Latest news with #ranchers
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
New Mexico cattle industry prepares and cattle imports paused as screwworm travels north
Jun. 1—A small, pale maggot about a half-inch long could cost New Mexico cattle ranchers greatly if it gets back into the country. One of the state's senators introduced new legislation to combat the New World screwworm fly, which has recently spread across Central America toward the U.S. At the U.S.-Mexico crossing in Santa Teresa, the pens supporting the nation's largest livestock entry point sat empty and eerily quiet Friday, with workers performing maintenance projects and catching up on paperwork at facilities normally bustling with thousands of cattle passing through daily. The U.S. Department of Agriculture closed the border to livestock imports after the screwworm was detected in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas in November. Imports resumed in February once the two countries established protocols for inspection and treatment. However, when screwworm was detected in Oaxaca and Veracruz, just 700 miles from the U.S., the USDA closed the border to imports once again on May 11. Unlike typical maggots, which feed on the dead, screwworm larvae feast on the living, meaning the fly larvae can do significant damage to cattle, even causing death. While New World screwworms overwhelmingly affect cattle, any warm-blooded animal can be susceptible to infestation, including livestock, pets, wild animals and people. The U.S. eradicated the parasites in 1966 and has worked with the Panama government to keep screwworms there in check, maintaining a buffer zone of several countries between U.S. ranches and the insects. But the New World screwworm population in Panama exploded in 2023, and last year's infestation in Chiapas prompted the U.S. to release $165 million in emergency funding to protect livestock, pets and wildlife. Some experts see a new U.S. infestation as inevitable. "It's not an 'if we're going to see it;' it's a 'when we're going to see it,'" said Bronson Corn, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association. "And unfortunately, I think we're going to see it sooner, much rather than later. Probably within the next three months, I would say, we're probably going to have it here in the United States." New Mexico has more than 10,000 cattle farms and ranches. The U.S. livestock industry benefits by more than $900 million a year because there aren't screwworms in the country, USDA estimates. Dr. Samantha Holeck, state veterinarian with the New Mexico Livestock Board, is preparing for the worst and hoping for the best by working to educate livestock producers on the New World screwworm and developing protocols for sample collection to make sure flies can be rapidly identified. "The challenge is, we've got very warm weather. The flies are able to move on their own, as well as with animal movement and things like wildlife that are going to move independently. We don't have control over how wildlife move. There are risk factors that still make it an imminent threat to the United States, even with a lot of good preventive strategies and surveillance in place," Holeck said. In the 1960s, New Mexico's livestock industry was heavily affected by the screwworm, she said. "A lot of our common management practices, even ear tagging potentially, can put an animal at risk, because any sort of fresh wound as small as a tick bite for example, can attract those female flies to lay eggs," Holeck said. "So once they have an opportunity to lay eggs in, those larvae begin to burrow in, because the larvae feed on live, healthy flesh." Left untreated, screwworms can cause traumatic injuries, are able to enlarge a wound and capable of even eating through bone. An untreated screwworm infestation could kill an animal within one to two weeks. Treatment with a dewormer like ivermectin can clear an infestation in a cow within two to three days. Livestock producers can usually identify an infestation by observing a rapidly expanding wound, signs of distress or pain in their animal, or by the foul smell of the wound. If screwworms are identified in New Mexico, the infested livestock will be thoroughly inspected and treated, Holeck said. They also won't be transported until free of screwworm larvae. Fly sterilization Female screwworms only mate once, so the strategy for managing the screwworm population has long been to produce sterile male screwworms and then release them into the wild. But, when the screwworm population was eradicated in the U.S., the country was producing sterile flies to release across a broad area. At present, the only sterilization facility is in Panama and is capable of producing hundreds of millions of sterile flies in a week. "If that facility were to go down, we'd be in a real big wreck," Holeck said. On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that the USDA is investing $21 million to renovate an existing fruit fly production facility in Mexico to produce 60 to 100 million additional sterile New World screwworm flies weekly. Sens. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced a bill to authorize money for a new sterile fly production facility in the U.S. to combat the growing screwworm outbreak. The STOP Screwworms Act is cosponsored by Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. With bipartisan support, Luján is hopeful the bill will move quickly through Congress because of the urgent situation. "The last time that there was an outbreak, it devastated the cattle industry, beef prices and availability in the United States," Luján said. "This little thing is quite devastating." At the border, empty cattle pens The orange theater-style seating at the Santa Teresa Livestock Auction was empty Friday. Hay and feed were neatly piled and only a few head of cattle were penned together. General Manager Hector Alberto "Teto" Medina estimated that the pause on imports will affect producers in Mexico, who exported over $1 billion in livestock to the U.S. in 2024, but would have ripple effects throughout the U.S. food system and related business sectors — down to what consumers pay for groceries or dining out. "This is the hardest we've ever been hit on the U.S.-Mexico border," he said. "We're talking about employment for farmers that feed these cattle, ranchers, transportation companies, brokerage companies, federal workers, feedlots, processors, for plants that process the cattle into meat — all the way down to restaurants and all the way down to our plates." So far, he said he had no plans to lay off any of his staff, and was upbeat about a solution. "What's being done at the USDA is the correct thing to do," he said. "They are ensuring that our food supply is safe and clean. ... I wish it didn't have to affect us as much, but that's the way life is sometimes."
