Oklahoma ranchers worried about screwworms inching closer to the state

By Kolby Terrell

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    MULHALL, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Concern surrounds Oklahoma’s cattle industry with the fear of the New World screwworm inching closer to the U.S.

The New World screwworm is a fly that gave ranchers in Oklahoma fits to the tune of billions of dollars decades ago.

Ranchers are relying on the people at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to make sure the screwworms don’t make it up to Oklahoma.

They told KOCO 5 they can keep their fly prevention that they do now, but there’s not much more that they can do.

“Screwworm flies are gonna go into any cut or any opening, like they can get into the naval of a calf, they’re gonna lay eggs there and the larva’s gonna hatch there,” said John Pfeiffer, a rancher in Mulhall.

Oklahoma ranchers could soon be in unfamiliar territory.

“Those of us that are my age never really had an experience with screwworms cause they were stuff that was here in the 50s and 60s, then we got ‘em eradicated in the 70s. if you ask my grandad about ‘em, who is dead, he’ll tell you they’re one of the worst things they ever had,” Pfeiffer said.

They’re the larva of a fly that invade animal tissues and can cause life threatening damage.

“The worst part is, once it finds that host to lay those eggs in, it kills the host with the larva that’s in there if you can’t get ‘em treated right,” Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer is a rancher near Stillwater, and he said his team does a lot to keep flies off of their cows.

“A substance that we use, it helps kill the flies. In the fly area, we use vaccinations,” he said.

But there’s not much more that they can do past checking on them more often. He said flies will make their way to cattle.

Now, Texas has a plan to restrict cattle imports by county if the parasite makes it that far. The Oklahoma State Veterinarian said he hopes it doesn’t come to that here.

“We’re in northern Logan County. You’re only two miles from the Garfield County line and you’re only about three and a half miles from the Noble County line and you’re only 10 miles from the Payne County line. Most of us that farm in this area, farm in all three of those counties,” Pfeiffer said.

He said he’s also worried about other animals, too, including pets, if the bug makes its way to our state.

“The main concern would be cattle at the time, but it’s also gonna affect all the wildlife. I mean the deer population it’s gonna do and there’s nobody that can take care of them and go treat them,” Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer said he believes for now that stopping imports from Mexico will come with a high beef price for the consumer, but if more imports are stopped, he’s ready for it to hurt his pocketbook, too.

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