OMAHA (DTN) -- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers Wednesday the department will announce more initiatives within the next week to push back the spread of New World screwworm (NWS) in Mexico.

Rollins testified for nearly five hours on Wednesday before the House Agriculture Committee. Republicans praised her leadership and the direction of USDA under the Trump administration while Democrats chided Rollins over a range of program cuts and the trade war. Within that mix Rollins provided some important updates.

The secretary repeatedly told lawmakers USDA would make a major announcement next week on the next step and resources to combat the screwworm situation. Rollins said USDA became alarmed when the screwworm fly migrated 400 miles northward "in a matter of weeks," going from 1,100 miles from the U.S. border to 700 miles.

Rollins noted, "We hadn't seen that kind of movement in decades."

Rollins also touched on the economic hit livestock producers faced when screwworm hit in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s. "We have to move screwworm back and if not, we will have another three decades trying to recover from it," Rollins said.

New World screwworm infests mammals as larvae and will continue feeding like screwing into an animal's flesh. In Mexico, USDA funds the production and release of sterile flies to mate with female flies and help reduce larvae production.

USDA shut down the border to Mexican cattle last November, reopened the border briefly in late February and then closed the border again on May 11.

Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, pressed for USDA to consider establishing a new sterile fly facility within the U.S., ideally at Moore Air Force Base in her district.

"Our cattlemen are very, very worried about the screwworm," De La Cruz said. She added, "It could have catastrophic consequences to our agricultural economy and to our natural ecosystem."

Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, said his district is the largest cattle-feeding district in the country and those feeders rely on Mexican cattle feeders to fill their feedyards. He raised concerns about the ban on Mexican cattle imports and questioned whether USDA could review that ban in a shorter window than every 30 days.

"Every day that imports are suspended, my constituents, their businesses are severely impacted," Jackson said.

Rollin said she is in constant contact with Mexico's Agriculture minister and USDA continues to assess the situation, but the key indicator is the fly population retracting south instead of migrating north.

"The metric we are looking for is watching the screwworm retreat south," Rollins said.

AG LABOR

Members of both parties talked to Rollins about their concerns over agricultural labor. Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif., pointed to ICE raids in his district on farms in Ventura County on Tuesday.

Rep. Don Davis, N.C., also said farmers in his state struggle with the costs of the H-2A program and the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) that the Department of Labor uses to set wages.

Rollins said there are citrus producers in Texas paying $23 an hour for workers while Mexican growers are paying $2 an hour. She also said she recognizes the labor shortages farmers face. "This is unsustainable," Rollins said.

"We have to fix the H-2A program and ensure we can make certain our producers have the labor that they need to not only feed America, but the world."

Despite the raids now affecting more farm operations, Rollins said President Donald Trump and other Cabinet members are trying to address the labor needs in agriculture.

Still, Rollins added, "Clearly the real reform needs to come from Congress."

BUDGET RECONCILIATION, TRADE AGENDA

The secretary pointed out the budget reconciliation bill, the "Big Beautiful Bill," includes $10 billion in overall tax cuts to farmers, including raising the exemption on the estate tax and boosting deductions for equipment. She also pointed out the bill's farm bill provisions, which include increasing reference prices for commodity programs.

"I'm not sure, from my perspective and this job, there is anything more important than updating those reference prices," she said.

Still, Rollins said there are fundamental challenges that the bill doesn't address. She also told lawmakers multiple times about USDA's efforts to help expand trade through trips to the United Kingdom, Italy and upcoming trips to countries such as Vietnam and India.

On the reconciliation bill, Rollins said, "Having said all of that, if we don't open up these world markets, if we don't bring down the costs of inputs, if we don't ensure that our family farms have a prosperous future where they are not reliant, or mostly reliant on the government payout, then we won't get to the next 250 years and be the America that we are today."

SOLAR PANELS ON FARMS

Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., and Rep. Dave Taylor, R-Ohio, talked about their concerns with solar panels on productive farmland and cited legislation they have introduced to block such solar expansion.

"I believe farmers should have every right to do what they want on their land, but the federal government should not be incentivizing the most productive land from being taken out of production," Taylor said.

Rollins said she had spoken to President Trump about solar panels on farmland and suggested using USDA authority to curb the expansion.

"I will also say that we are moving regulations through USDA relative to this as much as we can within the executive branch," Rollins said.

MAHA REPORT

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., ranking member of the committee, questioned how Rollins could back Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) report which was full of "made up science and fake citations." Craig later added, "What my farmers would love to see if you stand up for them and against this fake science," Craig said.

Rep. Scott DeJarlais, R-Tenn., also was critical that farmers were not included in development of MAHA report.

Rollins said she supports the MAHA effort but also made it clear that crop protection tools will not be hindered by Kennedy's reports. "I have been unequivocal on the record on how important these crop protection programs are, pesticides, specifically, glyphosate and others," she said.

The full committee hearing can be watched at https://agriculture.house.gov/….

See, "Texas Representatives Introduce Bill to Help Fight Screwworms; NCBA Supports New Facility," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Also see, "ICE Ramps Up Arrests With Raid at Nebraska Meat Plant, California Produce Farms," https://www.dtnpf.com/…

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

Follow him on social platform X @ChrisClaytonDTN

(c) Copyright 2025 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.