The Texas Agriculture Alert System, launched May 1, is designed to notify Texans about agricultural threats, wildlife diseases, invasive pests, and quarantine actions.
The system allows enrollment for email notifications when official agencies confirm cases of a dangerous plant, wildlife, or animal pest or disease; establish or modify quarantine orders administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture; or enter any compliance agreements related to pest and disease outbreaks.
Updates are also available on the website.
Dan Hale, Ph.D., associate director for agriculture and natural resources at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, says the state legislature requested the system, and its timely launch came just before the June 3 confirmation of New World screwworm, a parasite that could devastate the nation's cattle industry, in a South Texas calf.
"There have been some significant first-time occurrences of invasive species," Dr. Hale notes. "This is going to be really helpful for people to keep track of where those cases are and what I need to know from the respective—if I'm in that particular county or if I'm in that area—what I should be looking for."
He says the alert system is also a good tool for people who live outside of the state, particularly those who deal in selling plants or selling animals.
"It would be helpful to know: has there been a confirmed case in that area that I've been I might be purchasing that particular plant from?" Dr. Hale poses.
He encourages people to monitor what is happening in Texas and elsewhere and to contact their local county extension office for more information on agricultural threats.