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New Mexico high school creates pre-veterinary program to encourage students to join industry
EDGEWOOD, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico's farmers and ranchers are facing a problem with not enough veterinarians to take care of their livestock. Now, a local high school is stepping in, with a program aimed at getting students excited about veterinary careers. 'From the time that I started, until now, I'm seeing probably four times the amount of appointments per day as we used to,' said Crystal Clark, associate veterinarian at Western Trails Veterinary Hospital. Body of airman recovered at Elephant Butte Lake, Kirtland Air Force Base says Western Trails Veterinary Hospital in Edgewood cares for animals of all sizes, from cats and dogs to horses and cattle. Staff there see the impacts of the state's veterinarian shortage firsthand. 'The biggest issue facing the future of large animal veterinarians is getting people who want to live in small communities. Who want to live in rural areas because that's where the need is,' Clark explained. The lack of large animal veterinarians is a concern for ranchers across the state. 'We need large animal vets. We are at a huge disadvantage in the state to be able to work our livestock,' said Bronson Corn, president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association. Help is on the way thanks to a program aimed at preparing the next generation of Valley Public Schools has created a pre-veterinary program for juniors and seniors. Their high school already had a veterinary science class, but as part of the new program, a working veterinarian will come to teach students in a clinic setting. 'For them to go in and do the hands-on stuff definitely helps them learn a lot more, just because they get to take the stuff that they learn in class and apply it to actual work,' said Rian Nials, agriculture educator and FFA advisor at Hatch Valley High School. Tyson Shiflett, a junior, said he is excited about how the program will prepare him for a career in agriculture. 'I'll be using it as a work-study class. I'll be able to make money from the school as well as help the vets clean the animals, groom them, and get them on scales and stuff like that,' said Shiflett. Local vets said they are looking forward to seeing new talent in the industry. 'That's a great idea—to start them young and get their interest cultivated,' said Clark. The program is paid for in part by funding from the legislature. Lawmakers also passed a bill this year, allowing veterinary students focused on large animals to get a percentage of their student loans repaid. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
E&E News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Trump admin faces key Endangered Species Act decisions
The Trump administration's shrunken Fish and Wildlife Service faces three high-profile Endangered Species Act decisions affecting grizzly bears and monarch butterflies as well as the meaning of one key word in the landmark environmental law. All three issues have prompted robust debate in fast-closing public comment periods. What comes next could be some consequential ESA reversals. The Biden administration proposed keeping grizzly bears listed as threatened under the ESA. More than 200,000 individuals weighed in by the end of a comment period last Friday. Many supported continued ESA protections for the iconic species, but ranchers and Western states urged delisting. Advertisement The Biden administration also proposed listing the monarch butterfly as threatened. More than 148,000 individuals and organizations have opined in the comment period that ends at midnight Monday. As with the grizzly bears, many support protecting the monarch, while some rancher organizations and others urge otherwise.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
High prices a blessing for Manitoba beef producers
Cattle prices have hit record highs in 2025, offering long-awaited financial relief to Manitoba ranchers after years of stagnant returns and rising operational costs.
