New World Screwworm Confirmed in U.S. Wildlife for the First Time in This Outbreak: Texas Elk and New Mexico Cow
The Morning Harvest: Farm and Food News, No. 014, Thursday, October 22, 2026
Today in 30 seconds
Top story: USDA confirmed New World screwworm in a hunter-harvested elk in Pecos County, Texas, and in a beef cow in Otero County, New Mexico, on Wednesday, October 21.
Recall check: Gray News reports FDA has given the Sierra Nevada Cheese Company Graziers raw milk cheese recall a Class I designation; CDC counts 13 ill (as of September 25).
Why it costs what it costs: Mexican blackberries sell at the shipping point for mostly $14 a flat and advertise in stores at $40.20 a flat.
What’s in season: White mushrooms at $1.35 for 8 ounces are the promotional buy; russet potatoes and red bell peppers are better as spring garden plans.
Could you grow this? Asparagus: a perennial bed that gives nothing in year one and a fuller harvest from year three.
Garden State minute: Reas Farm in West Cape May is still absorbing losses after a drought that South Jersey’s warning lifted on October 1.
What does the first New World screwworm case in U.S. wildlife in this outbreak mean for cattle, hunters and beef prices?
What happened. On Wednesday, October 21, 2026, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the first detection of New World screwworm in U.S. wildlife. The animal was a female elk on a game ranch in Pecos County, Texas, harvested by a hunter and reported afterward. Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) confirmed the case the same day. Also on October 21, a beef cow at Pinon in Otero County, New Mexico, was confirmed, with an infested zone of at least 12.4 miles (20 kilometers). One qualifier: Axios describes the elk as the first in wildlife during the current outbreak, APHIS’s headline says only “U.S. wildlife,” and Key deer were infested during the 2016 Florida Keys outbreak, so “first in this outbreak” is the careful wording. We could not find the hunt date, who found the larvae, or the ranch name.
The numbers behind it. NASS counted 86.2 million cattle and calves in the U.S. on January 1, 2026, down from 86.5 million in 2025, with 27.6 million beef cows. Texas ranks first at 12.1 million head; New Jersey has 24,000. Drovers, citing USDA, reported 56 confirmed cases and 5 active as of October 20, plus about 1,000 suspect submissions since June 3 (531 from Texas). KVIA reported seven active cases across both states after the two new ones; USDA’s dashboard was not loadable for us, so check it live. The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) counts 44 premises in 17 counties. The first U.S. case was a calf in Zavala County, Texas, on June 3, 2026. On October 21, December live cattle settled at $231.12 per hundredweight (100 pounds) and November feeders at $348.82 (Brownfield).
What shoppers pay. The Bureau of Labor Statistics put ground beef at $6.792 a pound in September 2026, up 7.4 percent from $6.323 a year earlier. Economists at the University of Georgia and Kansas State told ABC News that screwworm itself is unlikely to add to prices; they point to drought, feed, and input costs. CBS News, citing USDA, reports the parasite does not affect food safety, though it can affect production.
Why it is spreading. Penn State Extension says a female lays roughly 100 to 300 eggs, which hatch in 6 to 8 hours; larvae feed for 5 to 7 days, pupae develop 7 to 10 days in soil, and mated females fly about 6 to 12 miles. Texas A&M AgriLife says activity peaks in the warmest months and a wound as small as a tick bite can be infested. Beef Central (a single source) says Mexico has recorded 47,425 cases since 2024. CIDRAP reported a case at a feedlot in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, under 70 miles from the border, in September 2025. The main tool is sterile fly release. APHIS lists Panama at about 100 million flies a week, the Metapa, Mexico plant at 100 million a week capacity (finished late June 2026 after a $21 million upgrade), and the Moore Air Base dispersal facility in Edinburg, Texas at up to 100 million a week. A $750 million production plant at Moore Air Base broke ground April 17, 2026; Drovers reports the first 100 million a week is targeted for November 2027 and up to 300 million a week by the end of 2028. These are capacities, not measured weekly releases.
What it costs. APHIS’s Ready Reference Guide (January 2025) says the 1976 Texas outbreak infested 1,488,256 cattle, cost producers $132.1 million, and cost the Texas economy $329.6 million, all in 1976 dollars. The cost per infested cattle case was $81.51 in 1976 and $452.14 in 2024 dollars. APHIS’s inflation adjustment puts a 1976-size outbreak today at about $732.6 million for producers and $1.83 billion for the Texas economy, in 2024 dollars. APHIS also values eradication at $796 million a year to producers (1996 dollars). If every animal in a 100-cow herd were infested, the APHIS per-case figure implies about $45,214. That is our arithmetic, not USDA’s, and a worst-case illustration.
