News Briefs: New World screwworm, endangered species, groundwater, annual meeting, prescribed fire

New World screwworm

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration late last month conditionally approved Dectomax-CA1 for use in cattle infected with New World screwworm.

The injectable is the first and only product to receive conditional approval from FDA to control the parasitic fly, whose larvae burrow into the flesh of living animals, causing serious, often deadly, damage.

The move came as a new infection was confirmed earlier this month in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon in a town about 70 miles south of the Texas border.

Mitigation efforts have been in effect since earlier in the year when cases first began in southern Mexico.

Conditional approval means the drug is being made available to cattle producers immediately while further data are collected for full approval.

FDA said it gave Dectomax-CA1 conditional approval because it “has determined the drug is safe and has a reasonable expectation of effectiveness.”

“The FDA will continue to expedite review of animal drugs to help the U.S. fight this devastating threat to our nation’s livestock and the livelihoods of the farmers and ranchers who care for them,” said Timothy Schell, FDA acting director of the Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Dectomax-CA1 is conditionally approved for use only in cattle. The withdrawal period for cattle is 35 days for Dectomax-CA1, as it is for Dectomax, which is already fully approved for treatment and control of certain nematode and arthropod parasites in cattle and swine.

Dectomax-CA1 is not approved for use in dairy cows 20 months of age or older. A withdrawal period has not been established for the product in preruminating calves. It is also not approved for use in calves used for veal.

Meanwhile, an informational webinar on New World screwworm for livestock producers will be held Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. The webinar will cover the pest’s life cycle, history, current situation, U.S. Department of Agriculture response plans, preparation on the ranch, and current and potential insecticides to use on the parasitic fly.

Registration is required to receive the webinar link. Registration deadline is Nov. 18, 1 p.m. Register at https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=47066.

Endangered species

The California Fish and Game Commission earlier this month unanimously voted to advance the Pacific pocket mouse and Gerry’s curly-leaved monardella as candidates for protection under the California Endangered Species Act.

Under state law, candidate species enjoy full protection while the California Department of Fish and Wildlife evaluates whether they are eligible for permanent listing as threatened or endangered.

The Pacific pocket mouse is a small rodent found in sage scrub habitats within 1 mile of the Southern California coast in Orange and San Diego counties. It historically ranged from Los Angeles County to the U.S.-Mexico border but now exists in three isolated populations near Dana Point and on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

Gerry’s curly-leaved monardella, an annual herb in the mint family, has three known occurrences in Ventura County’s Camarillo and Las Posas hills, all in Las Posas sand soil. Fewer than 500 individual plants remain, with population decline attributed to agricultural and development-related habitat loss. One site is believed extirpated, and the remaining two are privately owned.

CDFW encourages landowners to report additional occurrences of the purple-flower plant. State law exempts farms from penalties for accidental take of protected species during routine, lawful agricultural activities, provided such take is reported to the department within 10 days.

Groundwater

California State Water Resources Control Board staff recommended that the board return the Kaweah subbasin to the jurisdiction of the state Department of Water Resources under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. A staff assessment of the subbasin’s latest groundwater sustainability plans found that local agencies made significant progress in adequately addressing deficiencies in their groundwater sustainability plans. The recommendation triggers a public comment period that ends Nov. 12. The state water board will consider acting on the recommendation at its Dec. 2 meeting.

Annual Meeting

California Farm Bureau members are invited to register for the 2025 California Farm Bureau Annual Meeting and Young Farmers & Ranchers State Conference, both taking place Dec. 6–9 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Anaheim.

With the theme “Strong roots, bright future,” the four-day event will feature breakout sessions, networking receptions, a Fun Run and guest speakers, including American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. CEO Patti Poppe. Evening highlights will include the Killer Dueling Pianos, Casino Night and a Disney-themed scavenger hunt.

To register or learn more, visit cfbf.com/annualmeeting or call 916-561-5594.

Prescribed fire

Farmers, ranchers and other community members are invited to observe a live prescribed fire at Blodgett Forest near Georgetown in El Dorado County.

The state’s second Forester Prescribed Fire Training Exchange, which runs Oct. 26–Nov. 1, will host observers Oct. 28 or 29, depending on weather and site conditions.

The event will focus on exploring the connections between sustainable forest management, wildfire resilience, timber harvesting and prescribed fire.

Sign up is required at https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=47094. For more information or to join a group of observers, contact Barb Satink Wolfson at bsatink@ucanr.edu.

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