Cattle raisers applaud construction contract for Texas based sterile fly production facility

FORT WORTH, Texas (March 9, 2026) - Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Carl Ray Polk Jr. released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) today announced a construction contract with Mortenson Construction to build a new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas:

"Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association applauds the swift action taken by Secretary Brooke Rollins and her team in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Today's announcement in awarding the contract for a sterile fly production facility in South Texas marks an important step as we prepare for a potential domestic incursion of New World screwworm. It is clear the administration is committed to pushing this pest back to the Darién Gap, a priority Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association continues to emphasize as we work to educate producers on the ground."

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