New Mexico agriculture industry, agencies prepare as screwworm flies closer - Cathy Cook, Albuquerque Journal
Two cases of the New World screwworm, a costly pest that has devastated livestock producers and wildlife in the past, were found in northern Mexico in recent weeks, but the fly has yet to make it into New Mexico.
“It’s terrifying,” said Bronson Corn, New Mexico Cattle Growers Association president. “The chances of it ever crossing from the border on livestock is little to none, especially since the border between the United States and Mexico is shut down. But the wildlife aspect of it is quite concerning.”
New Mexico cattle organizations, agriculture agencies and veterinarians are preparing for the fly to potentially journey across the border by educating the public and planning for testing.
The New Mexico Agriculture Department is focused on educating people about the New World screwworm — a fly that resembles the housefly but has parasitic larvae — to create awareness but not alarm, said spokeswoman Jenny Green.
New Mexico State University extension offices throughout the state are equipped with sample kits that livestock producers can use to collect larvae of suspected screwworms. Those samples would be tested by the state entomologist, and any positive tests would be double checked by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Educational presentations on the screwworm will be held at extension offices over the winter months, said Tom Dean, Extension Southwest District director.
The United States government has spent millions to keep the screwworm south of the Darién Gap since it was eradicated from the country in the 1960s. The flies lay their eggs in the open wounds or mucus membranes of warm-blooded animals, particularly cattle. The insect can also affect wildlife, pets and, rarely, people. In its maggot stage, the screwworm eats through flesh, burrowing farther into a wound. Left untreated, it can kill a cow in a week.
If screwworm is suspected, the extension service recommends taking photos of the wounds and consulting a veterinarian. Larvae should be removed, the wound cleaned and the animal isolated.
In recent years the species has traveled north. Mexico recorded more than 6,000 cases as of September, Reuters reported.
Two recent Mexican cases were on cattle being transported through and inspected in the state of Nuevo León, which borders the U.S. That is a much different scenario than if the fly itself had migrated that far north, said Dr. Samantha Holeck, state veterinarian with the New Mexico Livestock Board.
“As far as we know, none of the native animals have been found with it in Nuevo León,” Holeck said. Surveillance of the area is ongoing and it will likely be several weeks before it’s clear if the fly has taken hold in that area, she said.
One case of the fly has been found in the U.S. this year on a person who was traveling from El Salvador into Maryland.
Since May, the United States has closed its southern border to cattle, bison and horse imports from Mexico in an effort to contain the fly. The government has also invested $21 million to retrofit a fruit fly sterilization facility in Mexico to produce sterile screwworms, and $8.5 million in a sterile fly dispersal facility in Texas.
The most successful strategy for managing and eradicating the flies has been producing sterile male flies and then distributing them in affected areas. Because screwworm flies only mate once, releasing sterile males causes population decline.
The USDA is planning to build a sterile fly production facility in southern Texas, with the capacity to produce 300 million sterile flies per week. It could take several years before that facility is fully operational, Holeck said. There is debate on that plan because of concerns about bringing the flies into an area that hasn’t been infested, according to Holeck.
“I think additional production of the flies will be critical to controlling it,” she said. “What we’ve got in production right now, my understanding is that it’s only about 20% of the capacity of flies that it took to eradicate it from the United States and Central America the first time around.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service funded an estimated 90% of a Panama-United States Commission to eradicate the screwworm, building a facility in 2006 to release sterile flies. APHIS estimated in 2025 that investing in the sterile fly facility in Panama saved the U.S. cattle industry $2.3 billion annually.
A 1976 outbreak of the flies in Texas cost the state’s livestock producers and economy an estimated $1.8 billion in 2024 dollars, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
The species can also devastate wildlife. When Florida had an outbreak in 2016 near its Key Deer National Refuge, there were concerns about the survival of the endangered Key deer.
Holeck expected the screwworm to make it to New Mexico already, and believes good strategies have been put in place to slow it down. But the insect’s spread gets harder to control on a larger land mass.
“It just becomes very difficult to distribute enough of those sterile flies to really stay ahead of it,” Holeck said. “So that’s my biggest concern, is that no matter how good the strategies are, I’m afraid that it’s going to overwhelm all of that effort and still make its way here. So I think it’s important that we be prepared.”
New Mexico school districts split $35 million in state funds for school security improvements - Leah Romero, Source New Mexico
New Mexico public school districts have begun receiving portions of $35 million appropriated during the regular legislative session earlier this year for school security and safety improvements during the 2026 fiscal year.
