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    <title>Tick Riders</title>
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  <title>Tick Riders: The Cornerstone of USDA's Cattle Fever Tick Program</title>
  <link>https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/2011/04/13/tick-riders-cornerstone-usdas-cattle-fever-tick-program</link>
  <description>
&lt;span&gt;Tick Riders: The Cornerstone of USDA's Cattle Fever Tick Program&lt;/span&gt;

&lt;span&gt;&lt;span&gt;bfrank&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;

&lt;span&gt;&lt;time datetime="2011-04-13T10:59:49-04:00" title="Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - 10:59"&gt;Wed, 04/13/2011 - 10:59&lt;/time&gt;
&lt;/span&gt;
Edward Avalos, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs
  &lt;p&gt;Recently I had the opportunity to travel to south Texas to learn first-hand about our Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;USDA has successfully eradicated cattle fever in the U.S.&amp;nbsp; Only a permanent quarantine buffer zone remains in south Texas, which spans 500 miles from Del Rio to Brownsville.&amp;nbsp; The ticks and disease remain well-established in Mexico, so the buffer zone is necessary to keep U.S. cattle free of cattle fever by preventing the re-establishment of the ticks.&lt;/p&gt;
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&lt;article class="media media-image view-mode-embedded"&gt;&lt;img title="MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos riding with the Tick Riders along the Rio Grande. " src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5615948945_c9c5023839.jpg" alt="MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos riding with the Tick Riders along the Rio Grande. " width="500" height="295" loading="lazy"&gt;&lt;/article&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos riding with the Tick Riders along the Rio Grande. &lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The USDA-employed mounted patrol officers, better known as the famous “Tick Riders,” provide the cornerstone of our surveillance program.&amp;nbsp; The 86 “Tick Riders,” mounted on horseback, provide the first line of defense against an outbreak of cattle fever.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I had the opportunity and honor to ride on horseback side-by-side with some of our “Tick Riders” and &lt;a href="http://www.aphis.usda.gov/"&gt;Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service&lt;/a&gt; (APHIS) –VS Veterinarians.&amp;nbsp; Following the dusty trail along the Rio Grande, south of Del Rio, I quickly experienced the enthusiasm, commitment and importance of our “Tick Riders.”&amp;nbsp; That day a Mexican bull, having crossed the river, was captured.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;With sore muscles as a result of the ride, I express my gratitude to these hard working public servants.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;figure class="embedded-entity" role="group"&gt;
&lt;article class="media media-image view-mode-embedded"&gt;&lt;img title="MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos and employees at the APHIS recognition ceremony at the Amistad Pens." src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5266/5615948967_1845b8a21f.jpg" alt="MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos and employees at the APHIS recognition ceremony at the Amistad Pens." width="500" height="375" loading="lazy"&gt;&lt;/article&gt;
&lt;figcaption&gt;MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos and employees at the APHIS recognition ceremony at the Amistad Pens.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
&lt;/figure&gt;




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            APHIS
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          &lt;a href="https://www.usda.gov/taxonomy/term/2835" class="usa-tag"&gt;
            Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program
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            Mexico
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            MRP
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            Tick Riders
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            &lt;div class="field field--name-field-teaser-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"&gt;  &lt;img src="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/styles/two_column_header_image_1320x888/public/usda_blog_images/5062_5615948945_c9c5023839.jpg?h=35f6c102&amp;amp;itok=kTuDpgHS" width="1320" height="888" alt="MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos riding with the Tick Riders along the Rio Grande. " loading="lazy"&gt;


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            &lt;div class="field field--name-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"&gt;  &lt;img src="https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/usda_blog_images/5062_5615948945_c9c5023839.jpg?itok=dtk-ue1u" width="480" height="283" alt="MRP Under Secretary Ed Avalos riding with the Tick Riders along the Rio Grande. " title="5062_5615948945_c9c5023839.jpg" loading="lazy"&gt;


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</description>
  <pubDate>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:59:49 +0000</pubDate>
    <dc:creator>bfrank</dc:creator>
    <guid isPermaLink="false">14809 at https://www.usda.gov</guid>
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