Texas Agriculture Today

*Volatile cattle prices are tough on order buyers.    *Drought conditions continue to improve in Texas.   *Governor Abbott has signed a bill that will make it illegal for citizens of hostile countries to own land in Texas.   *There are multiple reasons why some Texas High Plains farmers and ranchers are selling their land.   *Texas cattle feeders are having to make some big adjustments with the Me...

*The current cattle market cycle will look very different than the last one.    *There’s good news for Texas dove hunters.   *The Concho Valley is having a good crop year.     *It’s been a great year to grow grass in the Texas Panhandle. *Peanut harvest is underway in South Texas.   *U.S. lawmakers may act on the Farm Bill when they return to Washington after the August recess. *Midwest corn farme...

*The Texas cotton crop is looking better this year, but it’s still the lowest rated crop in the nation. *Texas dairies have more cows and are producing more milk.   *Texas feedlot inventories have taken a big drop.   *Texas High Plains corn farmers are walking a tightrope.   *Texas farmers and ranchers have been talking to their lawmakers.   *The EPA has an update on upcoming deregulatory actions....

*Feedlot inventories are lower for the ninth month in a row.   *Most U.S. farms are still family farms.       *Registration is open for the upcoming Texas Cattle Feeders Association’s annual meeting. *Texas farmers and ranchers are meeting with their congressional representatives during the August recess.   *USDA is implementing recent improvements to crop insurance.  *The unpredictable weather co...

*Cattle producers should consider bringing unweaned calves to the sale barn early this year. *There’s new leadership at two USDA agencies in Texas.   *The North Texas Panhandle is getting short on grain storage.   *The Coastal Bend sorghum harvest has brought mixed results.   *Feedlots in the Texas High Plains are seeing a dramatic decline in inventory.   *U.S. lawmakers are visiting with farmers...

*Screwworms can be devastating for local livestock markets.   *The challenge to a new Texas law that prohibits the ownership of land by hostile countries has hit a setback.    *A bill that would allow the sale of ivermectin over the counter will be included in the current special session of the legislature.     *It was a unique wheat season for the Texas Southern Plains.   *An East Texan is servin...

*Texas cattle feeders are encouraged by USDA’s screwworm efforts.   *New Texas hunting and fishing licenses are now available.   *The Coastal Bend Whitetail Deer Symposium is next Friday in Robstown.   *The Randall County Ag Day and crops tour is coming up next week.   *The Texas House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock held a hearing on New World screwworms.   *The U.S. Trade Representative h...

*How long with the southern border be closed to imports of livestock?   *USDA will no longer support wind or solar projects on U.S. farmland.     *Cattle feeders are in the driver’s seat.  *Coastal Bend cotton yields are average to better.   *The Trump administration is taking additional actions to protect the U.S. from New World Screwworms.   *Calf and yearling prices are at record highs. *The Au...

*Preparation for the New World screwworm continues.   *The EPA is giving the public more time to weigh in on its proposal to register three dicamba products.    *Texas corn harvest is moving north.   *Texas panhandle corn is entering the final stretch.   *The chairman of the Senate Ag Committee is pushing to get the Farm Bill done this fall.   *The EPA issued new guidance regarding Diesel Exhaust...

*There’s more money to fight screwworms.   *USDA reduced the U.S. cotton production estimate by 1.4 million bales. *There’s still hope for a good cotton crop in the Texas High Plains.   *The Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course was held recently in College Station.   *Fertilizer can help plants look and perform better during the summer.   *Antibiotic resistance can be an issue in both humans and...

*Choosing the right wheat variety can be a challenge.   *Time is running out for Texas 4-H and FFA members to sign up for an opportunity to grow their agriculture advocacy skills.   *It has been a quiet hurricane season.   *Texas Congressman Jodey Arrington has introduced the No Discrimination in Farm Programs Act.       *There’s more than just cotton in the Texas Southern Plains.   *The EPA made...

*Texas cotton harvest is underway.   *The Trump administration is giving China an additional 90 days to reach a trade agreement.   *There are a lot of indication that cow herd rebuilding is underway.   *Texas High Plains cotton needs heat units.   *Time is running out on a proposal that would bring dicamba back.   *The August heat is on in the Texas Southern Plains.   *Planting winter pastures thi...