How the response works. USDA APHIS leads with TAHC, state veterinarians, and TPWD. Each confirmed case creates an infested zone of at least 12.4 miles (20 kilometers). Animals leaving need TAHC-authorized inspection and a movement or treatment certificate. Texas infested-zone counties per TAHC: Brewster, Crockett, Edwards, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Presidio, Schleicher, Starr, Sutton, Terrell, Val Verde, and Zapata. Screwworm is reportable within 24 hours of suspicion. Border cattle imports halted in May 2025 and are reopening in phases: Douglas, Arizona on August 24; Santa Teresa, New Mexico on September 24; Columbus, New Mexico on Monday, October 26; and Nogales, Arizona on November 30, conditionally. Drovers, citing a Chihuahua union, projects about 750 head a day at Columbus. Mexico normally ships about 1.1 to 1.2 million head a year (Drovers, Meatingplace). We saw conflicting crossing totals for the first two ports and are not reporting them.
What USDA has not said. We could not find how the elk became infested, whether the fly is established in free-ranging wildlife, how many sterile flies are being released this week, whether other wildlife cases exist, or the dashboard count after the two new cases. For precedent, the Florida Keys outbreak was confirmed September 30, 2016, took about 188 million sterile flies, and was declared eradicated March 23, 2017 (Journal of Medical Entomology). Texas A&M’s Natural Resources Institute cites losses of about 15 percent of the Key deer population. New Mexico had four earlier cases per Nature World News.
Reaction. Alan Cain, TPWD Wildlife Division director, on October 21 urged people to be vigilant for signs of screwworm. New Mexico Agriculture Secretary Jeff Witte, also October 21, called this a critical time as the state moves toward cooler weather. Stephen Diebel, TSCRA president, said on August 31 that the zone release marks an important step forward. Bill Bullard, R-CALF USA CEO, said on July 27 that the phased reopening was premature until Mexico can demonstrate it has fully eradicated the pest. We found no statement from a major farm group on the elk case by air time.
The port reopening and deer season. The Columbus port reopens next to the Grant County infested zones, and a surveillance zone reaches just outside Columbus (Drovers). Texas general deer season opens November 7, 2026 (North Zone through January 3, 2027; South Zone through January 17, 2027, per TPWD via Fox 7). TPWD asks hunters to inspect harvested animals before field dressing, checking eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and between the toes, and to report findings.
What to do
Livestock owners and pet owners in Texas and New Mexico: check wounds daily, especially after calving, dehorning, branding, and tagging. Call the TAHC Veterinarian on Call at 1-800-550-8242 within 24 hours of any suspicion. In New Mexico, use the New Mexico Department of Agriculture online report form (we could not confirm a phone number).
Hunters and landowners: inspect every harvested animal before field dressing, then call TPWD biologists at 512-389-4505 or go to screwworm.texas.gov.
Pet owners: check pets for wounds and call a veterinarian (Texas A&M AgriLife).
Keep a written log of inspections and any treatment or movement certificates.
Shoppers: USDA says there is no food safety issue; the economists cited say beef prices are being driven by factors other than this case.
Sources: USDA APHIS announcement, Oct 21, 2026; TPWD release via WTAW, Oct 21; Axios, Oct 21; KOB, Oct 21; Reuters via KELO, Oct 21; KVIA, Oct 21; CBS News; Drovers, Oct 20; TAHC; Nature World News, Oct 20; NASS Cattle, Jan 2026; Brownfield, Oct 21; BLS ground beef via The Money Overview, Sept 2026; ABC News; Penn State Extension; Texas A&M AgriLife; Beef Central, Oct 20; CIDRAP; APHIS sterile fly facilities; Drovers on Moore plant; USDA Metapa release, Feb 9, 2026; APHIS Ready Reference Guide, Jan 2025; APHIS phased reopening; Meatingplace; Journal of Medical Entomology; R-CALF USA, Jul 27; TSCRA, Aug 31; Fox 7 Austin, TPWD deer season; Texas A&M AgriLife NRI, Jun 10.
Is there a recall on Graziers raw milk cheese, and what does Class I mean?