The funds were appropriated through House Bill 450, which set aside funds for myriad capital outlay projects across the state. That includes include $50 million for school security, continuing technical education equipment, school maintenance and repair, of which $35 million will benefit security upgrades. Majority Whip Sen. Michael Padilla (D-Albuquerque) advocated for including the security and safety fund appropriation in the bill.
“The objective here is to make sure that the school grounds are safe, warm, inviting. That they’re a place of learning, not a place that you need to be worried about going to,” Padilla told Source NM.
He added that school districts have made large investments in recent years to improve security measures through various technologies. The $35 million is a way to supplement the previous investments and further improve districts’ security approach.
“We’ve seen the proliferation of cameras all around schools, all around our community,” he said. “This [money] actually really helps to tie all that together with an innovative approach to gun detection…you know, what’s coming into the school grounds and in bags and this and that.”
The funds will be distributed by the New Mexico Public Schools Facilities Authority among all 89 New Mexico public school districts, in proportion to the district’s proposed projects. Gallup and Gadsden schools districts will receive the largest amount of funds —approximately $5.9 and $4.1 million respectively.
“Even if you’re a smaller district than, say, Las Cruces or Albuquerque or Santa Fe or whatever, you might have greater needs from a technology implementation standpoint than some of these larger districts, because they’ve had more money already on hand to implement this stuff,” Padilla said. “We want to make sure that every district is eligible, including the smallest schools in the state.”
Padilla added that this is a one-time appropriation, as lawmakers cannot guarantee that these funds will be included in the appropriation budget each year. He emphasized that New Mexico is undergoing changes due to federal funding cuts and the natural variability in the oil and gas industry.
However, he said the appropriation is one small way to help districts be proactive in improving school security and stop dangerous scenarios from playing out before they occur.
“This is one way for us to do that,” he said. “Our children deserve the absolute best, safest, warmest, inviting environment… Take that noise out of their way so that when they’re in the public school, all they’re worried about is learning rather than, ‘Am I safe here?’”
Cannon AFB under lockdown for one hour due to threat - Eastern New Mexico News
In Eastern New Mexico on Friday, Cannon Air Force Base was under lockdown for about an hour in response to an active shooter threat.
The Eastern New Mexico News reports Air Force officials said there was no known active shooter, but there was a threat.
Cannon AFB personnel went into “active shooter protocol” just after noon on Friday, after officials received word of the threat.
Base security performed sweeps of the base and nearby Chavez Housing, which serves the base. Security reported no suspects or incidents.
During the lockdown, everyone on the base was ordered to shelter in place. The lockdown lasted about an hour and was lifted shortly after 1 p.m.
Cannon AFB is located in Curry County, immediately west of the Clovis city limits. Clovis Police Chief Trevor Thron and Curry County Sheriff Michael Brockett both said they were not asked to assist base personnel during the threat.
Officials did not provide any details about the threat or how the threat was received by Cannon AFB staff.
NM health agency warns of upcoming change for some SNAP recipients - Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
The state agency that administers New Mexico’s food stamps program says as many as 32,000 residents’ eligibility could be impacted next month by new federal rules.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” President Donald Trump signed July 4 contains many changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps, but most don’t go into effect until next year or later.
But Nov. 1, the bill will change how energy assistance payments are applied to SNAP eligibility determinations, according to an announcement Wednesday from the state Health Care Authority.
Before the bill, states like New Mexico would automatically lower a household’s calculated income by a standard amount if the household received assistance from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP.
The deduction is important because it affects how much SNAP benefits a household receives. According to the federal Agriculture Department the standard deduction in New Mexico’s, known as the Heating and Cooling Standard Utility Allowance, is $408.
However, thanks to the law, that deduction is only automatic for households with members aged 60 or over or those with a disability.. SNAP recipients without those household members will have to jump through other hurdles, including showing utility bills, to receive the deduction.
HCA officials said the office will provide assistance to recipients with questions about the change.
“We’re reaching out early so families have time to prepare,”Niki Kozlowski, Income Support Division director at the HCA said in a statement. “If you’re unsure how this affects you, please contact us now, before your next renewal date, so we can walk you through what you may need to provide.”
The change goes into effect for new benefit applications or renewals beginning Nov. 1. The new requirements don’t affect current SNAP benefits before then, according to the news release.