The Hill Country Cattle Women gathered at the Blanco County Fairgrounds in Johnson City for their April meeting. There were 37 members present and a surprise guest visit from a representative from Governor Abbot's office. Our guest speaker was Carley Howell Blanco County Natural Resource Director. She spoke on livestock health. She emphasized that good nutrition was the foundation of healthy livestock. During the meeting, quite a bit of discussion was given to the screw worm threat. While we were in conversation, word was received by text that the fly responsible for the screwworm is now just 70 miles from the Rio Grande River. These flies can travel 10 miles a day when they migrate. Do the math!
At the present time, we do not have enough facilities to meet the demand to produce the sterile flies, which is the proven way to eradicate the screw worm. This is a real threat for American beef. We are already down in numbers by millions of head of cattle due to wildfires, drought and decline in producers. We are losing our farmland and ranches at an alarming rate. The destruction of farm land is an urgent crisis that threatens the foundation of our global food security.
Lunch was provided by Blanco Bistro/ Mattina Foods. Our next meeting is in Llano on May 19.
See our website hillcountrycattlewomen. org for more information of our activities, opportunities, and information on college and tech school scholarships that are available.