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MRT (free): Agency Budget Requests Total $24.6B for Biennium // DFW Business Bankruptcies Skyrocket // Mexican Cattle Banned from TX Due to Screwworm
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
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MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
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MONDAY || 1/13/25
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TOP NEWS
“Mexican cattle banned from Texas due to screwworm threat,” Texas Tribune's Pooja Salhotra — “A single cow in Mexico and a pest the size of a housefly have held up pens full of Texas-bound cattle worth millions of dollars for the past six weeks.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned Mexican cattle imports since November after a parasite known as screwworm, which wriggles into the flesh of livestock and kills them if left untreated, was discovered on a cow near Mexico’s border with Guatemala. The ban on imports is a bigger problem than the screwworm itself, according to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and some Texas cattle ranchers, who say closing cattle imports damages their livelihoods, bottlenecks beef production and could increase beef prices for consumers.
“I get calls every single day from people asking for cattle,” said Alvaro Bustillos, president of Vaquero Trading, a livestock procurement company in El Paso. “Key steps in the production value chain are being stopped because people cannot source cattle.”
Miller remembers a time when screwworm wreaked havoc in Texas — $132 million in damages in 1976 — but said the USDA prematurely closed imports and is hampering an industry still trying to recover from two years of widespread drought.
“There’s no way we are going to get screwworm,” Miller told The Texas Tribune. “We have a very strict import process for these cattle.”
About 3% of U.S. cattle come from Mexico. But Mexican cattle play a disproportionate role in southern states’ beef production. Approximately two-thirds of Mexican cattle imports remain in Texas, New Mexico or Oklahoma, according to an estimate from Ben Weinheimer, the president and CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, which represents the industry across those three states.
Cattle crossing between Mexico and the U.S. remains on hold while the USDA installs new inspection pens and enhanced safety protocols to ensure cattle are healthy. Keeping the U.S. free of screwworm saves livestock producers close to $1 billion a year, said Texas Animal Health Commission spokesperson Erin Robinson, pointing to a USDA estimate that accounts for costs of labor, treatment, veterinary care, eradication efforts and loss of production.
Shutting off Mexican cattle imports has contributed to a recent increase in cow prices, said David P. Anderson, a professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension. Prices of feeder steers, which make up a large portion of Mexican cattle imports, are forecast to rise by 8% in 2025, a USDA report states. If import restrictions continue for much longer, beef production could drop, pushing up prices for consumers.
“Fewer cattle mean higher beef prices, increasing inflation at the checkout line,” Miller wrote in a Dec. 23 editorial, adding that the ban “could send shockwaves through the beef market.”
Screwworm infestations occur when a female fly lays her eggs on an animal’s open wound or another area such as their eyes or mouth. The female can lay up to 300 eggs at a time, and any warm-blooded animal, including humans, although rare, can be affected. The eggs hatch into larvae that dig into the animal and feed on living flesh.
Screwworm was declared eradicated from the U.S. in 1966, but Texas experienced a more recent outbreak in 1976 that affected 20% of cattle." Texas Tribune
DMN: Gromer Jeffers, Jr. column: “Who will run the Texas House as speaker?” DMN ($)
DMN: “Texas agencies ask for billions in new money in 2026-2027 budget” DMN ($)
HOU CHRON: “Will taxpayers have to cover Texas' leaking oil and gas wells” Houston Chronicle ($)
HOU LANDING: “From 50-year legislator to Houston mayor, the transition was not always easy for John Whitmire” Houston Landing
DMN: “Dallas city manager candidates start making their cases for why they should get the job” DMN ($)
FW REPORT: “Trinity Metro receives $25M federal grant to expand TEXRail into Near Southside” FW Report
DMN: “Business bankruptcies skyrocket in D-FW region” DMN ($)
DMN: “Two key Southwest Airlines leaders retiring” DMN ($)
HOU CHRON: “Migrant detention bill could give Texas sway over immigration policy” Houston Chronicle ($)
SA REPORT: “San Antonio's open mayoral race kicks into gear this week” SA Report
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> AP: "States are preparing to help or thwart Trump’s second-term plans" AP
> DMN: "Jason Villalba: The Texas speaker race can still usher a surprise" DMN
> DMN: "DOGE is a good first step to reduce government spending" DMN
> HOU CHRON: "Migrant detention bill before U.S. Senate could give Texas more sway over immigration policy" HOU CHRON
