The Future of North American Cattle

In 1935, the New World screwworm caused the loss of over 180,000 cattle in Texas alone. Decades later, this dangerous parasite was eradicated from United States cattle in a joint effort between the U.S. and Mexico (Dairy Herd Management, September 2, 2025). Now, it appears to be making a fast comeback.

In recent months, the U.S./Mexico border has been closed and reopened a couple of times to cattle, bison, and horses, due to the risk of screwworm infections. The U.S. Department of Agriculture “is ramping up eradication efforts in Mexico and Central America” as the screwworm is now within about 370 miles (595 km) of the border. Although the U.S. has fewer cattle roaming the range than it did in 1935, many dairy calf ranches operate near the border, and calves are especially vulnerable to screwworm infections. Mexico ranks second, behind Canada, for nations with the most beef exports to the U.S., and the screwworm threatens to significantly impact both the Mexican and the American beef industries—and even to spread quickly to Canadian cattle.

While the Bible seldom indicates exactly how its prophecies will come to pass, one end-time prophecy of Scripture is directly relevant to the cattle industries in the U.S. and other Israelite-descended nations. Due to their increasingly rejecting Him as the end of the age approaches, God declares to these peoples, “Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks” (Deuteronomy 28:18). You can learn more about why future plagues and difficulties will strike Israelite-descended nations by reading or listening to The United States and Great Britain in Prophecy.