Just when you thought living on the High Plains couldn’t get any more glamorous, the federal government has decided to resume importing cattle from Mexico in the middle of an ongoing outbreak of actual flesh-eating parasites. Because honestly, what is a little flesh-eating maggot between friends when there are beef supply chains to satisfy?
The USDA originally shut down all southern ports of entry to Mexican livestock back in May 2025 to contain the nightmare known as the New World screwworm. Out of the 42 total cases detected across the entire United States, 41 of them—because of course—were right here in Texas. But now, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says it’s totally cool to start a phased reopening at the port in Douglas, Arizona, starting August 24, provided Mexican officials stick to a joint containment plan. Apparently, states like Sonora and Chihuahua have “strong animal health infrastructure,” making them low-risk enough to let the cows roll on through.
Naturally, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller couldn’t just take a win without delivering his trademark grumble. While Miller praised Rollins for finally listening to his calls to reopen the border, he immediately complained that the decision took way too long and hurt local ranchers’ wallets. In the very same breath where he welcomed the cows back, Miller slammed the USDA for taking a year to react, calling their strategy “half-measures” while billions in livestock remain on the line.
After all, why let a tiny detail like flesh-eating flesh-burrowing worms get in the way of a perfectly good profit margin?
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