*Late season rains were both good and bad for the Texas wheat crop.     *Registration is underway for the statewide quail symposium.   *The city of Amarillo issued a building permit for the new Producer Owned Beef packing plant.    *Summer weather has been good for Texas High Plains corn.   *USDA is planning a big announcement on New World screwworms.   *It has been an active summer for rural Texa...

*The northern Texas Panhandle had a good wheat crop.   *More than half of Texas is now drought free.   *A new partnership will bring GMO wheat to the U.S.     *In the Texas High Plains, a new wheat season is almost here.  *U.S. lawmakers are back in their home districts this month.  *U.S. pork exports rebounded in June, but beef exports dropped.   *It’s been a great summer for hay production in Ea...

*The cattle market set new record highs in every segment of the industry.     *Texas feedlots are looking for new sources of cattle.   *When Congress returns to Washington next month, they will have a lot of work to do.   *USDA released the latest report on U.S. farmland values and cash rents.   *It’s a hot cotton-picking time in the Texas Coastal Bend.   *There are a couple of new drugs being use...

*La Niña is affecting Texas weather.   *U.S. Fish and Wildlife has withdrawn its plan to expand the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge by obtaining nearby land.   *A Texas High Plains farmer grew sterile sorghum this year to serve two purposes.   *Is it healthier to live on a farm or ranch or in the city?   *We may be able to tell a lot about the health of calves by looking at their saliva.   *It h...

*Cattle producers are preparing for the arrival of New World screwworms in Texas.   *The Senate has passed the fiscal year 2026 USDA spending bill.  *The winter wheat crop appears to have turned out pretty well in the Texas High Plains, but some producers are hoping prices will go up before they sell what they have.   *Farm kids and adolescents are less likely to show risks of suicide.    *Survey:...

*Herd rebuilding is slowly underway.    *USDA is now accepting comments on its proposed reorganization.    *It is shaping up to be a pretty good year for many Texas High Plains farmers.    *The Beef Checkoff gives us some important information on protein consumption and overall wellness of people who eat beef.   *There are ways to manage heat stress in sheep and goats.

*A coalition has come together to launch a reliable resource for information on New World screwworms in Texas.   *New tariffs will go into effect Thursday.   *More than 150 groups are asking the administration to fund and build a domestic sterile fly production facility.    *A big event for Panhandle cattle producers is coming up.    *The tropical weather coming out of the Atlantic has been minima...

*A Texan will be the next president of the American National Cattlewomen.    *Signup is underway for the Battle Ground to Breaking Ground bootcamp.   *The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pulling the plug on its plan to expand the Muleshoe National Wildlife Reserve.   *Texas High Plains wheat farmers produced some great yields this year.   *The Farm Bill is set to expire in September.   *July rai...

*The Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course is here.   *There’s a new website to help Texans learn more about the New World screwworm.   *A Texas ranch has been inducted into the Honorary Angus Foundation.       *It was an extra long season for winter wheat in the Texas High Plains.   *Congress learned more about USDA’s reorganization plan.   *The beef industry stands to benefit from the new U.S....

*Cattle prices are climbing higher.   *Friday’s Cattle on Feed report doesn’t show any signs of herd rebuilding.   *Texas Panhandle corn farmers are advised to scout their fields for the corn leafhopper.   *A Texas senator is asking Congress to do more to help prepare for New World screwworms.   *Recent trade agreements should benefit U.S. beef exports.   *The roller coaster weather year continues...

*Feedlot inventories are getting tighter.    *A congressional committee will meet this week to discuss the plan to reorganize USDA.   *Unexpected rainfall has wiped out drought in much of Texas.   *The Ultimate Beef Trail is back.   *There are lots of sources for EPDs on cattle.   *The United States has reached a trade deal with the European Union.   *West Texas is racking up the heat units needed...

*This could be one of the best crop years in a long time.   *Solar grazing is a growing industry for Texas sheep producers.     *Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is reorganizing the USDA.   *Cattle producers can learn a lot by studying EPDs. *Indonesia has committed to double U.S. wheat purchases.  *Valley farmers are getting financial help to deal with water shortages.   *Summer temperatures...

*Wheat harvest is winding down in the southern U.S.   *Australia will now allow imports of American beef.   *Texas sheep and goat producers need more tools to control predators.   *EPDs can help cattle producers improve their herds.   *A provision designed to prevent a patchwork of laws like California’s Proposition 12 could be included in the next Farm Bill.   *Consumer demand for beef is at reco...