Texas Agriculture Today

*Texas has one of the best looking cotton crops in years.   *Dicamba is making a comeback.    *Dr. David Drake is the Texas Wheat Producers Board’s County Agent of the Year.   *Profit margins are looking good for cattle feeders.   *President Trump announced some new trade agreements this week.   *Beef demand is at a 40 year high.   *There should be a lot of hay baled this year.   *Dairy cows born...

*The Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Association held their annual meeting in Fredericksburg.   *Corn growers want a MAHA intervention.   *USDA and the Texas Department of Agriculture are reintroducing Swarmlure bait to fight screwworm flies.   *Texas ranchers testified in Austin this week on the importance of fighting screwworms.   *Fed cattle prices are on a wild ride.    *We are one step closer...

*Predation is the biggest challenge for Texas sheep and goat producers.    *Texas hunters have the opportunity to enter a drawing to win a hunt on public and private lands.   *The Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course is just around the corner.   *The paperwork for the latest disaster aid program can be challenging.   *Drought assistance is on the way for Rio Grande Valley farmers and ranchers.  ...

*Big wheat yields are helping offset low prices.     *A chief ag negotiator has been nominated for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.     *The Texas Ultimate Beef Trail is back.   *Many Texas farmers and ranchers experienced flooding in July.   *The corn leafhopper is back in Texas.     *The House Ag Committee has several hearings scheduled this week.   *Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid...

*The Texas wheat harvest is just about done. *The 104th Texas Pecan Growers Association's Annual Conference and Trade Show kicks-off Sunday in Denton.  *A Texas ranch is being recognized for its environmental work. *The corn leaf hopper is on the move.  *A national cattle organization is feeling upbeat about changes at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. *A bacterial organism that can causes masti...

We've seen record high prices in every segment of the cattle industry this year. Sign-up is now underway for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program. The Texas sorghum crop is looking exceptionally good. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes funding to prevent and respond to foreign animal diseases like New World screwworm. There have been some crop losses in the Texas High Plains. The Make A...

*The cattle industry is excited about strong beef demand.   *New World screwworms are a big threat to Texas wildlife. *We still don't have an agricultural trade negotiator in the U.S. Trade Representatives office. *A congresswoman from Texas has introduced legislation to improve the guest worker program.   *Texas agricultural land is being turned into housing and small acreage developments.   *Sum...

*For the first time in history, the percentage of prime beef carcasses has surpassed select graded carcasses. *House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson is looking forward to a new smaller farm bill this fall. *Cotton Incorporated is celebrating plastic free. *Urban sprawl continues to impact communities across Texas. *The Texas Animal Health Commission continues to monitor for New World...

*Corn exports are increasing.   *Undocumented farm workers will not be exempt from deportation.   *Eight republican house members are asking for expedited approvals of screwworm drugs.   *USDA will no longer recognize race or gender based criteria to qualify for farm programs.   *Randall County is losing farmland. *President Trump has announced updated reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners....

*The Mexican border is closed once again to livestock imports.   *Farmers who suffered crop losses in 2023 and 2024 due to natural disasters may now apply for disaster assistance.   *The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is supporting a new USDA plan to keep farms and food secure.   *The condition of the Texas cotton crop is much better than it has been over the past three years.   *Labor issu...

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has passed the House.  Weather continues to impact wheat harvest. NCBA weighs in on upcoming nutrition guidelines report.  Some artificial intelligence tools may be a good starting point for gardeners. The U.S. is closing in on a scrapie free designation.

*USDA is shutting down Mexican livestock imports once again.   *There are big agricultural losses from the flooding, but that’s not a priority right now.   *The Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association has moved their annual convention to Fredericksburg.   *The cattle industry summer meeting is underway in San Diego.   *Making a profit on cotton is not likely for Texas farmers this year.   *Americ...

