ASI Continues Monitoring New World Screwworm Response | | |
Sheep industry representatives continue to closely monitor the New World screwworm (NWS) situation, particularly the response to detections in Texas and New Mexico. ASI stays in regular communication with federal leaders at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) regarding the status of the NWS response.
ASI has developed resources for sheep producers that can be found on our website.
For details on current restrictions, visit www.interstatelivestock.com.
Some states now require animals from infested zones to be tagged prior to movement. If tagging, producers should be sure to spray the tag site with an approved product that contains 0.5% permethrin to kill and repel screwworm flies. FDA has released conditionally approved and authorized animal drug options for New World Screwworm here.
Current Status (as of July 9):
- 19 active cases
- 14 inactive cases
- Most recent detection: July 7, 2026
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Texas Animal Health Commission has developed an interactive map to track NWS and increase prevention efforts. This tool allows the public to track confirmed cases, view fly trap locations and report suspected cases of NWS infestations.
TAHC and USDA exchanged statements regarding the current response implementation.
| | American Wool Promoted at Pitti Filati in Italy | | |
Italy remains one of the world's most important markets for wool and wool textiles, making it a key destination for American wool export promotion. Through funding from USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) continues to promote American wool in key international markets while strengthening domestic market opportunities. Together, these efforts help build a diverse customer base for U.S. wool growers and exporters.
Working alongside ASI's Italy-based market representatives, Bianca and Jeffrey Losekoot, ASI Executive Director, Mike Michener, attended Pitti Filati in Florence on June 24. One of the world's premier yarn trade shows, Pitti Filati provided an opportunity to meet with customers, observe market trends, and gain additional insight into one of the wool industry's most influential markets.
The accompanying photo features an important Italian customer and highlights the visibility American wool continues to gain in this key export market through ASI's long-term market development efforts.
"Pitti Filati reinforced the importance of ASI's market development efforts," Michener said. "Seeing how American wool is positioned in one of the world's leading textile markets gave me an even greater appreciation for the importance of supporting both domestic and international markets. Building a diverse customer base helps create more opportunities for U.S. wool growers and exporters."
ASI appreciates USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's continued investment in export market development. Through long-term partnerships and market development efforts, FAS helps create new opportunities for American wool and supports the long-term success of U.S. sheep producers.
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USDA Celebrates One Year Anniversary of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, Delivers Final ‘Farmers First’ Program Improvements | U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making significant improvements to its disaster assistance and commodity loan programs as outlined in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to celebrate the one-year anniversary of President Donald J. Trump signing the Act into law on July 4, 2025. As part of the commitment to put Farmers First, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is strengthening disaster assistance support for livestock producers, orchardists and nursery tree growers, increasing Marketing Assistance Loan rates, and expanding Marketing Assistance Loans to better help cotton and sugar producers. | | Western Grazers Could Remove 5,000 Goats from California over Wage Clause | |
Western Grazers owns about 5,000 goats, split among eight herders. The goats are used across the Northstate and beyond for wildfire prevention. Owner Tim Arrowsmith said goatherders and sheepherders had been paid the same, but a state sunset clause tied to goatherder wages was not removed. The change took effect July 1 and only affects goatherders.
"We are, effectively, paying our herders $20,000 per month, $240,000 per year, plus room and board, plus their airfare to and from their original country, plus their visa, plus some other closing, plus their food... So their package, now under California law, is an excess of $250,000 per year," Arrowsmith said. "We can't sustain that and do fire fuels abatement in the state of California."
California sheep producers are concerned that this could lead to changes to the current sheepherder wages.
| | BLM Proposes Changes to Grazing Regulations | | |
Public Lands Council is urging all grazing permittees to submit comments in support of BLM’s proposed changes to their grazing regulations. All comments must be submitted before midnight (ET) on July 13, 2026!
The proposed regulations:
- Improve landscape analyses to conduct a “step-down process” where the agency would conduct assessments of overall land health and identify causal factors for any disturbance or impacts found. This causal factor analysis will inform the agency which use is causing the condition on the landscape and authorizes the agency to adjust that use, rather than always defaulting to adjusting grazing. This addresses the longstanding burden grazing permittees have borne on behalf of other uses.
