Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins visited South Texas to address key agricultural issues affecting the region’s farmers and ranchers.
In Mission, Texas, Governor Abbott and Secretary Rollins held a roundtable with local agriculture producers to discuss recent negotiations concerning the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty. The conversation focused on how the new agreement would impact the Texas 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 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.”
During their visit, they also discussed Proposition 4, which aims at making major investments in Texas’ water infrastructure.
Participants at the Mission event included Lone Star Citrus Growers President Jud Flowers, Vice President TJ Flowers, Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening, along with other agricultural producers from across Texas.
Afterwards, 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 combat the spread of NWS and protect livestock.
“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 stated: “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 officials present at Edinburg included Dudley Hoskins from USDA Marketing & Regulatory Programs; Congressman Tony Gonzales; Senator Adam Hinojosa; Representatives Ryan Guillen, Stan Kitzman, Janie Lopez; Representative Don McLaughlin; as well as Nate Sheets from Nate’s Honey.
Governor Abbott outlined steps taken against NWS spread: issuing a statewide disaster declaration for better equipping response teams; announcing $750 million investment by USDA into a new Domestic Sterile Screwworm Production Facility; directing state agencies such as TPWD and TAHC toward joint action against NWS.
According to official information, under Greg Abbott’s leadership since his election in 2014,the Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott has prioritized job creation,economic opportunities, education enhancement,individual liberties protection, parental empowerment in schooling,and southern border security. The office maintains its main location at Austin’s State Insurance Building while providing services statewide.Texas led national jobs growth during his tenure.Abbott was named among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2024.
Photos from both events are expected be released later.
