Uvalde County New World screwworm workshop scheduled July 23

By Sarah Fuller
Experts from various state, federal and private agencies will discuss wildlife surveillance, economic impacts and the latest news about the New World screwworm during the “Preparing for Screwworms in South Texas: Training Workshop for Ranch Managers, Wildlife Managers and Livestock Producers” on July 23 in Uvalde.
The free workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Uvalde County Event Center, 215 Veterans Lane. Registration for the event is required at https://tx.ag/UvaldeWorkshop, and lunch will be provided.
The workshop will offer two general and one integrated pest management continuing education units, CEUs, from the Texas Department of Agriculture for pesticide applicators who attend all workshop sessions.
The event is organized through a collaborative effort among Uvalde County, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, East Foundation, Uvalco Supply, Texas Farm Store, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Texas Animal Health Commission.
“This workshop is a great example of the importance of a unified approach to tackling the New World screwworm threat,” said Roel Lopez, Ph.D., director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute and head of the Texas A&M Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. “By bringing together a range of stakeholders, participants will learn about specific resources and best practices for livestock and wildlife surveillance, reporting and response measures.”
Topics covered
The workshop will feature expert speakers from various state and federal agencies, as well as private operations. Topics include:
Learn more about screwworms
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has released an updated fact sheet about the New World screwworm.
Read the fact sheet at https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/new-world-screwworm/
Screwworm background and status update – Neal Wilkins, Ph.D., president and CEO, East Foundation.
Economic impacts – David Anderson, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension livestock and food marketing economist and professor, Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics.
Agency role in New World screwworm response – Luisa Collins, DVM, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
Livestock surveillance, reporting and response measures – Sandra Leyendecker, DVM, regional director, Texas Animal Health Commission.
Wildlife surveillance, reporting and response measures – Kory Gann, big game program director, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Lopez.
Preventive treatments and animal husbandry – Jason Sawyer, Ph.D., chief science officer, East Foundation.
New advancement in research and development – Phillip Kaufman, Ph.D., professor and department head, Texas A&M Department of Entomology, and Kim Lohmeyer, Ph.D., research entomologist, USDA Agricultural Research Service.
A panel discussion and Q&A session will follow the presentations.
For questions or additional event details, contact Noel Troxclair, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Uvalde County, at Noel.Troxclair@ag.tamu.edu, or Parr Rosson, Ph.D., professor and associate department head for AgriLife Extension in the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, at parr.rosson@ag.tamu.edu.