The Truth About Screw Worms

Screw worms nearly disappeared from American ranches sixty years ago. Dr. Eric Deeble, executive director of Americans for the Common Good and former Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at USDA under the Biden Administration, has watched them find their way back, and he joins Heidi and Joel to explain what this parasitic fly means for livestock, trade, and the food supply.Eric covers the biology behind the outbreak, how fast one infected animal can spread it, and why the fly is finding its way north again. He also gets into a newer technique for breeding sterile flies that could make eradication cheaper this time around.In this episode:Why screw worms target living tissue and what that means for treatmentHow a sterile insect technique wiped out the fly from the U.S. the first timeWhat let the fly move north againThe economic risk ranchers face from one undetected outbreakHow egg sexing could lower the cost of eradicationResources & Links Americans for the Common Good Connect with Eric Deeble on:LinkedInSixty years of eradication work is unraveling. Eric explains what it'll take to fix that.The Hot Dish is brought to you by the One Country Project. To learn more, visit OneCountryProject.org, or find us on Substack (Onecountryproject.substack.com), and on YouTube, Bluesky, and Facebook (@onecountryproject). (00:00) - - Why screw worm's return matters to agriculture (02:07) - - The fly's lifecycle and herd vulnerability (04:21) - - Myths versus reality on severity (05:43) - - Treatment and quarantine when detected (07:25) - - The cost of eradication and prevention (10:11) - - How reduced global cooperation risks a resurgence (13:22) - - Sterile insect technique: past success, recent setbacks (16:29) - - Climate and animal movement driving the spread north (18:38) - - Regional factors in where screw worm spreads (20:00) - - Funding cuts and the policy fight to maintain control (22:35) - - Consumer safety myths and real risks (24:16) - - Why continued investment in biosecurity matters (27:00) - - Final thoughts: vigilance, cooperation, funding