Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited South Texas to address key agricultural concerns affecting farmers and ranchers in the region.
During a stop in Mission, Governor Abbott and Secretary Rollins held a roundtable with Texas agriculture producers to discuss the recent negotiations surrounding the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty and its effects on the Texas citrus industry. Governor Abbott stated, “Thank you to President Trump for stepping up and doing more than any other President has ever done to enforce this treaty. 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 added, “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 discussion also covered Proposition 4, which represents a major investment in improving Texas’ water infrastructure.
Participants at the Mission event included Lone Star Citrus Growers President Jud Flowers, Vice President of Operations TJ Flowers, Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening, and other local agricultural leaders.
After the roundtable, 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 aims to prevent the spread of NWS northward and protect livestock across America.
Governor Abbott commented on these efforts: “America is going to take care of ourselves, including dealing with the approach of screwworm as it gets closer to our border. 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 said, “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.”
Officials present 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’s Honey Founder Nate Sheets.
Governor Abbott has taken several steps against NWS threats:
– Issued a statewide disaster declaration empowering response teams.
– Announced $750 million USDA investment into a new Domestic Sterile Screwworm Production Facility.
– Directed state agencies like TPWD and TAHC toward joint action on NWS prevention.
Governor Abbott has led his office since being elected in 2014 https://gov.texas.gov/. Under his leadership from offices based primarily in Austin https://gov.texas.gov/, his administration has prioritized job creation—helping Texas lead nationally in employment growth—as well as economic opportunity expansion https://gov.texas.gov/. The governor’s agenda also includes education improvement initiatives; protection of individual liberties; parental empowerment regarding schooling decisions; enhancement of southern border security; as well as ensuring services are delivered statewide https://gov.texas.gov/. In 2024 he was named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People https://gov.texas.gov/.