I could not confirm a new produce recall posted October 19 to 22, so this is an update on an active outbreak. Sierra Nevada Cheese Company of Willows, California, recalled Graziers grass-fed raw milk cheeses beginning September 24, 2026: medium cheddar, sharp cheddar, jalapeno jack, and Monterey jack, in 8 ounce and 16 ounce retail packs and 5 pound foodservice loaves. The strain is E. coli O26:H11. FDA and CDC (September 25) count 13 ill in 9 states (CA, CO, GA, KY, MI, NV, OR, TN, UT), 8 hospitalized, 3 with hemolytic uremic syndrome (a kidney complication), and no deaths. Gray News/WCTV reported October 21 that the cheese went to 13 states including New Jersey, and that FDA has given it a Class I designation; we could not find that listing on an FDA page. FDA defines Class I as a reasonable probability of serious harm or death, Class II as temporary or medically reversible harm, and Class III as not likely to cause harm. Classification is a separate step after the recall begins.
What to do: Do not eat, sell, or serve it. Return it for a refund, and throw out any unlabeled cheese you cannot identify. Sanitize surfaces it touched. Per CDC, see a doctor for diarrhea or vomiting lasting over 2 days, bloody stool, fever over 102 F, or signs of dehydration.
Sources: FDA outbreak page, updated Sep 25, 2026; CDC outbreak page; WCTV/Gray News, Oct 21; FDA recall definitions, Mar 20, 2026; FDA enforcement reports; CDC E. coli symptoms.
Why do Mexican blackberries cost $14 a flat at the border and $40 in the store?
On Tuesday, October 20, USDA’s National FOB Review priced Mexican blackberries crossing through Arizona, California, and Texas at $12 to $16 for a 12 x 6 ounce flat, mostly $14 (about $1.17 a cup). The market was slightly higher and demand moderate. Guatemalan berries via South Florida were mostly $27 a flat, with very light supply. FOB, or shipping point price, includes packing, palletizing, and cooling, and is not what the grower nets. USDA’s October 16 retail report put the average advertised 6 ounce package at $3.35 (2,842 ads), against $2.36 last week (5,212 ads) and $3.01 last year. A flat at $3.35 a container is $40.20 (our arithmetic), nearly three times the $14 shipping point price, a $26.20 gap. That gap covers transport, labor, storage, and retail margin (Fruit Growers News, February 26, 2026, general produce, not berry-specific); the ERS puts farm share at 11.8 cents of the food dollar in 2024, across all food. Caution: ad counts nearly halved, so part of the retail jump is a different mix of ads. FreshFruitPortal (October 15) says Mexican volumes are climbing, with good availability expected for a couple of months. Mexico’s output comes mostly from Michoacan (29 percent), Jalisco (20 percent), and Baja California (16 percent), and about 80 percent of exports come to the U.S. (FreshPlaza, August 25).
What to do: Shoppers, wait for ads to return as Mexican volume builds. Growers and farm stands, the $26 gap per flat is the case for selling direct; know your packing and cooling cost before you set a price.
Sources: USDA AMS National FOB Review, Oct 20, 2026; USDA AMS retail report, Oct 16, 2026; Fruit Growers News, Feb 26, 2026; FreshFruitPortal, Oct 15, 2026; FreshFruitPortal on ERS farm share, Apr 30, 2026; FreshPlaza, Aug 25, 2026.
What produce is in season in late October, and what should you buy?
USDA retail prices are from the October 16 report (this week, last week, last year); FOB prices are from October 20.
White mushrooms, 8 ounce: $1.35 (2,403 ads), $2.16, $1.60. Ads nearly doubled, so the drop reflects heavy promotion. Pennsylvania sold 459.5 million of 619.8 million pounds of U.S. Agaricus mushrooms, 74.1 percent, at $1.22 a pound (NASS, August 19, 2026). Refrigerate in a paper bag, use within about 3 days, avoid plastic (Penn State Extension).
Russet potatoes, 5 pound bag: $3.26 (2,806 ads), $2.74, $2.78; per pound $1.20 versus $0.85 last year, up 41 percent. Idaho Twin Falls-Burley, 50 pound carton, Norkotah 60s-70s: mostly $23 (about 46 cents a pound), steady, with demand above supply on 40 to 80 counts. The Idaho Potato Commission projected 298,915 planted acres, about 13,000 fewer than last year (via Capital Press, September 29). Idaho harvest was expected to continue into mid to late October with large russets limited (Markon via Potato News Today, October 8). Store at about 45 F, dark and ventilated, not refrigerated (UMaine Extension 4179e).
