In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Danny Jones of Superior Livestock about the strong cattle market, summer video sales, and the outlook for the beef industry as 2026 moves into its second half. Superior Livestock is the nation’s largest video livestock market- in 1987, visionary cattlemen Jim Odle and Buddy Jeffers launched Superior Livestock Auction and forever changed the way cattle are marketed.

Jones said cattle producers have enjoyed a remarkable run through the first five months of the year. “The price has been tremendous, Ron,” Jones said. “We’ve been anywhere from probably four to $850 a head more than a year ago so far this year.”

While he expects the gap compared to last year to narrow somewhat as summer progresses, Jones emphasized that prices remain “significantly better than last year.”

The strongest benefits are being felt at the cow-calf level. “They are particularly the cow calf producers,” Jones said. “Whether they’re selling a calf or a yearling. If they’re home-raised right now, they’re very well into the black, as you could imagine.”

Jones noted that cattle numbers remain somewhat smaller, although several factors have influenced recent placement data. “Overall numbers are slightly lower,” he said. “Some of the numbers that have been showing up, the on-feed numbers, I think, are skewed.”

According to Jones, drought conditions have pushed some cattle into feedyards earlier than normal, while attractive prices have encouraged additional movement as well. “Drier conditions have caused them to come a little earlier, but also the price has been attractive,” he explained.

With New World screwworm cases identified in Texas, Jones acknowledged that producers and marketers may face additional requirements when cattle move through affected areas. “There’ll be some things to comply with,” Jones said. “But our intent is to continue to deliver what’s sold and deliver what does sell.”

He added that industry participants should expect compliance measures, particularly near known cases, but stressed that normal commerce is continuing. “There’s no commerce being stopped,” he said.

Superior Livestock’s annual Corn Belt Classic kicks off the company’s summer schedule. Jones said the sale remains unique because it focuses on bringing cattle directly to the area’s large farmer-feeder buyer base. “This particular one, Corn Belt, is really more where the buyers are rather than where the sellers are,” Jones said. “It’s a history with the farmer feeder and going to where they are.”

Current offerings are substantial, though smaller than last year. “We’ve got 75,000 right now on, and it’s a nice offering,” Jones said. “It’s off about 25,000 from last year, because so many of the cattle have sold early this year, taking advantage of the market.”

The sale will feature a mix of spring-born calves from northern states, fall-born calves from the South, and a strong selection of yearlings. “There’s a good offering of spring-born calves out of the north,” Jones said, along with “a really good selection of high-quality yearlings as well.”

Following the Corn Belt Classic, attention turns to the popular Week in the Rockies sale held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. “That’s the week of the sixth of July, always a big and popular offering,” Jones said.

He believes the sale’s success comes from buyers wanting to secure inventory well ahead of delivery dates. “Buyers want to secure their inventory ahead of time, and sellers want to take advantage of that appetite for those cattle,” he said.

The event has also become a gathering place for ranching families. “A lot of the consigners bring their families and make a family vacation,” Jones said. “People enjoy getting out of the heat for a while.”

Looking back over more than a decade, Jones said video marketing has steadily gained credibility among cattle producers. “When they first heard about it, they said that would never work,” Jones said of many longtime consignors. “They tried it, and it’s been with us ever since.”

He credits the system’s continued growth to proven benefits. “The advantages of better health, and direct marketing, price discovery at the highest level,” Jones said. “All of those things are continuing to prove themselves true, and it continues to grow.”

He also highlighted the importance of Superior’s extensive value-added marketing programs. “It makes it where those program buyers can come and find their needs in one place,” Jones said. “It’s a way for program buyers and program sellers to come together with a much larger selection of cattle and a much larger buyer base.”

As the industry reaches the midpoint of 2026, Jones remains optimistic about cattle producers’ prospects.“Everyone expects continued good fundamentals for quite some time,” he said. “The supply and demand are really set in our favor for a while, especially again for that cow calf producer.”

While herd rebuilding remains a frequent topic of discussion, drought continues to slow progress in some regions. “We’ve seen some evidence of that, but it’s been tapered back some by the drought situation,” Jones said. “Some cattle that were intended to be bred have turned and sold as feeder heifers.”

Even with those challenges, Jones believes the industry’s underlying fundamentals remain strong as producers look ahead to the remainder of 2026.

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Danny Jones: Strong Cattle Prices Keep Beef Industry Optimistic in 2026 first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who provided an update on the federal response to the New World Screwworm threat, highlighting progress on sterile fly production, new facilities, expanded surveillance efforts, and the Trump Administration’s latest preparedness initiatives.

Rollins told listeners that the USDA has continued to expand its sterile fly strategy, noting significant investments already made in both South Texas and Mexico. “Earlier this year, we opened both a dispersal facility in South Texas, but also invested 10s of millions of dollars in refitting the fly facility in Metapa, Mexico, beginning last year, which those sterile flies will begin to come online this month, so very good timing.”

