Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins heads to Texas on Monday as an expanding outbreak of New World screwworm threatens U.S. livestock. 

Rollins is traveling to Kerrville, Texas, to visit the new Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory, which works to control arthropod pests in farm animals. A second case of NWS was found in a calf in south Texas, the Agriculture Department said.

President Donald Trump’s ag policy chief has said screwworm doesn’t pose a significant threat to the size of U.S. cattle herds and isn’t expected to have a meaningful impact on beef prices. 

Meanwhile, Canada on Friday said it would temporarily limit certain U.S. imports of livestock, including horses, from entering the country.

“Animals that originate from or were present in the state of Texas within 21 days prior to border crossing will not be accepted into Canada,” the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said.

NWS, which had been kept out of the U.S. for decades, is a maggot that can cause severe wounds and death in livestock if left untreated. 

Canada’s import restrictions are an overreaction, Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, told USA Today. 

“This pest affects live animals and does not impact inspected Texas beef,” Mahaleris said. “Canada’s broad restriction on Texas livestock is an overreaction that is more political than science-based.”

Rollins will hold a news briefing in Texas on Monday. She speaks in Washington on Wednesday, at an International Fresh Produce Association conference and Senate Agriculture Committee hearing. 

USMCA delay concerns

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson will preside over a hearing Wednesday on the agricultural outlook for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The discussion comes as the three countries are expected to miss a July 1 milestone to renew the trade deal that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020,  Bloomberg News reported Friday, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. 

A delay raises concerns that months – or even years – of wrangling over a renewal could lie ahead.

Mexico is the largest export market for U.S. ag products, followed by Canada. 

Trump called Canada’s trade policies “very rough” on U.S. agriculture producers while speaking at an event on Friday with farmers in Wisconsin.  

Trump also said fertilizer and gasoline prices will fall as soon as the U.S.-Iran war ends. 

“You're going to see some very good things happen over the next 90-day period,” he told farmers. “You’re going to be better than you were four months ago.”  

In an interview that aired on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Trump said the conflict with Iran is “almost complete” and once it ends, “gasoline prices are going to drop like a rock.”

USDA nominee vote

The Senate Agriculture Committee plans to vote Monday on Trump’s nominee Glen Smith to lead USDA’s rural development office. The position, the only remaining unconfirmed job at the Agriculture Department, has been vacant since January. 

Smith would oversee billions of dollars in federal lending and grant programs. USDA is planning a sweeping overhaul of its technology systems to improve financing access for rural communities. 

If the nomination is approved by the committee, Smith could get a confirmation by the full Senate as soon as this week. 

The House convenes at noon on Monday and the Senate at 3 p.m.

Here is a list of agriculture or rural-related events scheduled for this week in Washington and elsewhere (all times EST):

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Monday, June 8

The International Fresh Produce Association holds a Washington Conference, through Wednesday. 

The American Peanut Shellers Association holds a USA Peanut Congress in Amelia Island, Fla., through Thursday. 

3 p.m. – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins holds a news briefing on New World screwworm in Kerrville, Texas. 

4 p.m. – USDA’s weekly crop progress report.

5:30 p.m. – The Senate Ag Committee holds a vote on the nomination of Glen Smith to head USDA’s Rural Development office, S-216, the Capitol. 

Tuesday, June 9

10 a.m. – The Senate Transportation Committee holds a hearing on transportation innovation. Witnesses include Association of American Railroads CEO Ian Jefferies and American Trucking Associations CEO Chris Spear. 253 Russell.  

10 a.m. – The House Foreign Affairs Committee holds a markup of H.R. 9062, the BOOST American Business Act, which would strengthen the role of the State Department in promoting U.S. trade abroad, 2172 Rayburn. 

2 p.m. – A House Natural Resources subcommittee holds a legislative hearing on bills including H.R. 8473, the “Veterinary Services to Improve Public Health in Rural Communities Act,” 1324 Longworth.

Wednesday, June 10

9:30 a.m. – The Senate Energy Committee considers legislation including S. 140, a bill to address the forest health crisis, 366 Dirksen. 

10 a.m. – The Senate Energy Committee holds an oversight hearing on the Colorado River Basin to discuss current conditions and post-2026 operations, 366 Dirksen. 

10 a.m. – Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testifies before a Senate Ag Committee hearing, G50 Dirksen. 

10 a.m. – The House Agriculture Committee holds a hearing on the future of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, 1300 Longworth.

10 a.m. – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik testifies before the Senate Environment Committee on his agency’s proposed fiscal 2027 budget, 406 Dirksen. 

Thursday, June 11

8:30 a.m. – USDA weekly export sales. 

Noon – USDA releases its monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE).

Friday, June 12

11 a.m. – The House Natural Resources Committee holds a field hearing to discuss a draft bill, the Great American Outdoors Act 250, Hot Springs National Park, in Hot Springs, Ark.

For more news, go to Agri-Pulse.com.