Red bell peppers: $1.27 each (2,596 ads), $1.19, $1.37; $2.71 a pound. Mexico greenhouse via Texas, 11 pound carton, red jumbo and extra large: mostly $14 to $15 (about $1.32 a pound), steady. Choose shiny and heavy for size; use red peppers within 1 to 2 days (UMaine Extension 4181e).
What to do: Buy mushrooms while they are on promotion. Potatoes and peppers are home garden crops, so plan them for next spring. Mushrooms are a specialty crop at home.
Sources: USDA AMS retail report, Oct 16; USDA AMS National FOB Review, Oct 20; NASS Mushrooms, Aug 19, 2026; Penn State Extension, mushrooms; Capital Press, Sep 29; Potato News Today, Oct 8; UMaine 4179e; UMaine 4181e.
Could you grow asparagus at home, and what should you do this fall?
Asparagus is a perennial. Bed life runs 10 to 15 years or more by most sources (NC State and Rutgers say 15 or more; Clemson says 7 to 8). Yield is 2,000 to 2,500 pounds an acre (Missouri G6405; Texas A&M about 2,500), or about three quarters of a pound of spears per plant per harvest period (Utah State, single source). Harvest timeline: nothing in year one, a light harvest of 1 to 2 weeks in year two, and a full 6 to 8 week harvest from year three (Missouri, NC State; Utah State and Penn State say year five).
Spacing: crowns 12 to 18 inches apart, rows 4 to 5 feet apart, in a trench 6 to 12 inches deep.
Site: full sun, well drained soil, pH 6.0 to 7.5, sweet spot 6.5 to 7.0.
How many: for a family of four, about 25 to 50 crowns for fresh eating and 50 to 100 to freeze. That is our estimate, our arithmetic from NC State’s 10 per person and Utah State’s about 25 per household.
Varieties: Jersey Knight (Northeast, Midwest, Pacific Northwest, Utah); UC 157 (California, Texas, warm West); Millennium (Midwest, Pacific Northwest); Purple Passion as a novelty.
Pests: asparagus beetle, Fusarium crown rot, and rust.
What to do (late October): Soil test now; NC State advises about six months before planting. Clear perennial weeds and add organic matter; Clemson says fall is the best time for bed prep. Order certified one-year-old crowns (Rutgers) for spring planting: Southeast February to April, Pacific Northwest and Northeast in spring; California can set seedlings in fall. For existing beds, cut ferns only after they brown, then mulch 4 to 6 inches.
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Sources: Missouri G6405; Texas A&M asparagus; Utah State; NC State; Clemson; Rutgers FS1301; UMN; Oregon State; UC Master Gardeners; Penn State. Researched October 22, 2026.
How is a South Jersey farm coping after the drought?
South Jersey Climate News (Ross Brown, October 15, 2026), reposted by NJ Spotlight News on October 19, visited Reas Farm in West Cape May, Cape May County. The state Department of Environmental Protection declared a South Jersey drought warning on December 5, 2025, and lifted it for most of the region on October 1, 2026. The Coastal South region (Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and parts of six other counties) moved to drought watch. At Reas Farm, 7 acres of field corn never germinated and were replanted as a corn maze that did not reach full height. Fifty acres of hay on owned and rented ground germinated very poorly, and two more cornfields failed and were not replanted. Operations manager Kelly Keppel estimates income about $20,000 below last year, and says diesel went from about $2.75 to about $6 a gallon. The article calls it a year-long drought; Keppel puts it at over 18 months. Ben Casella of New Jersey Farm Bureau says fruit and vegetable growers were least affected because most irrigate, grain and forage were hit harder, and the biggest issue will be expenses.
What to do: Farmers with drought losses should talk to their local FSA office and use the farmers.gov Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool. FSA lists Emergency Loans and the Emergency Conservation Program for drought. Coverage under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for uninsured crops must be bought in the crop year in which the loss occurred (farmers.gov); ask your FSA office about sign-up. These are the same federal programs in every state. We found no deadlines to report.
Sources: South Jersey Climate News, Oct 15, 2026; NJ Spotlight News, Oct 19, 2026; farmers.gov Protection and Recovery.
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