The sterile insect technique remains the cornerstone of New World Screwworm eradication efforts, with sterile male flies released to mate with wild populations and prevent reproduction.

Rollins also shared an update on the sterile fly production facility under construction in far South Texas, saying the project has now been elevated to one of the federal government’s highest priorities. “As I was driving into Kerrville, we received an update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” Rollins said. “They all along, since we started having these conversations last March, a year ago, have prioritized these facilities.”

She explained that the project is now receiving additional attention from top military leadership. “As of last Wednesday, they have now put one of their top commanders, Colonel Matthew Chase, on this as his sole project to help us combat the New World Screwworm.”

Rollins added that the Army Corps is applying the same accelerated construction approach it has used on other major projects around the country. “This project already was on warp speed, but now it has been put at literally the very top priority for the Department of War and the Army Corps of Engineers.”

The administration has also named Texas native John Bellinger as senior advisor for New World Screwworm preparedness. Rollins said his focus is straightforward. “The obvious is we need more sterile flies, whether it’s the Novo fly or expanding what we have in Panama, in Mexico, getting Edinburgh open, and I’m going to turn over every stone to look for another BSL 2 lab.” Bellinger said.

He continued, “We are going to turn over every stone to find more sterile flies. We have to be ready next spring.”

Beyond sterile fly production, Rollins emphasized that the USDA has spent the last year building an extensive detection and preparedness network along the southern border. “We have always been, over the last year, strengthening surveillance, detection, and preparedness.”

According to Rollins, USDA is currently “actively monitoring over 8,000 surveillance traps” placed along the U.S.-Mexico border and has examined “59,000-plus fly samples and over 19,000 wildlife specimens since January of last year.”

Additional efforts include expanded trapping, increased mounted patrols and tick riders, canine detection programs at border crossings, and preparedness exercises involving federal, state, and international partners. “We have expanded all monitoring activities and will continue to do so,” Rollins said.

Following last week’s confirmation of New World Screwworm in South Texas, the USDA quickly implemented response measures. “You all know we established a 20-kilometer infested zone around the detection from last week and will continue to implement movement controls and surveillance in the region.”

Rollins said the USDA immediately began deploying sterile flies into the affected area. “We’ve expedited targeted release of the sterile flies, which mate with the New World Screwworm flies and prevent them from reproducing. By Wednesday night, we had already begun to deploy up to 4 million ground-release chambers in that particular area and will continue to do so in the areas that are coming online with a confirmation.”

Rollins concluded that surveillance, trapping, sterile fly production, and rapid-response capabilities will continue to expand as USDA works to prevent the pest from gaining a foothold in the United States.

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Brooke Rollins Excited to See Accelerated Efforts to Add Sterile Fly Capacity  first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Steven Diebel and USDA Chief Scientist Scott Hutchins, who offered reassurance and insight as the livestock industry faces New World Screwworm.

During the Monday, June 8th, USDA Media hosted by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, Victoria, Texas, cattle producer and Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Steven Diebel urged producers to focus on facts rather than fear.

Diebel outlined five key points that livestock producers should keep in mind as the industry responds to the New World screwworm threat. “Number one, no need to panic. We have had a plan in place, and we’ve had that plan, and we know it works.”

Next, he emphasized that consumers should remain confident in the safety of the food supply. “Meat is safe. We do not have a food safety issue.”

Diebel also stressed that animal movement can continue under established protocols. “Treated and inspected cattle can move. We’ve talked about these protocols with Animal Health Commission, Parks and Wildlife Department, and all of our partners for many months now.”

Another important message was that New World screwworm infestations can be successfully addressed when identified quickly. “New World screw worm is highly treatable, and if detected early, can be very solvable.”

Finally, Diebel encouraged producers to remain vigilant and communicate any suspected cases immediately. “Monitor and report. We really want to reiterate to the producers, it is so imperative to report that way those solutions can be expedited to those ranches, and we’ve eradicated this pest, and we’ll certainly do it again.”

USDA Chief Scientist Scott Hutchins discussed several research efforts currently underway to improve the detection and suppression of New World screwworm.

One focus is identifying the specific scents that attract female screwworm flies. “We have a very aggressive effort to discover the very specific attractants that the screwworm female, in particular, zeros in on.”

Researchers are studying odors associated with blood, wounds, and umbilical cords to develop more precise monitoring systems. “We’re looking for those volatiles that come from the umbilical cord, that come from blood, that come from other things, so that we can zero in on that specific odor.”

Hutchins said those discoveries could lead to improved trapping and suppression technologies that target screwworm flies without affecting other insects or the environment. One concept being explored is a modern SWASS (Screwworm Adult Suppression System), which would use highly specific attractants and control methods to target New World screwworm adults while minimizing impacts on non-target species. “We’re going to develop one that’s very specific that allows us to do what we need to do without any collateral impact to the environment, and very focused and specific.”

