Governor Abbott, Secretary Rollins Take Action To Protect Agriculture In South Texas

TEXAS, February 9 - February 9, 2026 | Austin, Texas | Press Release

Governor Greg Abbott and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today made agricultural stops in South Texas to take proactive action on behalf of American farmers and ranchers. 

In Mission, the Governor and Secretary held a roundtable discussion with Texas agriculture producers regarding recent negotiations of the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty to discuss the breakthrough agreement’s impacts on 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.”

"Uncertainty over water deliveries from Mexico negatively impact South Texas especially,” said Secretary Rollins. "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 the roundtable, Governor Abbott and Secretary Rollins also discussed the passing of Proposition 4, a generational investment in Texas' water infrastructure.

The Governor and Secretary were joined in Mission by Lone Star Citrus Growers President Jud Flowers, Lone Star Citrus Growers Vice President of Operations TJ Flowers, Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening, and other Texas agricultural producers.

Additional photos of the roundtable will be provided here when available.

Following the roundtable, the Governor and Secretary participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of a Domestic New World Screwworm (NWS) Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility in Edinburg to combat the northward spread of NWS and protect American 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.”

"The Trump Administration continues to bring the full force of the federal government to fight New World Screwworm,” said Secretary Brooke Rollins. “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."

The Governor and Secretary were joined at the Edinburg stop by U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary of Marketing & Regulatory Programs Dudley Hoskins, Congressman Tony Gonzales, Senator Adam Hinojosa, Representative Ryan Guillen, Representative Stan Kitzman, Representative Janie Lopez, Representative Don McLaughlin, and Nate’s Honey Founder Nate Sheets. 

Governor Abbott has taken preemptive action against the northward spread of NWS by:

• Issuing a statewide disaster declaration to better equip the Texas New World Screwworm (NWS) Response Team to prevent the potential spread of the NWS
• Announcing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $750 million in a new Domestic Sterile Screwworm Production Facility
• Directing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) to establish a joint Texas New World Screwworm Response Team

Additional photos of the ribbon-cutting ceremony will be provided here when available.