Sign up for TPR Today, Texas Public Radio's newsletter that brings our top stories to your inbox each morning.
The leader of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, the largest and oldest organization of its kind, urged ranchers to report suspected cases quickly and not panic as Texas responds to an outbreak of New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite that can infect livestock and wildlife.
Stephen Diebel, president of the Fort Worth-based Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, was among the speakers at a gathering Tuesday at the newly opened Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, where researchers study pests including New World screwworm.
"The quicker we report, the quicker we have solutions," he said. "A really big component of this is landowner communication and communication with our agencies."
He said state and federal officials have a plan in place that has worked before. New World screwworm was eradicated from the United States in the 1960s using a sterile-fly program. The current strategy similarly relies on monitoring and reporting infested animals and releasing millions of sterile flies to disrupt screwworm reproduction.
Diebel said reporting suspected cases quickly is critical to making that strategy work.
The emphasis on reporting comes after Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller suggested some ranchers might be reluctant to report infestations because of the quarantine restrictions that follow a confirmed case. During Tuesday's briefing, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins rebuked Miller's remarks, calling them "dangerous" and stressing that reporting suspected cases is critical to containing the parasite.
Diebel said the industry can carry on during the outbreak.
"Treated and inspected cattle can move," he said. "We've talked about these protocols with the Animal Health Commission, Parks and Wildlife Department, and all our partners for many months now. New World screwworm is highly treatable and, if detected early, can be effectively managed."
Founded in 1877, the Fort Worth-based Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association has 28,000 members, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma. Its members oversee 4 million cattle on 76 million acres.
Cattle are Texas' top agricultural commodity, and the state produces 14% of the nation's beef.
Diebel spoke after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott outlined the coordinated state and federal response to New World screwworm.
Abbott, who declared the outbreak an emergency in all 254 counties, said ranchers can help combat screwworm.
"Check your animals daily, check for any wounds, even small wounds like tick bites or the navels of newborns or other openings," he said. "Treat wounds promptly and work to reduce fly populations around your operations."
Federal officials have confirmed at least five New World screwworm detections in Texas in less than a week, prompting state and federal officials to expand surveillance and response efforts.
The detections include calves in Zavala and La Salle counties and a goat in Gillespie County. Officials have also reported a case in a dog in Lea County, New Mexico, that had recently been in Mexico.
Diebel said suspected cases can be reported to the Texas Animal Health Commission at 1-800-550-8242. Suspected cases in deer, feral hogs and other wildlife can be reported to Texas Parks and Wildlife at 1-512-389-4505.
Copyright 2026 Texas Public Radio