While researchers continue developing new tools, Hutchins emphasized that the proven sterile insect technique remains the backbone of eradication efforts. “We should have a lot of confidence in this, in the sterile insect technique.”

He pointed to the historical success of the program in the southeastern United States. “Florida and the Southeast, which was very heavily infested with the screw worm in the 50s, completely eradicated the pest in 1959 with only the use of the sterile insect technique.”

Among the developments is a newly developed sterile fly strain known as the Novo fly. “The Novo fly, Novo is Latin for new, and it’s the root for innovate. And this particular innovation is exactly that.”

According to Hutchins, the breakthrough will significantly increase the effectiveness of sterile fly production. “It’s going to allow us to almost instantaneously double the number of flies, sterile flies, that we put in the fight, because it’s going to allow us to produce only male sterile flies.”

Currently, about half of the sterile flies produced are females, which do not help control the pest population. “If you have a plant that produces 100 million flies as we do today, 50% of those are sterile females. They do us no good in this particular fight. So, by going to 100% male sterile males, we’re able to instantly double our production.”

Hutchins believes that increased sterile male production will provide a major advantage in future eradication efforts. “It’s going to give us a tremendous edge in that regard.”

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Industry Leaders Stress Preparedness, Not Panic, in New World Screwworm Fight first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Joe Barbour of the Livestock Marketing Association, who says Oklahoma has been working behind the scenes for more than a year to prepare for the possibility of New World screwworm reaching the state while also protecting the ability of cattle producers to continue marketing livestock.

With two confirmed cases of New World screwworm now reported in South Texas, concern continues to grow across the cattle industry. While the outbreak remains hundreds of miles from the Oklahoma border, Barbour said extensive planning efforts are already underway. “It’s been a huge topic, and you’d have to be living under a rock to not heard of the New World screwworm in our industry by now,” Barbour said.

Barbour praised the work of Oklahoma’s Animal Health Division and said the state has taken a leadership role in preparing for a potential outbreak. “We’re blessed here in Oklahoma to have a fantastic staff within our Animal Health Division of the Oklahoma Department of Ag, and they’ve been leading the charge as one of the states at the forefront of staying ahead of if the New World screwworm were to come into Oklahoma,” he said.

Barbour said discussions involving state animal health officials, industry leaders and livestock market representatives began more than a year ago. “Dr. Hall and Dr. Gorczyca and I, along with Michael Kelsey, sat down here sometime back over a year ago and took the first look at what that plan would look like,” Barbour said. “We discussed and went through positives and negatives and ran through scenarios.”

More recently, Oklahoma stakeholders participated in a tabletop exercise designed to test how the state would respond if New World screwworm were detected within its borders. The industry “sat down with a larger group out of Oklahoma and kind of did a tabletop exercise and gave some scenarios on if the New World screwworm were to show up down in southeast Oklahoma, how would Oklahoma react to that situation,” Barbour explained.

The discussions also focused on how neighboring states would respond to cattle movements originating from Oklahoma. “How would other states react to Oklahoma cattle moving out of Oklahoma and other states?” he said.

According to Barbour, Oklahoma has worked closely with surrounding states to develop a practical response plan. “Oklahoma has really been at the forefront of that conversation and has worked seamlessly with Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and some of these other states that border us in different ways to try to develop a plan that not only shuts down the New World screwworm but allows business to maintain continuity.”

Barbour said maintaining normal cattle marketing channels remains a top priority for the Livestock Marketing Association. “Of course, we don’t want the New World screwworm, but we do want to be able to continue to conduct business, sell cattle at auction, allow producers to move cattle easily if that thing were to come to this state,” he said.

He added that Oklahoma’s preparation efforts should ultimately benefit cattle producers if a detection ever occurs. “I’m confident that we’ve come up with a plan in Oklahoma that can live with if the New World screwworm were to come here, show up here,” Barbour said. “I don’t think all the states have been near as involved as Oklahoma has in that planning process, and that’ll be to the benefit of our producers down the road.”

Barbour emphasized that livestock markets play a critical role in helping producers market cattle when animals reach the point where they need to move. “Cattle are something that they get to a certain timeline within their life cycle that they have to move and they have to be sold,” Barbour said.

He noted that Oklahoma producers have access to livestock auctions throughout the state nearly every day of the week. “At any given time, six days a week, you can find a livestock auction in Oklahoma that you can turn that animal into a good check for you as a producer,” he said.

Looking ahead, Barbour said the goal is to ensure cattle can continue moving through the marketplace with as little disruption as possible should New World screwworm ever reach Oklahoma. “We’ve got to be able to continue that continuity of being able to sell those cattle when they’re ready to go with the least amount of regulation as possible in the New World screwworm situation,” Barbour said.

