By Ryan Hanrahan
Reuters’ P.J. Huffstutter reported that “U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Wednesday that the Department of Agriculture is preparing to reopen the Santa Teresa, New Mexico, port of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border.“
“The agency said that operations will start slowly with an initial limit of 750 head of cattle per day,” Huffstutter reported. “The USDA in late August resumed cross-border livestock trade with Mexico under a phased port reopening that began in Douglas, Arizona, after months of closures due to concerns about the spread of the screwworm parasite.”
Border Report’s Aracely Lazcano reported that the USDA is “reopening a trade route that handled 43% of all Mexican cattle imported into the United States during the past five years. The reopening also carries an economic impact of more than $1 billion across the region. Before the shutdown, cattle crossing through Santa Teresa supported Mexican ranchers, inspection and transportation jobs in New Mexico and feedlots throughout Texas.”
Progressive Farmer’s Jake Zajkowski reported that “at full capacity, Santa Teresa can handle between 500,000 and 700,000 head annually in both directions.”
Source : illinois.edu