A Message From the Desk of Dave Wilcox, COO & Broker – Texas Ranch Sales
I don’t sound the alarm often. But this one’s different.
The New World Screw Worm is on the move—and it’s heading straight for Texas. Last reported less than 770 miles from our southern border, it’s not a matter of if it shows up. It’s when. And when it does, it won’t stop at livestock. It’ll go after anything warm-blooded that bleeds. Deer. Pets. Horses. People. This isn’t just an ag issue—it’s a threat to the very life that makes this land what it is.
I’ve been around long enough to remember what it took to fight it off the first time. Two decades. Over 700 million sterile flies dropped from planes every single week. It worked—but the infrastructure that made that possible? It’s gone. There’s no cavalry coming unless we build it ourselves.
Right now, our best bet is prevention. Temporary, yes—but critical. Feed-through treatments like Ivermectin, Cydectin, and Dectomax are the line we’ve got to hold. As wildlife biologist Macy Ledbetter of Spring Creek Outdoors put it:
“Feed additives are the band-aid needed for now… This is history repeating itself, so we don’t have to guess at the outcome or effects—they’ve been proven. This will impact every person you know either directly or indirectly living in Texas.”
This is our warning. But it’s also our window. If we act now, we have a shot at staying ahead of it. If we don’t, we’re giving this thing free rein across the state.
Talk to your vet. Start treatment. Spread the word. And make noise—loud enough that the right people can’t ignore it.
I’ve built my life and my work on Texas land. I don’t plan to watch it fall to something we could have stopped.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
Talk to your vet. Ask about Ivermectin, Cydectin, and Dectomax.
Start treatment early. Don’t wait for symptoms.
Share this message. We need word to spread faster than the flies.
Push for action. Contact your ag reps. Demand sterile fly production in Texas.
Stay vigilant. Watch for signs. Report any cases immediately.
This land raised us. Let’s return the favor.
Closeup image of a New World screwworm fly https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle/ticks/screwworm