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Oklahoma’s New World Screwworm Planning Aims to Protect Producers and Keep Markets Moving first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Joe Barbour, area representative for the Livestock Marketing Association, who discusses the critical role livestock auction markets play in price discovery, the remarkable cattle market of 2026, and the upcoming Livestock Marketing Association convention and World Livestock Auctioneer Championship in South Dakota.

Barbour said the Livestock Marketing Association serves as the leading voice for livestock auction markets and dealers across the nation. “The Livestock Marketing Association is the largest trade group for livestock auction markets and dealers across the country,” Barber said. “We represent over 80% of the regularly selling livestock markets across the country, and over 90% of those markets in Oklahoma are LMA members.”

According to Barbour, the organization works on behalf of its members in a variety of areas, from policy and regulatory issues to business services. “We work to be the voice for our members in policy, in government, in industry affairs, and we assist them on a broad range of topics,” he explained. “Anything dealing from working through a Packers and Stockyards issue to insurance, and we try to be their voice and their one-stop shop for anything livestock marketing related.”

One of the strengths of LMA, Barbour said, is the diversity of its membership. “Whether you’re the smallest one or the largest one, you have an equal voice and say,” Barbour said.

That membership ranges from specialized markets handling small volumes to some of the largest livestock auction operations in the country. “We have all different shapes and sizes from across the country of markets represented,” he said. “Markets that sell 100 head of dairy calves a week to some of the largest stocker livestock markets across the country, and everybody in between.”

When it comes to cattle marketing, Barbour said auction barns remain the gold standard for determining value through open competition. “That’s really the reason that these markets exist,” Barber said. “We are setting the market across the country through live competitive bidding of livestock.”

He emphasized that auction markets provide true price discovery by bringing multiple buyers together in a competitive environment. “What our members are working to do is get the most value for that animal, get what it’s worth for that day in the ring in front of a competitive buyer base,” he said.

Barbour noted that producers benefit directly from the auction process. “They’re going to market your livestock in a way to bring you the most money in front of a competitive bidding process,” he said. “When you get competition involved and folks bidding against each other, there’s really no telling what some of this livestock will bring.”

Barbour described 2026 as one of the most exciting periods he has witnessed in the cattle business. “It’s an incredible time to be in the business, not only owning these livestock auction businesses, but our producers,” Barbour said. “Couldn’t be happier for those folks. The prices that we’ve achieved in Oklahoma are just incredible.”

Demand remains strong across virtually every class of cattle. “All the markets across the state are firing on all cylinders, and the demand is huge for these calves and these yearlings and these packer cows, and everything in between,” he said.

Barbour credited strong competition among buyers for helping push prices to record levels. “There’s a lot of demand for the product, and it’s got these feedyards and these grazers paying top dollar to get them in their inventory,” he said.

For cow-calf producers especially, the market has created opportunities that have been years in the making. “The cow-calf man has worked many years without being able to really put some money back, and they’re in the driver’s seat right now, so couldn’t be happier for them,” Barbour said.

He added that many of the record-setting cattle sales making headlines are occurring at local auction markets. “In almost all cases, when you hear about someone topping the market or being able to put that on social media that they got this for their cattle, it’s almost always at auction.”

Barbour also highlighted the upcoming 2026 Livestock Marketing Association Annual Convention, which will be held in Deadwood, South Dakota. “We’re having our annual convention of the Livestock Marketing Association in Deadwood, South Dakota.”

The event will feature educational sessions and discussions on some of the industry’s most pressing issues. “We’re going to have some really good meetings and speakers to bring our members together and make sure they’re up to speed on topics that are going on in the industry,” he said. “Talking about everything from New World screwworm to ways to protect their business from financial loss, to networking and bringing these folks together.”

The convention will conclude with one of the livestock industry’s premier events—the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship. “We’ve got 31 of the top auctioneers across the country pulled from three regional contests, plus the champion from Canada,” Barbour said.

The competition will be hosted at St. Onge Livestock Auction in South Dakota, where one auctioneer will earn the industry’s highest honor. “We’re bringing them into one spot and trying to find that best auctioneer that’s going to represent our industry over the next year,” Barbour said. “We’ll crown him champion Saturday night to finish off our convention, and we’re excited to go to South Dakota.”

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Auction Markets Drive Price Discovery as Cattle Prices Reach Historic Highs first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays Features comments from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, USDA New World Screwworm Directorate head Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer, and Texas State Veterinarian Dr. Bud Dinges following confirmation of the first New World screwworm case in Texas in 60 years.

June 3, 2026, marked a day many in animal agriculture had hoped would never come. Federal and state officials confirmed the first case of New World screwworm in Texas since 1966, triggering an immediate response from USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission.

