July 2, 2026

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 has been 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 issues that have arisen since the first detection. ASI has developed resources for sheep producers that can be found on our website here.

To date there have been 31 cases reported in domestic animals including sheep, goats, cattle and a pet dog - 30 cases have occurred in Texas and 1 in New Mexico. There have been 8,000 fly traps set along the border outside of the infested zones. There are 120 NWS fly traps in Texas. Wildlife Services has monitored and observed more than 6,000 wildlife through game cameras without evidence of infestation.

Frequent visualization of your sheep, herding dogs, and livestock protection animals is advised so active cases can be found and treated within a time window to make a full recovery. Older NWS-experienced ranchers describe a characteristic rotten smell coming from infested wounds. Wherever possible, optional procedures such as castration should be avoided in regions close to infested zones.  

For details on how USDA APHIS is coordinating the NWS response, as well as information on control and prevention measures, view the USDA NWS Response Playbook. The publicly available document was developed with input from stakeholders across animal agriculture, including ASI.

As with any disease threat, states may implement additional movement restrictions for animals originating from areas where infestations have occurred. 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 2):

• 21 active cases
• 10 inactive cases
• Most recent detection: June 30, 2026

US, Mexico inaugurate sterile fly plant in Chiapas in cross-border screwworm fight

FDA Releases Blueprint to Expand Animal Drug Development for Minor Uses and Minor Species

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) released its MUMS Blueprint for Success: 2026-2028, a three-year strategic plan to modernize and expand the Minor Use and Minor Species (MUMS) program. The Blueprint outlines future FDA actions and proposals to improve the availability of safe and effective drugs for underserved animal populations – minor animal species, such as sheep, goats, fish, and exotic species, as well as major animal species like cattle, dogs, cats, and chickens, affected with uncommon diseases for which few or no drugs currently exist. 

Since the enactment of The Minor Use & Minor Species Animal Health Act of 2004 (MUMS Act), CVM's Office of Minor Use and Minor Species Animal Drug Development (OMUMS) has worked to reduce the financial and regulatory barriers that historically have discouraged investment in limited-market animal drugs. Progress has been meaningful: 30 designated uses have received full FDA approval (9 supported by the MUMS grant program), 7 conditional approvals have been granted (3 of which have since received full approval), and 18 drugs have been indexed for minor species.

These achievements illustrate what the MUMS framework can deliver, yet significant treatment gaps persist. Veterinarians often rely on extralabel drug use, and for some conditions, no treatment options exist. These gaps can carry real consequences: compromised animal health and welfare, vulnerabilities in domestic food security, reduced agricultural productivity, and diminished U.S. competitiveness in global markets. 

“We will continue to engage with the FDA to ensure specific outcomes are met. The blueprint will help the sheep industry demonstrate where our needs align with the FDA goals,” said Rosie Busch, DVM, co-chair of ASI Animal Health committee. 

Bollman Industries Acquired by Crescent Textile Solutions

Crescent Textile Solutions acquired the assets from Bollman Industries in June and is excited to continue the scouring operation in San Angelo, Texas. With limited domestic scouring options, Crescent Textile Solutions understands how essential this process is and truly appreciates all that Bollman has done for the United States wool industry. They look forward to working with legacy customers, and welcoming new customers to keep the wool industry strong and growing.

Crescent Textile Solutions is a manufacturer of custom textile solutions, including wool and synthetic yarns, roving, batting, and fabric. Crescent has been in business for over 100 years, and is certified to be NAFTA and Berry Amendment compliant.

Visit Crescent’s Textile Solutions’ website here.

ASI Leadership Represents U.S. Wool Growers at 95th IWTO Congress in China

ASI President Ben Lehfeldt, ASI Wool Council Chair Julie Hansmire and ASI staff traveled to Dalang, China, from June 24-26 to represent U.S. sheep producers at the 95th International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) Congress. Travel was supported through USDA Foreign Agricultural Service grant funding. The event drew 238 participants from across the global wool supply chain for three days of industry dialogue in Dalang, recognized as the world's wool knitwear capital.

During the Congress's sustainability session, Jeanne Carver of Shaniko Wool Company presented as an invited ASI speaker, sharing a U.S. grower's perspective with an international audience.

The Congress also marked the launch of the IWTO Green Book, while additional sessions explored artificial intelligence and digitalization, traceability, and the market trends reshaping the global textile landscape.

ASI remains an active IWTO member, with staff serving on multiple IWTO committees and working groups throughout the year to advance U.S. wool interests on the global stage.

Support BLM Grazing Regulations

BLM has proposed changes to their grazing regulations for the first time in more than 20 years. The regulations provide greater flexibility in managing grazing on the landscape for specific landscape outcomes, protects permittees' preference position, and more.

Most notably, the proposed rule updates the agency's process to conduct landscape health analyses to evaluate causes of landscape impacts, and subsequently take action to address the specific cause. Since 1995, the landscape analyses looked at landscape health but the agency was constrained from taking action to adjust anything but grazing, meaning that grazing bore the brunt of all surface disturbance and range condition. Not only is that unfair and unscientific, but that approach kept the agency from targeting management tools to optimize range health.

Comments are due July 13.

ASI is working year-round to advance producer priorities across the country. Here’s what’s happening, what it means, and what’s next.

USDA Announces Program To Support Small And Mid-Sized Processors

On Tuesday, June 30, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the new Strengthening Processing for U.S. Ranchers (SPUR) Program, which will provide up to $500 million in temporary support for eligible small- and mid-size beef processors facing higher cattle acquisition costs amid historically tight cattle supplies. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, through Commodity Credit Corporation funding, the program is intended to preserve independent and regional processing capacity, strengthen competition across the beef supply chain, support rural communities, and ensure ranchers continue to have reliable market opportunities. Eligible U.S.-owned processors operating under federal or qualifying state inspection programs will be able to access assistance as USDA works to bolster the resilience of the domestic beef industry.

President Trump signs executive order advancing regenerative agriculture

On Thursday, June 25, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) advancing regenerative agriculture, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final Regenerative Feedstock Rule. The EO directed the government to significantly increase investment in regenerative agriculture research, education, and adoption programs. It also announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator will prioritize reviews and registrations of alternative crop protection products that could replace older active ingredients. It directed the EPA Administrator to review available data on registered pre-harvest desiccation uses and ensures compliance with applicable safety, environmental, and labeling standards. USDA, EPA, and the Department of Health and Human Services are directed to research the effects of chemical exposures in the food supply. USDA is also to expand its Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program.

Your weekly snapshot of key market rates and reports (U.S. and global) to help you stay ahead of pricing and demand shifts.

Wool Market Softens, Remains Substantially Higher Year-On-Year

The EMI fell this week with fine wools seeing larger decreases while coarser wools saw some slight decreases and some slight gains. It is worth noting that they EMI is still well above where it was twelve months ago.



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.

Source: AWEX

LDP Payments Available This Week

Ungraded Wool, Grease Prices in $ Per Pound

Unshorn Pelts, Prices in $ Per Pelt

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). 

USDA Weekly Sheep, Lamb, & Wool Market Summary

The report is generally updated on Friday afternoon.

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.

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

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.