’re going to see that kind of surprise.” He contrasted the recent human case with potential livestock cases: “We’re not shocked by that. But to have an animal case, a cattle case in Oklahoma, without seeing anything in Texas first we just don’t believe is going to be what we’re going to see.”
Finally, Woodall reminded listeners that screw worm infestations are not a problem unique to cattle. “It’s not because of the cattle industry that new world screw worms are there. We, along with humans, dogs, cats, deer, any warm blooded animal, are ones that are just susceptible to it.” He said this human case may help dispel misconceptions: “I believe that this particular human case will do a good job of opening people’s eyes and getting them to understand that this is not a cattle-only issue.”
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.