The case involves a single three-week-old beef calf in South Texas. While officials emphasized the significance of the detection, they also stressed that response plans developed over the past year are already being put into action.

Secretary Brooke Rollins described the situation as serious but manageable. “This is not a threat to our food supply,” Rollins said.

She also sought to reassure livestock producers and consumers. “Second of all, while this is very serious, and we’re taking it extremely serious, there is no threat of mass infestation.”

Rollins said extensive planning has been underway for months to prepare for exactly this scenario. “We believe, and we are so confident in the teams and the plan that we have been building over the last year in preparation for this moment, that as we’re building out the infrastructure in the long term to make sure that this never happens again, that we have for the short term put everything in place to contain this pest and push it back when possible.”

Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer provided specifics about the confirmed infestation. “Here on the ground, as was emphasized, there is one infested animal. There is a three-week-old beef calf.”

According to Schmoyer, the case was initially detected by a private veterinarian. “This was a private veterinarian that collected samples and shared them with the Texas Animal Health Commission, who then shared them in turn with USDA.”

The discovery immediately activated response protocols that had been developed as New World screwworm moved northward through Mexico over the past year. “USDA inspections continue to be ongoing, and we’re going to uphold our commitment to be transparent with you.”

Schmoyer said USDA personnel were already positioned to respond rapidly. “USDA has a phenomenal five-person strike team in Texas right now.”

“That strike team is comprised of field veterinary medical officers, as well as animal health technicians, and these vets and animal health experts are our boots on the ground, working side by side with our Texas animal health colleagues here.”

Additional personnel are standing by if needed. “We’re positioned to send additional trained personnel as needed. We’re looking forward to being able to expand the strike teams in concert and in combination with our Texas Animal Health colleagues.”

Federal officials emphasized that preparations for a possible U.S. detection began long before this week’s announcement. “We had actually shared with many of the stakeholders that we were starting to lean forward aggressively, just in case something like this happened,” Schmoyer said.

He noted that sterile fly releases began months ago near the U.S.-Mexico border. “We started to be able to deploy flies about 50 miles over the U.S. border, and so we’re continuing to be very forward-leaning in our posture.”

The scale of the effort is already substantial. “Since February of this year, we’ve already dispersed over 129 million flies using aerial and ground release chambers, as well as vehicle dispersal methods.”

Surveillance infrastructure has also been in place across the southern border states. “In Texas, we’ve had trap lines that have been stretching across the southern states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California since July 2025.” In addition to sterile insect releases, USDA has positioned response cargo trailers, trapping equipment, and ground release systems to support eradication efforts.

Following confirmation of the case, Texas officials moved quickly to establish an infestation zone and quarantine area. Dr. Bud Dinges, State Veterinarian and Executive Director of the Texas Animal Health Commission, announced strict movement controls. “I have issued an executive order that places a quarantine on all warm-blooded animals.”

Dinges urged producers and animal owners to cooperate fully. “It’s very important that all animal owners understand the importance of not moving their animals out of this zone at this time.”

“Please help us prevent any further movement of this pest by staying put and contacting the Texas Animal Health Commission if you need to be permitted out.”

The restrictions apply broadly. “No movement of warm-blooded species will be allowed out of this zone without an inspection by an animal health official.”

Texas Animal Health Commission personnel have expanded their presence throughout the affected area. “Currently, we have increased the presence of Texas Animal Health Commission personnel in the area and in the infested zone, conducting animal surveillance and epidemiological investigations, meeting with producers to provide resources in the infested zone, and raising awareness of key actions like inspection points.”

Dinges emphasized that producer vigilance will be critical to preventing additional spread. “Some of the key things that people need to know at this stage are number one, report suspicions immediately.” “If you suspect your animal may be infested with New World screwworms, notify the Texas Animal Health Commission or your local veterinarian immediately.”

He stressed that speed matters. “Quick notification leads to quick detection and quick response to stop the pest from spreading.”

While movement restrictions are in place, Dinges said commerce will not stop completely. “Animals still need to be able to move. We’ll just make sure that they are moving safely and not moving the screwworm with them.”

Rollins repeatedly emphasized that livestock producers, ranchers, hunters, and wildlife managers will be key partners in the response effort. “Our greatest partners in this are the ranchers and the livestock producers, especially in South Texas.”

She also pointed to the role of wildlife surveillance. “The wildlife guys down there are just being ever vigilant, being very watchful.”

For producers concerned about what they can do right now, Rollins offered a simple answer. “I think the best thing you can put on your animals right now is your eyes.” She encouraged constant observation of livestock and wildlife for suspicious wounds or infestations.

One of the most important messages from officials is that New World screwworm does not spread like a traditional livestock disease.

Instead, infestations occur when adult flies lay eggs in wounds or openings on warm-blooded animals. The larvae then feed on living tissue, creating potentially severe damage if left untreated.