> HOU CHRON: "Infowars sale to return to Houston court following rejected bankruptcy auction" HOU CHRON
> DMN: "Laken Riley Act offers grounds for compromise on immigration enforcement" DMN
> SAEN: "Highly contagious bird flu detected in Austin as cases rise across Texas" SAEN
> SAEN: "A tough-on-crime approach is back in US state capitols" SAEN
> WACO TRIB: "Texas Legislature returns Tuesday. Leadership battles, divisive issues await lawmakers" WACO TRIB
> TPR: "Why Texas highway flyovers are so high" TPR
> HOU CHRON: "Food Town closes location of former Randall's visited by Russian leader in 1989" HOU CHRON
> HOU CHRON: "What Houston school districts are asking lawmakers for this legislative session" HOU CHRON
> HOU CHRON: "Houston police shoot armed man after he allegedly turned toward officers" HOU CHRON
> TPR: "FEMA's administrator says more than 24,000 in LA have applied for assistance" TPR
> TPR: "Science & Medicine: San Antonio scientist discovers how stress triggers migraines" TPR
> COMMUNITY IMPACT: "Caddo Office Reimagined now offering convenient work spaces in North Tarrant County" COMMUNITY IMPACT
> AMARILLO G-N: "2024 Headliner: Tim Reid went from foster care to FBI, teacher and veterans' advocate" AMARILLO G-N
> AMARILLO G-N: "City of Amarillo seeks volunteers for annual homeless population count" AMARILLO G-N
> AMARILLO G-N: "2024 Headliner: Kristi Leff, with out-of-the-box approach, fights for the underdog" AMARILLO G-N
> TPR: "San Antonio mourns loss of the ‘Spurs Lady’ Sovia Lauriano" TPR
> TX TRIB: "Will Republican control of Congress lead to updated ag laws? Texas farmers hope so." TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "‘I follow the law:’ El Paso doctor responds to Ken Paxton’s lawsuit over alleged transgender care" TX TRIB
EXTRA POINTS
Last weekend's Texas sports scores:
Fri
> NCAAM: #8 Ohio State vs. #5 Texas
Sat
> NFL: Houston 32, LA Chargers 12
> NHL: Dallas 2, Montreal 1 (OT)
> NCAAM: #1 Tennessee 74, Texas 70
> NCAAM: #3 Iowa State 85, Texas Tech 84
> NCAAM: #5 Alabama 94, #10 Texas A&M 88
> NCAAM: #12 Houston 87, Kansas State 57
> NCAAM: Baylor 72, Arizona State 66
> NCAAM: TCU 71, BYU 67
> NCAAM: SMU 93, Georgia Tech 71
> NCAAM: Southern Miss 92, Texas State 88
> NCAAM: Sam Houston State 81, Florida International 74
> NCAAM: UTSA 88, Wichita State 75
> NCAAM: Houston Christian 81, Incarnate Word 76
> NCAAM: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 79, UT-RGV 74
> NCAAM: Stephen F. Austin 72, Lamar 63
> NCAAM: Prairie View A&M 74, Mississippi Valley State 65
> NCAAM: Southern Utah 73, UT-Arlington 68
> NCAAM: Utah Tech 58, Tarleton State 54
> NCAAM: Seattle 66, Abilene Christian 64
> NCAAM: New Mexico State 85, UTEP 57
Sun
> NBA: Denver 112, Dallas 101
> NHL: Ottawa 3, Dallas 2
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 5pm: NCAAM: Prairie View A&M at Arkansas Pine Bluff (SWAC)
> 6pm: NCAAM: Texas Southern at Mississippi Valley State (SWAC)
> 6:30pm: NCAAM: SE Louisiana at Stephen F. Austin (ESPN+)
> 6:30pm: NCAAM: East Texas A&M at UT-RGV (ESPN+)
> 6:30pm: NCAAM: Nichols at Incarnate Word (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NBA: Memphis at Houston (NBA TV)
> 7pm: NCAAM: McNeese at Houston Christian (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: New Orleans at Lamar (ESPN+)
> 7pm: NCAAM: Northwestern State at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (ESPN+)
> 9:30pm: NBA: San Antonio at LA Lakers (NBA TV)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Texas football: Championship hopes end as Longhorns come up a yard short in Cotton Bowl" AAS ($)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Texas football: Jaydon Blue declares for 2025 NFL draft" AAS ($)
HOUSTON TEXANS: "Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud sparks playoff win over Chargers" Houston Chronicle ($)
HOUSTON TEXANS: "Houston Texans: Key factors against Chiefs in AFC second-round playoff" Houston Chronicle ($)
DALLAS COWBOYS: Cowlishaw: "Are Jerry Jones, Mike McCarthy getting closer or just chatting?" DMN ($)
DALLAS COWBOYS: "Breaking down the books: A look at Dallas Cowboys' player salaries" DMN ($)
DALLAS MAVERICKS: "Westbrook and Jokic help Nuggets erase double-digit deficit in 112-101 win over Mavericks" AP
DALLAS MAVERICKS: "What the Mavericks need to change for Tuesday rematch with Denver" DMN ($)
DALLAS STARS: "Merilainen makes 24 saves, Senators end Stars' winning streak at 7 with 3-2 victory" AP
TEXAS A&M MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Beers scores 16 before leaving with shoulder injury as No. 10 Oklahoma tops Texas A&M 77-62" AP
TEXAS MEN'S BASKETBALL: "Texas basketball vs. Tennessee: No. 1 Vols hold on for win, knock Horns to 0-3 in SEC play" AAS ($)
TEXAS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: "No. 2 South Carolina puts clamps on Madison Booker, routs No. 5 Texas 67-50 for 11th straight win" AP
SMU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: "Down 32, Pitt women tie NCAA Division I women's comeback record by topping SMU 72-59" AP
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