Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited South Texas to address key agricultural issues affecting the region. The officials met with local producers in Mission, Texas, to discuss recent developments regarding the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty and its impact on the state’s citrus industry.
“Thank you to President Trump for stepping up and doing more than any other President has ever done to enforce this treaty,” said Governor Abbott. “The urgency of it was heard at this roundtable today. We have an obligation to ensure more water goes to the men and women who grow crops in our state.”
Secretary Rollins highlighted ongoing concerns about water deliveries from Mexico: “Uncertainty over water deliveries from Mexico negatively impact South Texas especially. The State Department, USDA, and IBWC engaged our Mexican government counterparts to negotiate. Recent treaty negotiations have resulted in significant increases in deliveries and improvements in the reliability of the water cover. It’s time to make a change, and that’s what we’re working to do.”
The roundtable also included discussion on Proposition 4, which aims at investing in Texas’ water infrastructure.
Participants included Lone Star Citrus Growers President Jud Flowers, Vice President TJ Flowers, Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening, as well as other agricultural leaders.
After the meeting, Governor Abbott and Secretary Rollins attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Domestic New World Screwworm (NWS) Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility in Edinburg. This facility is intended to help prevent the spread of NWS northward into American livestock populations.
“America is going to take care of ourselves, including dealing with the approach of screwworm as it gets closer to our border,” said Governor Abbott. “We put together the resources necessary for Texas to provide a Texas-size response to this. We thank Secretary Rollins and President Trump for stepping forward to provide the stop gap effort essential to protecting our ranchers and our wildlife.”
Secretary Rollins added: “The Trump Administration continues to bring the full force of the federal government to fight New World Screwworm. This sterile fly dispersal facility was a high priority project, and our team delivered it in record time. This new facility is a monumental achievement for our domestic preparedness efforts, but we are also diligently working to stop the spread of screwworm in Mexico, conduct extensive trapping and surveillance along the border, increase U.S. response capacity, and encourage innovative solutions. We will never stop fighting to protect American agriculture. USDA, through a whole-of-government approach, will continue to hold Mexico accountable to mitigating the spread of this dangerous pest.”
Other attendees at Edinburg included U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary of Marketing & Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins; Congressman Tony Gonzales; Senator Adam Hinojosa; Representatives Ryan Guillen, Stan Kitzman, Janie Lopez, Don McLaughlin; and Nate Sheets from Nate’s Honey.
Governor Abbott has taken several steps against NWS threats:
– Issued a statewide disaster declaration empowering response teams.
– Announced $750 million investment by USDA for a new sterile screwworm production facility.
– Directed relevant state agencies—the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC)—to form a joint response team.
Governor Abbott has led his office since his election in 2014 according to official records. His administration focuses on job creation, economic opportunities for Texans—including those working in agriculture—education improvement initiatives, protection of individual liberties such as parental empowerment in schooling decisions, as well as southern border security official website. Under his leadership the governor’s office operates statewide out of Austin’s State Insurance Building and delivers services across Texas. The office has been recognized nationally when Greg Abbott was named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2024 official website. During his tenure Texas led national job growth with record employment levels.