- Applies greater flexibility to administration of all permits by giving an additional 21-day window on permits to be responsive to range conditions.
- Requires that grazing permittees be engaged in a production-oriented business, eliminating abuse from groups who never had any intention to graze the allotment.
- Protects permittees who may want to take temporary non-use for personal or business reasons.
- Improves the billing process to save both BLM staff time and reduce burdens on permittees.
- Suggest changes to the appeals process to protect permittees’ ability to contest bad decisions.
| | ASI is working year-round to advance producer priorities across the country. Here’s what’s happening, what it means, and what’s next. | | Trump Administration declines to renew USMCA in current form | | Last week, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer announced that the Trump Administration will not renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in its current form at this time. It is worth noting that the existing agreement remains in place until 2036 unless the three countries reach a new agreement otherwise. USMCA was originally set to undergo a formal review process starting this July. Ambassador Greer said the U.S. will continue negotiations with Canada and Mexico to address trade deficits and other shortcomings in the agreement. The U.S. is also expected to continue its series of bilateral discussions with Mexico with the next one being slated for July 20. | | USDA partners with SBA on government overreach | | |
Last week, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to combat weaponized regulatory and enforcement actions against America’s producers, ranchers. The MOU enables the resolution of complaints involving federal regulatory agencies submitted through the USDA Lawfare Portal and analyzes resulting data to identify patterns for potential deregulation and accountability. The partnership advances the Farmer and Rancher Freedom Framework, an initiative launched by the Trump Administration in February that defends farmers from internal federal bureaucracy and politically motivated enforcement actions, among other things. American farmers who have been impacted by government overreach were highlighted at the event, including family farms in Montana and a cattle ranch in Arizona.
You can find more information about the interagency partnership here and report instances of lawfare here.
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Wool Market Continues Upward Trend
Fine wools lead the way this week with slight increases up to $0.15 per pound clean in the EMI. Coarse wools saw steady prices to slight decreases up to -$.0.10 per pound clean.
About the EMI: The AWEX Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) is the key benchmark index of Australian wool auction prices and is widely used as a global wool market indicator.
| | LDP Payments Available This Week | | Ungraded Wool, Grease Prices in $ Per Pound | | | Ungraded Wool | $0.2715 LDP Available | | | Unshorn Pelts, Prices in $ Per Pelt | | | Unshorn Pelt | $1.864 LDP Available | | | Note: Producers must visit their Farm Service Agency office and fill out the appropriate paperwork before the wool or unshorn lambs are sold to claim the Wool LDP (when available). | |
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USDA Weekly Sheep, Lamb, & Wool Market Summary
The report is generally updated on Friday afternoon.
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ASI Wool Calculator
Adjust micron, yield and quality of wool percentage with ASI's Wool Calculator to estimate the value of your wool today, or the potential value of wool if genetics or management practices were changed.
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July 15: Sheep & Goat Market Outlook Webinar: Register here
July 15-16: Georgia Solar Farm Summit, Athens, GA - More info
July 16-18: 100 Years of Targhee Breed, Huron, SD - More info
July 24: NSIP Center of the Nation Sale, Spencer, IA - More info
July 25: South Dakota Sheep Growers Yearling Ewe Sale, Huron SD - More info
July 27: ASGA-ALB Certified Solar Grazing Workshop, Plymouth, IN - More info
July 30: Katahdin Hair Sheep International Expo & Sale, Cookeville, TN - More info
July 31: Wyoming Sheep & Wool Festival, Powell, WY - More info
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Experience Wool is ASI’s consumer hub: wool education, product inspiration, and American wool stories in one place.
Explore at americanwool.org and follow @experiencewool.
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Get educational info, industry contacts, policy updates, breeder information, and more at sheepusa.org
| | | ASI operates in accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture civil rights regulations and policies, and complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it under these. ASI is an equal opportunity employer and provider. |
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