50 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN January 2026 UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITIES NDA Director Vinton Joins Trade Mission to Mexico In November 2025, Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Sherry Vinton was honored to be a part of a landmark diplomatic effort as she joined the largest-ever agribusiness trade mission to Mexico. The mission was attended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, Undersecretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke J. Lindberg, Undersecretary of Marketing and Regulatory Program Dudley Hoskins, 41 U.S. businesses, 33 cooperators and agriculture advocacy groups and five other state departments of agriculture. Additionally, there were 150 participants who conducted more than 500 business-to-business meetings during the trade mission. This timely trade mission created vital opportunities for American businesses, farmers and ranchers, furthering trade ties with Mexico prior to the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) review in 2026. On her first day in Mexico City, Vinton visited Walmart Toreo, a major Mexican Supermarket, where she familiarized herself with the different U.S. products sold in the local markets and ways to incorporate hands-on participation in ongoing U.S. product promotions. She ended the day with a networking event where she met with representatives from various Mexican agriculture, food and beverage sectors. Mexico continues to be a top market for U.S. agricultural exports. The trade of both goods and services reaches $1 trillion per year, making it the largest trading relationship in the history of the world. Other consumer-oriented products, including meat and meat products, dairy, processed food, fruits and beverages, constitute nearly 50 percent of that trade with a value of $14.6 billion. Bulk commodity exports to Mexico accounted for one-third of all agricultural shipments, valued at $10 billion, led by corn, soybeans, wheat, rice and pulses. More tours continued the following day, this time at Central De Abasto, which is Mexico City’s main wholesale market for produce and other food products. It is a central hub of commerce, serving as a meeting place for producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers across the entire country. The market is the largest of its kind in the world and handles more than 30,000 tons of merchandise daily. After the tour, Vinton and other delegates met with scientists to observe field trials at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). The field trials were to test different potential improvements to corn and wheat productivity through crop breeding, which lead to the importance of rules-based trade using a foundation of sound science as outlined by USMCA. To end the day, she met with the team at Mexico’s National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (SENASICA) at their headquarters where Vinton gave the opening remarks to the discussion of New World screwworm (NWS) and its threat to the United States border. SENASICA showcased bilateral efforts to combat the spread of NWS in Mexico, thus halting its further reach to the United States. Back in May 2025, the USDA suspended all live cattle, horse and bison imports from Mexico to prevent the spread of New World screwworm to U.S. livestock. NWS larvae (Cochliomyia hominivorax) infest the tissue or flesh of warm-blooded animals. Wounds will attract these flies, which is where they will lay their eggs. Larvae will then eat the flesh of the animal, making wounds larger as more eggs hatch. This can lead to the animal’s death and proves a threat to both Mexican and American livestock. As these flies drew closer to the Mexico-Texas border, elimination efforts began through the sterile insect technique, which releases sterile male flies into NWS populated areas. These sterile flies eliminate reproduction and were previously used in 1966 when the infestation was eradicated in America. While a small infestation was reported in Florida in 2016, it was quickly resolved using the same technique. Vinton shared her thoughts on what it would take for the United States to resume importing cattle from Mexico. “They CHRISTIN KAMM | COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR, NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE POLICY CONTINUED ON PAGE 52 Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Sherry Vinton poses for a photo with Humberto, one of the largest beef and pork importers, at Central De Abasto, which is Mexico City’s main wholesale market for produce and other food products. Photo courtesy of Hannah Smallhouse.
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