Rollins emphasized a key fact producers should remember. “This does not spread without the movement of animals.” That reality is driving the quarantine, inspection requirements, and surveillance efforts now underway in South Texas.

The confirmation of New World screwworm in Texas represents the most significant animal health challenge facing U.S. livestock producers in decades. However, officials emphasized that this is currently a single confirmed infestation, not a widespread outbreak.

Federal and state agencies have already deployed strike teams, surveillance networks, sterile fly releases, quarantine protocols, and producer outreach efforts designed to contain the pest before it can establish itself.

For now, officials are asking producers to remain alert, closely inspect livestock, report suspicious cases immediately, and comply with movement restrictions as eradication efforts move forward.

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post First New World Screwworm Case in Texas Since 1966 Triggers Major USDA Response first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from Director of the New World Screwworm Directorate Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer and State Veterinarian for the Texas Animal Health Commission, Bud Dinges, who are working to correct misinformation and provide an update on the New World screwworm situation along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Earlier this week, reports circulated online suggesting New World screwworm had been detected just one mile from the Texas border. Those claims prompted concern throughout the livestock industry and led USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to convene a special media briefing to provide accurate information.

According to Rear Admiral Michael Schmoyer, the closest confirmed case remains in Mexico. “The most important point is that New World screwworm is not in the United States,” Schmoyer said.

He explained that the nearest active case involves a five-year-old goat in Coahuila, Mexico, approximately 25 miles south of the Texas border. The case was detected on May 30 and shared with the USDA by Mexican animal health officials.

While detections have increased closer to the border, Rear Admiral Schmoyer emphasized that all recent cases found within 100 miles of the United States are occurring inside the sterile fly dispersal area. “While we’ve seen an increase recently in the number of cases within 100 miles of the U.S. border, all those cases right now are within the sterile fly dispersal area,” Schmoyer said.

USDA continues to coordinate closely with Mexico’s agricultural authorities to track new cases and gather epidemiological information as the situation evolves.

Rear Admiral Schmoyer said USDA is prepared to act immediately if New World screwworm is detected in the United States. “If there was a detection in the United States, USDA will take immediate action to contain and eradicate the pest,” he said.

He pointed to the agency’s New World Screwworm Playbook, which outlines response procedures from preparedness through eradication. The plan includes coordinating response efforts, limiting the spread to additional animals, managing infestations, conducting surveillance in livestock and wildlife populations, and maintaining continuity of business during an outbreak. “The great thing about this particular process is it allows us to identify and maintain resource requirements and be able to respond very, very quickly,” Schmoyer said.

Texas Animal Health Commission Executive Director and State Veterinarian Dr. Bud Dinges told reporters that state and federal officials are already taking precautionary steps along the border. “As a precaution, USDA and TAHC staff are leveraging and expanding existing ground release sites for the distribution of sterile flies in South Texas,” Dr. Dinges said.

He added that USDA continues aerial releases of sterile screwworm flies in South Texas counties, with dispersal grids adjusted as needed to maximize effectiveness. Officials are also relocating surveillance traps to align with changing sterile fly release patterns and improve early detection capabilities.

Dr. Dinges said surveillance efforts have already produced significant data. “Over 58,000 suspicious flies have been submitted for official identification, and none have been detected as New World screwworms,” he said.

That ongoing monitoring effort, combined with sterile fly releases and coordinated response planning, remains the foundation of USDA and Texas efforts to keep the pest from becoming established in the United States.

For now, officials continue to stress that New World screwworm has not been detected in the United States, despite recent reports suggesting otherwise. The nearest confirmed case remains approximately 25 miles south of the Texas border.

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post USDA Officials Refute Border Rumors, Say Screwworm Still 25 Miles from Texas first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays continues to feature comments from a trio of cattle market economists — Dr. Derrell Peel, Don Close, and Nevil Speer — about packer margins, beef demand, and the biggest risks facing cattle producers during a recent panel discussion at the U.S. Meat Export Federation spring conference in Oklahoma City. You can go back and review earlier parts of their conversation and presentations on our Beef Buzz page.

One question centered on why packers have been unable to push boxed beef prices higher to improve margins. Speer responded to concerns about market manipulation, saying, “Well, I guess collusion is not working,” before adding, “They’re really bad at manipulating the markets — never lasts, right?”

Close said despite difficult margins, beef values remain incredibly strong when compared to a year ago. “I get that question daily,” Close said. “When you actually take time to look at the price and the price gain by item over a year ago, it’s smoking.” He pointed to gains across beef primals and continued consumer movement of product despite tighter supplies.

Speer added that the long-term investments being made by packing plants signal confidence in the future of the business. “Any packing plant you go to in the last couple of years, these packers just keep reinvesting money into their plants.” “They’re not scraping by — they are committed to this for the long run.”

