Groundbreaking Ceremony Marks New Era in Agricultural Biosecurity at Moore Air Base

Dyed sterile pupae, male and female New World Screwworm flies being examined at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, APHIS, New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility at Moore Airfield, in Edinburg, Texas on Feb 10, 2026 where a proven biosecurity strategy is helping to ensure the New World screwworm, NWS, stays out of the United States. Though eradicated domestically decades ago, NWS remains in parts of South America and has moved northward through Central America and Mexico. It is not currently present in the United States, and this facility plays a critical role in keeping it that way. The process begins with sterile fly pupae, produced by COPEG in Panama, arrive at the New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility in coolers to keep them dormant. The coolers are taken inside a cold room, where, the pupae are portioned into bins and coated with a fluorescent green dye in a rotating tumbler—marking them as part of the U.S. eradication program. (Mexico uses orange dye for its program to help scientists track dispersal coverage.) The dyed pupae are placed on screened panels fitted with food cubes and stacked into rolling towers, then moved into a climate‑controlled emergence room where precise warmth and humidity promote timely development into adult flies. Each batch is monitored using a 100‑pupae sample grid. During this time, samples of flies are raised in screened cubes with different variables to test their longevity and other factors. In the laboratory, various kinds of microscopes and lights are used to inspect sample pupae and flies. When emergence reaches the target threshold, the towers return to the cold room, where chilled air is drawn through it to makes the adult flies docile. In a process called “knock‑down,” racks are inverted and gently tapped so flies fall into tray‑funnels and collection boxes. Teams then load aerial dispersal containers with specific quantities.

Dyed sterile female and male (close set eyes) New World Screwworm fly being examined at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, APHIS, New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility at Moore Airfield, in Edinburg, Texas on Feb 10, 2026 where a proven biosecurity strategy is helping to ensure the New World screwworm, NWS, stays out of the United States. Though eradicated domestically decades ago, NWS remains in parts of South America and has moved northward through Central America and Mexico. It is not currently present in the United States, and this facility plays a critical role in keeping it that way. The process begins with sterile fly pupae, produced by COPEG in Panama, arrive at the New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Dispersal Facility in coolers to keep them dormant. The coolers are taken inside a cold room, where, the pupae are portioned into bins and coated with a fluorescent green dye in a rotating tumbler—marking them as part of the U.S. eradication program. (Mexico uses orange dye for its program to help scientists track dispersal coverage.) The dyed pupae are placed on screened panels fitted with food cubes and stacked into rolling towers, then moved into a climate‑controlled emergence room where precise warmth and humidity promote timely development into adult flies. Each batch is monitored using a 100‑pupae sample grid. During this time, samples of flies are raised in screened cubes with different variables to test their longevity and other factors. In the laboratory, various kinds of microscopes and lights are used to inspect sample pupae and flies. When emergence reaches the target threshold, the towers return to the cold room, where chilled air is drawn through it to makes the adult flies docile. In a process called “knock‑down,” racks are inverted and gently tapped so flies fall into tray‑funnels and collection boxes. Teams then load aerial dispersal containers with specific quantities.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 17, 2026, at Moore Air Base for the New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Production Facility. Once complete and fully operational, the facility will produce approximately 300 million sterile flies per week. Pictured from right to left in helmets are U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Worth District Commander Col. Calvin Kroeger, USACE Southwestern Division Commander Brig. Gen. George Walter, Mortenston Vice President and General Manager Kelly McNamara, USACE Commander Lt. Gen. William “Butch” Graham Jr., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Dr. Jeff Waksman, U.S. Department of the Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Senator John Cornyn, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Mr. Dudley Hoskins, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Acting Administrator Kelly Moore, and USDA Deputy Director for New World Screwworm Directorate Chris Needham. Others in the photo are members of the USDA’s Veterinary Services “Tick Riders”.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Commander Lt. Gen. William “Butch” Graham Jr. addresses those in attendance for a groundbreaking ceremony for the New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Production Facility. The ceremony, held under clear South Texas skies at Moore Air Base, marked the beginning of construction on the state-of-the-art facility designed to produce sterile screwworm flies as part of a proven biological control program for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The new facility will be constructed by Mortenson of Minneapolis, Minnesota, at a total project cost of $610 million. Once complete and fully operational, it will significantly enhance the nation’s ability to respond rapidly to any potential outbreak by producing and distributing approximately 300 million sterile flies per week to interrupt the pest’s reproductive cycle.