Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins toured South Texas on Monday to address water rights and combat agricultural threats facing the state’s farmers.
The pair held a roundtable in Mission with citrus growers before cutting the ribbon on a new pest-control facility in Edinburg.
Their dual stops highlight mounting pressures on Texas agriculture—from chronic water shortages due to Mexican treaty violations to the advancing threat of flesh-eating parasites that could devastate livestock.
At the Mission roundtable, Abbott praised recent federal intervention in the 1944 U.S.-Mexico Water Treaty negotiations.
“Thank you to President Trump for stepping up and doing more than any other President has ever done to enforce this treaty,” Abbott said.
Water deliveries from Mexico have long plagued South Texas farmers, particularly citrus growers who depend on reliable irrigation. Secretary Rollins acknowledged the ongoing challenges.
“Uncertainty over water deliveries from Mexico negatively impact South Texas especially,” Rollins said. She noted that recent negotiations had yielded “significant increases in deliveries and improvements in the reliability of the water cover.”
The officials also discussed Proposition 4, which Abbott called a “generational investment” in Texas water infrastructure. The measure aims to shore up the state’s long-term water security.
In Edinburg, Abbott and Rollins opened a Domestic New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility. The facility will release sterilized flies to mate with wild screwworms, preventing reproduction of the dangerous pest.
“America is going to take care of ourselves, including dealing with the approach of screwworm as it gets closer to our border,” Abbott said. He credited federal support for enabling what he called a “Texas-size response.”
Rollins emphasized the Trump Administration’s commitment to stopping the parasite’s northward march from Mexico.
“This sterile fly dispersal facility was a high-priority project, and our team delivered it in record time,” she said.
The screwworm threat has prompted aggressive state action. Abbott previously issued a disaster declaration and established a joint response team between state wildlife and animal health agencies.
The USDA committed $750 million for the new domestic sterile screwworm production facility. Other current efforts include extensive border surveillance and trapping operations.
“We will never stop fighting to protect American agriculture,” Rollins said, pledging to “hold Mexico accountable to mitigating the spread of this dangerous pest.”
Both stops drew local agricultural leaders and elected officials, including Congressman Tony Gonzales and representatives from the Texas Farm Bureau and Lone Star Citrus Growers.