It’s been a roller coaster week for the cattle markets. Feeder cattle were limit down Friday morning after the announcement Mexico’s agriculture minister will travel to Washington next week with the aim of reaching an agreement on the reopening of the border to Mexican cattle.
The announcement was made Thursday by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum according to Reuters.
The U.S.-Mexican border has been closed since May due to the northward spread of New World screwworm.
Mexican Agriculture Minister Julio Berdegué is scheduled to meet with Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to discuss plans for the border.
“We hope he can return with an agreement on the border opening,” Sheinbaum said in her regular press conference.
Rollins has criticized Mexico’s response to the outbreak. In September, Mexico confirmed its first cases of NWS infections in animals in the state of Nuevo Leon, which borders the U.S.
She shared a update on X Oct. 19.
🚨 𝐍𝐖𝐒 𝐔𝐏𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 🚨
— Secretary Brooke Rollins (@SecRollins) October 20, 2025
FIRST and most important — No new cases have been detected in the last 7 days in Mexican states bordering the United States.@USDA and our partners continue to lead an aggressive response to New World Screwworm (NWS). This is a national security threat…
“First and most important — no new cases have been detected in the last seven days in Mexican states bordering the United States,” Rollins says. “USDA and our partners continue to lead an aggressive response to New World screwworm (NWS). This is a national security threat, and it has the full attention of the Trump administration.”
She also announced the release of the USDA NWS Response Playbook.
“This playbook reflects our current approach and response if we ever have a confirmed positive NWS in the USA,” Rollins explains. “We want our state and industry partners to continue to provide feedback on ways to make the playbook even stronger.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is urging U.S. cattle ranchers to lower beef prices while several agencies announced an effort to rebuild the country’s decimated cattle herd. The White House also said on Thursday that Trump is quadrupling the country’s low-tariff imports of Argentine beef in his attempt to lower grocery store beef prices, angering U.S. ranchers.
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