CBC
12-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Record-breaking cattle prices a lifeline for farmers facing inflation, trade tensions
Social Sharing Cattle prices have soared to what producers are calling record highs in 2025, offering long-awaited financial relief to Manitoba ranchers after years of stagnant returns and rising operational costs. Barry Lowes, a producer from McAuley in southwestern Manitoba, watched the Livestock Markets Association of Canada auction in Virden Friday, marking down prices in amazement as bids soared to unprecedented levels. "They're all amazed at the prices," Lowes said. "It's just quite a spectacle." He already had a record-breaking bull sale that saw animals sell for just under $11,000 in February. That's up around $2,600 compared to last year. Since then, prices have continued to climb. His 393 black steers at the Virden auction also went for the highest prices he's ever seen. It's a relief after years of turbulence in the industry, he says. For producers like Lowes, the price swell, driven by tight cattle supplies and strong consumer demand, is easing the financial pressure ranchers have endured for years. Canada has around 10.9 million head of cattle, a number that's dropped nearly five per cent in just three years, according to Statistics Canada. Cattle auctioneer Rob Bergevin says in the 25 years he's been in the business, prices have never been so good for producers. One bull at Friday's auction sold for $3.18 a pound, one of the highest values he's ever seen on the auction floor. "It is a ton of fun selling these cattle, I have to tell you. There's so much interest," Bergevin said. Live sales are up at least $1,000 per animal compared to last year, says Rick Wright, CEO of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada. Statistics Canada says cattle for slaughter were selling for as much as nearly $263 per hundredweight (meaning per 100 pounds of live weight) as of March 2025 — the highest price recorded in the StatsCan data, which goes back to 1985. The cattle market typically moves in 10-year cycles, Wright said. The 2015 market saw prices as high as $193 per hundredweight, but they dropped sharply in 2016, falling to as low as $91 by the end of that year. The current market surge is offering temporary relief from high feed and fuel costs, and global trade uncertainty, Wright says. But while some see opportunity, others are cashing out, raising questions about the long-term future of Canada's industry. Cash out or stay in Pipestone area farmer Trevor Atchison hopes the current prices will encourage younger people to stay in the industry and help build up North American cattle herds. His family has been in the business for around 100 years and has a herd of about 600 mother and calf pairs. But the soaring prices can be a double-edged sword, he says, making it difficult for new producers to join in while the market is hot. "It just takes so many more dollars to buy," he said. Wright expects to see a further market contraction because the industry is increasingly expensive to get into. At the same time, longtime ranchers are opting to cash out while the money is good. "There are a lot of guys that are my age that are looking at cashing in," said Wright. "The last good time was in '15, and they missed it." That means it will be hard to grow herd numbers, he says, to meet demands for Canadian beef. That generational shift is already showing up in national data. The number of cattle in Canada has dwindled to the lowest levels since 1989, according to a 2024 report from Statistics Canada. Dallas Johnston, who farms near Brookdale, northeast of Brandon, Man., has been raising cattle since the 1980s. Right now, he has about 30 cattle in his herd, after downsizing from 70 over the last couple years. Johnston, who is in his 60s and nearing retirement, knows this may be the best return on cattle he'll ever see. The prices are giving his family time to figure out their next steps. "It's pretty nice when you see guys walk out of the Auction Mart … holding their cheque in their hands and just a big smile on their faces," Johnston said. Supply and grocery store demand Meanwhile, any time he visits the grocery store, Johnston makes a point of checking out the meat aisle, and finds the current prices mind-boggling. He thinks it shows that the industry is entering uncharted pricing territory, from the farm to the grocery aisles, and he's not sure it's sustainable. Current prices are making beef a luxury food, like lobster, for special occasions, based on what consumers can afford, Wright says. When he couples that with the current global economic uncertainty, it's hard to gauge how long the high prices will last. Pipestone farmer Atchison says for now, he's counting on consumer demand for Canadian beef to keep the industry strong. "It's supply and demand, and there's lots of demand," Atchison said. "The supply is tight. It just keeps those prices either increasing, or at least holding, for the foreseeable future."
