The Daily Dirt — Morning Edition
Overnight June 25–26: Screwworm spreads in Texas, California advances PFAS ban, USDA opens specialty crop assistance, and DOJ continues meatpacking antitrust push.
- [New World Screwworm continues its spread northward across Texas](https://www.npr.org/2026/06/25/nx-s1-5860058/the-screwworm-parasite-continues-to-spread-in-texas-threatening-cattle-and-wildlife), with confirmed cases now in Zavala, La Salle, Gillespie, and Lea Counties, adding labor and medication costs to ranchers already squeezed by drought and market pressure.
- California's Assembly passed AB1603 in early June, advancing legislation that would ban PFAS pesticides statewide by 2035 and phase out 23 EU-banned compounds by 2030—moving the state to [restrict forever chemicals already contaminating nearly 40% of non-organic produce](https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2026/05/california-bill-tackling-toxic-forever-chemical-pesticides) and soil across the state.
- [USDA opened enrollment for its Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program, offering $1.625 billion in direct payments to producers facing elevated input costs](https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2026/05/29/usda-announces-enrollment-period-and-payment-rates-specialty-crop-farmers), with online applications available June 1 and in-person enrollment starting June 8.
- [DOJ continues criminal antitrust investigation into major meatpackers, with prosecutors analyzing whether JBS, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and National Beef — which control roughly 85% of cattle processing — are using data-sharing and consolidation to artificially inflate consumer prices](https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-us/knowledge/publications/327f0e21/doj-launches-antitrust-probe-into-meatpacking-industry) while depressing what producers receive.
- Dairy market conditions remain mixed: Class I skim milk prices rose to $16.75 per hundredweight in June (up $2.63 from May), though regional production is contracting as abnormally high temperatures stress livestock in the Eastern and Central regions.
- Beyond Pesticides and advocacy groups [called for urgent action on toxic PFAS pesticides still in use despite EU bans, noting the chemicals accumulate in soil and tissue and pose particular risk to farmworkers with minimal protective equipment](https://beyondpesticides.org/dailynewsblog/2026/06/action-calls-for-banning-hazardous-and-persistent-pfas-pesticides-as-uses-continue/).
The window from late June 25 into early June 26 brought a cluster of stories cutting across the six beats: livestock disease creeping north, a state taking direct aim at chemical contamination, federal aid opening, and ongoing pressure on market structure. The through-line: farmers and ranchers facing simultaneous hits — on prices, on the ground they farm, and on the tools they’re allowed to use.
Screwworm and Heat Compound Rancher Squeeze
NPR reported June 25 that New World Screwworm continues to spread across Texas, now confirmed in four Texas counties plus Lea County, New Mexico. Unlike contagious livestock diseases, screwworm spreads by fly movement—potentially 6 to 15 miles per day—and through transport of infested animals. Ranchers will face higher labor and medication costs. Combined with the threat of another drought summer, the pressure is compounding.
California Senate Test for PFAS Ban
The Assembly advanced AB1603 in early June, which would ban PFAS pesticide use, sale, and manufacture statewide by 2035, with a 2030 phase-out for 23 compounds the EU already prohibited. The bill pauses new approvals, requires permits and disclosure, and now heads to the Senate—where agricultural industry opposition is expected to be fiercer. A win here would reshape national sourcing and equipment markets.
USDA Specialty Crop Assistance Opens
USDA is distributing $1.625 billion through the Assistance for Specialty Crops Farmers (ASCF) program to fruit, vegetable, and nut growers facing elevated input costs and market disruption. Applications opened June 1 online; in-person enrollment at FSA offices begins June 8. The payment cap is $250,000 per producer.
What to Watch
- Screwworm containment: USDA’s sterile-fly program is the primary containment tool, and current production is reportedly insufficient for an expanding outbreak.
- California PFAS Senate action: Likely June–July. Agricultural groups will mount opposition; Senate Agricultural Committee leadership signals the bill’s prospects.
- DOJ meatpacking criminal charges: Prosecutors are analyzing whether the four largest packers are using data-sharing to depress producer prices. Charges could follow; a settled antitrust case is in motion.
- Dairy market volatility: Heat stress on livestock and regional production shifts are keeping milk prices volatile. Watch Class I prices and regional production reports.
— Save US Farms Desk