Still, Speer warned producers not to assume the current business environment will last forever. “It can’t go on forever,” he said. “They’re going to work to try to do something different to grab margin and predictability and get out of the commodity noise.” He cautioned cattlemen to “be careful what you ask for,” warning future changes in the marketplace may influence producers in ways they do not like.

When asked about the biggest threat facing the beef industry, Peel pointed squarely toward demand-side concerns. “The biggest threat comes from the demand side, at least near term,” Peel said. “Demand is incredibly strong, and I think it will stay strong.”

However, he cautioned that outside economic pressures could affect consumers’ ability to keep paying record prices for beef. “Consumer willingness and ability — if we mess up their ability bad enough, then they just flat can’t,” Peel said, pointing to things like gasoline prices and broader economic uncertainty.

Peel also tied uncertainty to the slow pace of herd rebuilding. “That’s also part of the reason producers are not aggressively chasing herd expansion yet,” he explained. “Mother Nature is limiting what they can do in a lot of cases, but uncertainty has become a really big part of the risk they’re facing.”

According to Peel, much of that uncertainty is external. “Most of that’s coming from the policy side or external factors,” he said. “It’s not so much inherent risk in the industry as it is external stuff.”

Speer closed with a warning and a recommendation for cattle producers operating in a historically high-value market. “There’s more equity at risk in this business than ever,” Speer said. “If there’s one drumbeat that I would beat over and over again to producers, it’s get some sort of price protection.”

He specifically encouraged producers to use Livestock Risk Protection (LRP). “Government does do one thing really well — they gave producers this thing called LRP,” Speer said. “It’s a gift. Take advantage of it. Build a floor, you get all the upside, and you don’t have to pay for it until you sell your calves. What a great tool.”

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post Economists Warn Uncertainty Still Looms Over Cattle Markets first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from three leading beef economists — Dr. Derrell Peel, Don Close, and Nevil Speer — about one of the biggest questions facing the cattle business today: at what point, if any, will consumers back away from beef prices that continue climbing higher? The three recently spoke at the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s spring meeting in Oklahoma City about demand.

For now, Dr. Peel says the data does not show consumers abandoning beef. “Economists define demand as the willingness and ability to pay,” Peel said. “The current situation tells us right now consumers have both — they’re doing fine.”

Peel pointed to changes in eating habits that emerged during the pandemic as part of the explanation for beef’s resilience. “A lot of the preferences and the willingness that we see in that I think does relate back to Covid, and the way people learned to cook and eat and so on during that time period,” he said.

That does not mean higher prices come without consequences. Dr. Peel explained that shrinking beef supplies naturally push prices upward as markets ration available product. “The thing that could threaten demand would be ability,” Peel said. “Those demand curves slope downward as supply goes down — there’s less beef and prices will go up to ration a smaller supply.”

At some point, some consumers may buy less beef, but Dr. Peel argued that is not necessarily the same as demand destruction. “Some people are going to eat less beef, but it’s not because of demand destruction,” he said. “It’s just because there isn’t as much beef, and the way markets work is we find out who wants it the most and they win the bid.”

Peel also emphasized that beef demand is much more complex than one single market. “Beef is thousands and thousands of different products,” he said. “Every one of them is a different market that has a different demand.”

After closely watching wholesale markets for signs consumers are stepping away from premium cuts, Peel said he still has not seen major evidence. “I’ve been watching the wholesale market for the last three years looking for evidence — so when we talk about trading down and so on — there isn’t a lot of it yet,” he said.

Close agreed beef remains competitive with other proteins but offered a more cautious outlook. “This is one point I’m going to be a touch cautionary,” Close said. “Our Terrain data, the core data, shows beef is not only gaining, but we continue to gain on the other species.” “I don’t think we’re to a point where beef is losing ground to the other species,” he added.

Still, Close believes economic pressures may be beginning to influence buying behavior, especially after a prolonged period of higher fuel costs. “My pause is we’re 65–70 days now into a period of a $1-plus gallon increase in gasoline,” Close said. “When we get the hard data from the last 60 days, what we’re expecting is we don’t think we’re losing them to the other species, but we do think we’re seeing some evidence that they’re starting to trade down that beef ladder.”

Close described consumers potentially moving from premium cuts toward lower-cost options. “From a ribeye to a strip, or strip to a sirloin, and all the way through,” he said. “I’m touch cautious.”

Dr. Speer added another layer to the discussion, arguing that the consumer equation is not just about sticker shock — it is also about how retailers and restaurants view beef as a driver of traffic and repeat business. “Yes, the consumer is of consummate importance,” Speer said, “but retailers increasingly understand that having beef and high-quality beef is the cornerstone to getting consumers to keep coming into their store — repeat or comeback customers.”

Speer said retailers may be willing to sacrifice some margin on beef if it gets shoppers through the door and filling grocery carts with other items. “Food retail is such a tight-margin business,” he said. “How much are they willing to eat margin to get you there and then for you to fill your cart otherwise?”

