Sheep Industry News July 2025

Screwworm story Continued from Page 8

The couple has multiple harvest facilities it can work with in the process, but said it’s always diffi cult to juggle slaughter dates and keep fresh product available for consumers. “We started with 12 sheep that we bought at auction in 1994,” Webster said. “We had a herd of blackface, but we couldn’t get them to stay on the mountain. They were smarter and more athletic than whiteface sheep. They went over cattle guards and jumped fences.” The current flock looks more like the traditional Western range ewe. In fact, they purchased a 100 head of Targhees out of Wyoming last fall hoping to walk that fine line between producing quality lamb and good wool while also lambing 175 percent or more each year. “We pasture our sheep on a few mountain ranges throughout Cedar City, Kanarraville and a few val leys throughout southern Utah. They are fed on over 30 different varieties of plants and grass, thus giving the lambs a ‘farm flavor’ that is second to none.” MOVING FORWARD Like many areas of the United States, southern Utah’s battle between development and agriculture will continue in the years to come. Ranchers such as the Clarks, the Stubbs, the Websters and count less others have at times been the public face of that battle as they work to preserve their way of life. Cedar City has chosen to honor the role sheep played in its past through the immensely popular Ce dar Livestock Festival. The question is, will the city and its growing residential population allow sheep to play a role in the area’s future?

flies inside this buffer zone. Unfortunately, the buffer zone was breached when NWS was detected in Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico – 127 miles outside the buffer zone – and in Veracruz, a major corridor for cattle movement (both legal and illegal), prompting the suspension of live animal imports from Mexico. The breach also means the current sterile fly production capacity is insufficient to keep NWS from moving further north. Therefore, USDA has moved to support renova tion of a SIT facility in Mexico that, when operational, will produce 60–100 million additional sterile NWS flies weekly. Given the geographic spread of NWS, this additional pro duction capacity will be critical to the response effort. Additionally, the FY26 Ag Appropriations bill directs APHIS to prioritize the establishment of a SIT facility in the U.S., while the STOP Act, introduced by U.S. Represen tative Tony Gonzales (TX-23), would authorize its con struction, if passed. NWS is a serious health and economic threat that could cost the U.S. billions thus Screwworm infestations must be reported to state and federal authorities. Information on identifying a screwworm infestation can be found at www.sheepusa.org.

Infested lamb - USDA National Agricultural Library

16 • Sheep Industry News • sheepusa.org