U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

After the USDA admitted in 1997 that its programs had routinely discriminated against Black farmers, tens of thousands of them sued the federal government. A judge ultimately ruled in their favor, and farmers were promised nearly $2.2 billion in compensation. But all of these years later, some victims — including in the historic town of Nicodemus, Kansas — still haven’t received anything.

There is bipartisan agreement that the country is not producing nearly enough sterile flies to combat the flesh-eating parasite, which threatens to wreak havoc on Texas' livestock industry.

The latest confirmed infestation was found in a sheep in Sutton County, adding to concerns that the flesh-eating parasite is spreading beyond South Texas.

Governor Abbott has declared a state of emergency over the New World Screwworm and its potential impact on the U.S. livestock industry, as state experts are calling on all Texans to help monitor for the flies. Meanwhile, West Texas ranchers are not panicking, taking the news as another part of an already difficult job.

State officials and researchers warned Texas lawmakers in May that New World screwworm was advancing toward the state and could carry a billion-dollar economic toll.

Kansas agriculture can suffer if Trump administration can’t deflect parasite

Two more cases of the New World screwworm have been confirmed in Texas, demonstrating the difficulty of stopping the spread of a pest that potentially could devastate the nation's cattle industry.

The detection marks the first U.S. case of New World screwworm since the parasite was eradicated in the 1960s.

Despite recent storms in parts of the state, all of Oklahoma is in some sort of drought or under abnormally dry conditions.

Some close watchers of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's budget aren't thrilled with the Trump administration's proposal — but they're hopeful some of the suggested cuts won't make it in the final spending plans passed by Congress.