While the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) just announced a construction contract with Mortenson Construction to build a new sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in Edinburg, Texas, Arizona hopes for the same. In the fight against the New World screwworm (NWS), Arizona ranchers are encouraged this facility will expand USDA’s domestic response capacity, bolstering protection for U.S. livestock, wildlife, and public health.

“The Army Corps of Engineers is an essential partner in bringing this facility to life and further highlights the Trump Administration’s government wide effort to fight the New World Screwworm threat in Mexico,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins. “The Army Corps is the best in the business and their engineering expertise and proven track record in delivering complex projects will help ensure we can build a modern, resilient facility that protects American agriculture from invasive pests for decades to come. This first of its kind facility on U.S. soil will ensure we are not reliant on other countries for sterile flies.”

Adds Southern Arizona rancher and Arizona Farm Bureau Second Vice President Ben Menges, “American cattle producers are grateful Secretary Rollins has made it a priority to keep the New World Screwworm south of the border, and getting the Moore Air Base sterile fly facility in production is a critical component of this goal. For Arizona, the nearest screwworm outbreak is more than 800 miles south of our border. But in the event the screwworm was to exist within 200 miles of the Arizona border, as it does for Texas, Arizona livestock producers hope to be treated with the same concerns as Texas producers.”

Arizona ranchers recognize the opportunity to advance a similar facility near the Arizona border, even a scaled-down version that would release sterile male flies. “This would mean funding and opening a sterile fly dispersal facility in the same location as the historic one was in Douglas, Arizona,” explained Menges. “As beef producers, we applaud Arizona congressmen and industry representatives urging USDA to fund such a facility, but we also pray it won’t be necessary and the fly will be once again pushed into South America before it crosses our borders.”

A Historical Triumph from the Past: The Douglas Facility and the Sterile Insect Technique

In the 1960s, American agriculture was under siege from the screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on living tissue, leading to painful deaths in cattle, deer, and even humans in rare cases. Enter the USDA's groundbreaking Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a method that turned the pest's biology against itself.

From 1963 to 1983, the USDA facility at Douglas Municipal Airport in Arizona served as a frontline fortress in this battle.

Strategically positioned along the U.S.-Mexico border, it released millions of sterile male screwworm flies each week. These flies were irradiated to render them infertile, then packed into specially designed cardboard boxes and dropped from airplanes over targeted areas. When sterile males mated with wild females, no viable offspring resulted, crashing the population and creating a biological barrier against northward migration from Mexico.

The program's success was staggering. By 1966, the U.S. was declared free of indigenous screwworms, but the Douglas facility continued operations for nearly two more decades to maintain the barrier amid ongoing risks from south of the border. This effort safeguarded U.S. livestock and wildlife, saving the agricultural industry an estimated $1.5 billion annually in losses, a figure that underscores the economic devastation the pest could unleash if left unchecked.

The facility's closure in 1983 marked the end of an era, but its legacy lives on as a model of innovative pest control without the use of chemicals. Aerial drops of sterile flies, often from small aircraft buzzing over rugged terrain, became a symbol of human ingenuity triumphing over nature's threats.

Arizona's Pitch: Bringing the Fight Back Home to Douglas

As a border state with a storied history in screwworm defense, Arizona isn't sitting on the sidelines. The University of Arizona has been named one of three national sites for screwworm screening and diagnostics, with its College of Veterinary Medicine's lab handling initial detections and verifications as part of USDA's readiness push.

But Arizona leaders are going further, actively lobbying to revive a fly facility right where it once thrived. In a bipartisan effort, Arizona Representatives Juan Ciscomani, Eli Crane, Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, and David Schweikert sent a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins urging the reconstruction of the sterile fly facility at Douglas Municipal Airport.

They argue that Douglas's proximity to the Mexican border makes it an ideal location for rapid response, leveraging the site's historical infrastructure to bolster the national barrier. This pitch aligns with broader calls from groups like the National Cattlemen's Beef Association for domestic facilities, emphasizing that a rebuilt Douglas hub could prevent billions in losses while creating jobs and strengthening local economies.

Arizona's involvement also includes on-the-ground actions like trap deployments and education for ranchers, highlighting the state's commitment to protecting its vital agriculture sector, from cotton fields to cattle ranches.

A visit to Douglas earlier this year with several representatives from Arizona Farm Bureau, Cochise County, the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, and the Arizona Department of Agriculture revealed the potential for hosting a facility once again in Douglas. Arizona has plenty of land mass and even abandoned hangers that could be retrofitted to serve as a hub for fly sterilization. The possibilities are evident.

“We're looking forward to seeing what would happen if USDA were to put this Douglas facility on its radar, and we encourage USDA to do so,” added Menges who was with the group touring the area to determine the possibilities.

USDA currently produces about 100 million sterile flies per week at the COPEG facility in Panama and disperses them within and just north of affected areas in Mexico.  In addition to the COPEG facility in Panama, USDA invested $21 million to support Mexico’s renovation of an existing fruit fly facility in Metapa, which will double NWS production capacity once complete. With ongoing support from APHIS technical experts, Mexico anticipates sterile fly production will begin at this facility in summer 2026. The new facility at Moore Air Base will be the only U.S.-based sterile fly production facility and will work in tandem with facilities in Panama and Mexico to help eradicate the pest and protect American agriculture. Arizona agriculture leaders hope for an Arizona facility.

Why This Matters: Safeguarding America's Food Future

The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly whose larvae feed on warm-blooded animals, causing severe animal health impacts and significant economic losses if not controlled. The United States eliminated the pest in 1966 and has maintained that freedom through the ongoing sterile fly program and international partnerships.

The screwworm saga is more than a bug story; it's a testament to how science, policy, and regional advocacy can shield our food systems from existential threats. As USDA ramps up its $850 million war chest against this parasite, Arizona's push to revive Douglas could prove pivotal in maintaining a screwworm-free America.