Several state officials are attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the United States Department of Agriculture's domestic sterile fly production facility.

The facility will be at Moore Air Base, located at 22675 North Moorefield Road, and is part of the USDA's effort to protect livestock from the New World Screwworm.

As previously reported, the parasite has been detected in Nuevo León, Mexico, only 90 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.

Attending the groundbreaking ceremony are U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, Texas Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Representative Monica De La Cruz, and USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) Dudley Hoskins.