Restaurants may operate similarly. “My favorite joke is you’re going to buy a steak and they’ll eat some margin because they’re going to sell you a $15 bowl of Brussels sprouts,” Speer joked. “At some point, too, they might be willing to eat some margin.”

Ultimately, Speer said today’s beef market reflects a changing and complicated relationship between pricing, consumer behavior, and supply chains. “It’s a really complicated — and it’s a new dynamic,” Speer said. “This is a new time in terms of what we’re seeing with consumers.”

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post How High Is Too High for Today’s Beef Consumer? first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.

In today’s Beef Buzz, senior farm and ranch broadcaster Ron Hays features comments from livestock industry consultant Dr. Nevil Speer, who spoke during the spring conference of the US Meat Export Federation in Oklahoma City about how the beef business transformed itself from years of stagnation into one of agriculture’s strongest consumer-driven success stories.

Speer pointed to a difficult stretch for the beef business between 1980 and the late 1990s. “Between 1980 and 1998 the beef industry gained $6 in new spending, $6 cumulative over 18, 19 years,” Speer said. “Pork and poultry got $106.”

He said the challenge becomes even clearer when inflation is considered. “Let’s remind ourselves during that time what else was happening. It’s inflation, very much an inflationary period,” Speer said. “So actually the industry was going backwards in terms of real dollars coming in to the industry.”

For Speer, the issue was simple: industries cannot grow without new revenue. “You can’t grow an industry, you can’t grow a business without top-line growth,” he said. “No new revenue, no growth, that played out in a real way.”

He noted that live steer prices reflected those struggles as well. “If you look at the live steer price, Kansas basis during that time, the change in price actually went down, and again, this is an inflationary period,” Speer said.

According to Speer, momentum finally began to shift around the turn of the century. “What a turnaround,” he said. “We started getting some traction. Everybody had chicken fatigue, the Atkins diet, those kinds of things.”

Then came another major catalyst. “COVID, guess what happened? Consumers rediscovered beef and how good it actually is,” Speer said. “That’s huge.”

He pointed to stronger consumer spending as evidence of the turnaround. “We had a 14% jump last year in terms of spending,” Speer said. “The growth is real. More dollars coming into the industry, it really, really matters. That is not an accident.”

At the center of that growth, he said, is consumer demand. “We’ve got a consumer good, and if we don’t have consumer spending, we can’t grow the business,” Speer said. “Ultimately, when we start talking about what’s going on in our business, it’s a shift in demand.”

Speer said the long-term numbers show how dramatic that demand shift has become. “2025 versus 2010, we basically added about $2.25 per pound in real terms, and that’s over 30 million additional people versus 2010,” he said. “This is what drives market demand. This started 40 years ago. This didn’t just happen.”

Speer said beef’s position compared to competing proteins has changed significantly. “If you just look at total sales, 57% over the last 52 weeks, and it’s been that way for about two years,” he said. “But it’s the sales growth we’re getting — 74 cents of every new dollar.”

He contrasted that with the industry’s struggles decades earlier. “Remember, 1980 to 1998, that was the other way around,” Speer said. “We weren’t getting any new growth. This is dramatic.”

The stronger demand environment has translated into historically strong cattle markets. “We’ve had a run here of 272 weeks,” Speer said. “Of better prices year over year, we’ve missed four weeks.”

He said the current cycle also feels different to producers. “They talk about, ‘Yeah, my checkbook feels super fat right now,’” Speer said. “They also respect it this time. It’s a different feel than it was last time.”

For Speer, the biggest difference in today’s beef business comes down to one thing: quality. “To me, the big difference is quality,” he said.

He credited the beef checkoff and the industry’s willingness to confront quality problems head-on. “If the checkoff did one thing — wait, two things,” Speer said with a laugh, “helped with exports… it also funded the first beef quality audit and the subsequent ones, where we finally documented what was wrong with our business.”

“Beef was too tough, wonky, too fat,” he said. “This is why people wouldn’t buy our product. They’re not going to spend more money.”

That effort, Speer argued, laid the foundation for today’s stronger consumer confidence in beef. “We’re now average in the Choice Plus category,” he said. “Remember when we used to say, ‘Oh yeah, they grade Choice. Who cares?’ We’re in a whole new realm.” “This is what’s bringing consumers back,” Speer said. “It’s the quality and the consistency, and this did not just happen.”

He credited better genetics, management, and a stronger focus on what consumers actually want. “We’ve gotten better at genetics, and we’ve gotten better at management, and we’re starting to listen to consumers,” Speer said. “It makes all the difference in the world. And it is the anchor, truly.”

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 above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.

The post How Consumer Demand and Quality Helped Drive Beef’s Remarkable Turnaround first appeared on Oklahoma Farm Report.