NM Prepares for Santa Teresa Reopening

PORTLAND, Maine (DTN) -- As USDA approaches the one-month mark since reopening the Douglas, Arizona, land port to Mexican cattle, New Mexico officials are now preparing for the reopening of their own port, the Santa Teresa Livestock Auction, according to the state's top ag official.

New Mexico Commissioner of Agriculture Jeff Witte told DTN at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture meeting on Tuesday that his agency and the state's Livestock Board have learned from the Douglas site reopening last month and are now preparing for their own reopening.

At full capacity, Santa Teresa can handle between 500,000 and 700,000 head annually in both directions, Witte said.

Witte said he will tour and inspect the facility with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and industry representatives on Thursday. A roundtable will also be held on Thursday.

"This is just an initial inspection," Witte said. "If everything lines up, the target date has been announced as the 24th of September."

DTN reached out to USDA to confirm the anticipated border reopening date and is awaiting a response. The agency had not released a formal announcement of the Thursday inspection or the port reopening date by the time this article was posted.

Witte said the Santa Teresa facility is currently installing cattle identification technology and working with the Cattlemen's Union of Chihuahua, which has operations on both sides of the border, as well as USDA, to prepare.

USDA has said it is taking a phased approach to reopening southern border ports for livestock trade following extended closures tied to New World screwworm (NWS) concerns. The department had planned to allow 30 days of implementation before evaluating biosecurity measures and considering the next reopening. The Douglas, Arizona, port of entry reopened to Mexican cattle imports on Aug. 24.

The Columbus, New Mexico, livestock port of entry also remains closed.

In previous news releases, USDA noted, "The reopening timeline will remain flexible and may be adjusted based on Mexico's progress in meeting Action Plan milestones and addressing critical issues."

The initial flow of cattle at Santa Teresa will be 750 head per day, Witte said. "They're going to start slow."

Santa Teresa has been closed to cattle since May 11, 2025, when USDA shut the crossing over concerns about the spread of New World screwworm.

DTN will follow up on comments from Secretary Rollins during the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture meeting Wednesday morning.

Jake Zajkowski can be reached at jake.zajkowski@dtn.com

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