USDA opens new livestock pest lab

The United States — United States Department of Agriculture>>>'s United States — Agricultural Research Service>>> officially opened the new United States — Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory>>> in Kerrville, Texas, on May 27, 2026. This state-of-the-art 52,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to developing innovative tools and advanced technologies to manage and eliminate invasive fly and tick pests that threaten the U.S. cattle industry. The laboratory, named after pioneering USDA researchers Edward F. Knipling>>> and Raymond Bushland>>>, will house two ARS research units focused on protecting U.S. livestock production and the food supply from devastating arthropod pests like the New World screwworm. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins>>> and ARS Administrator Joon Park>>> highlighted the lab's importance in combating current and future threats to American livestock and strengthening the U.S. cattle industry. The research will build on 80 years of historical work in the area, including the development of the sterile insect technique (SIT) which led to the eradication of screwworms from the United States>>>, Mexico>>>, and Central African Republic>>>.