*The flooding in Kerr County is the worst in modern history.    *President Trump continues to pressure other nations into better trade deals.   *The Texas wheat harvest is running behind schedule this year.     *Cotton growing in the Texas High Plains has a lot of potential this year. *USDA has begun its phased reopening of southern ports to livestock from Mexico.   *There are a lot of choices whe...

*The One Big Beautiful Bill contained several benefits for cattle producers.   *A new study reveals farmer sentiment weakened in June.   *Record cattle prices are to be expected this year.   *There are some good looking cotton fields in the Texas High Plains. *The temporary pause on reciprocal tariffs will expire this week.   *Fencing is not needed to enforce trespassing laws in Texas.   *Farm cho...

*Cotton will not be a profitable crop in Texas this year.   *Feral hogs cause more than $800 million in annual losses in Texas.   *Crop conditions are looking good in South Texas.     *The continuing decline of the water supply in the Texas High Plains could lead to farmers planting more wheat.   *Agricultural trade negotiations continue with Canada.   *USDA recently provided an update on its effo...

The corn leaf hopper is back in parts of Texas, including the Texas High Plains.  New duties on some imports of 2,4-D are now in effect.  Demand for U.S. beef remains high, in part due to the nutritional benefits of the protein.  Hay harvest is underway in East Texas. There is an easy method to help prevent shipping fever in your horses.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has passed the Senate. The fight against New World screwworms continues in Mexico. Texas panhandle crops are off to a good start.  New Dietary Guidelines for Americans are expected by the end of the year.  Tracking your beef cattle herds health with a scorecard can be beneficial. May and June rains have been good for crops in the Coastal Bend. 

USDA announces phased reopening of southern ports to livestock from Mexico.    The first cotton bale in the United States has been harvested in Texas.   The shrinking cow herd has caused the supply of feeder cattle to drop over the past couple of years.   Texans can expect hot and dry conditions in July.    Some farmers on the South Plains of West Texas are having to replant their crops.   There’s...

Former U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady of Texas says provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act are beneficial for Texas agriculture.   Parts of the Grain Standards Act will expire this year unless Congress takes action.    A lot of mystery remains for cattle liver abscess researchers.   There are more hogs in Texas this year.    Texas A&M’s annual Beef Cattle Short Course is just around the corner....

*Much of the Texas cotton crop is behind schedule.    *Registration is underway for the Bennett Trust Women’s Land Stewardship Conference.   *A federal court has ordered Texas based AgriDime LLC to pay $1.6 million in restitution in a cattle Ponzi scheme.    *Managing cattle in a time of high prices can be challenging.   *We could soon see changes to the H2A guest worker program.   *An Amarillo co...

*The Texas wheat harvest is winding down.    *The Texas Department of Agriculture has issued a statewide warning about a crop fungus.   *Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed the formation of a New World screwworm response team.     *Rains in the Texas High Plains have allowed some ranchers to get more use out of winter wheat.   *U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins recently took a ride...

*There are not enough sterile flies being dropped in Mexico to keep New World screwworms from moving north.    *Texas lawmakers will head back to Austin in a few weeks.   *Wheat harvest is back up and running after rain delays.    *More rain is falling on the Texas High Plains this week.  *A group of men and women patrol the border every day to protect Texas livestock.   *The cotton crop in the Up...

*Wheat harvest continues to move north.   *Recent rains have helped reduce drought conditions across Texas.    *USDA’s monthly Cattle on Feed report contained no surprises.   *Farmers in Southeast Texas heard a Farm Bill update at a recent field day.   *A month ago Mexico promised to make water deliveries to South Texas.   *Researchers at West Texas A&M are making new discoveries about liver a...

*The state legislative session was good for agriculture.     *Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have come together to support efforts to combat New World screwworms.   *Summer livestock grazing conditions are good for those areas of Texas that have received spring rainfall.   *West Texas A&M is playing a leading role in liver abscess research.   *Having full lakes and a full soil moisture...

*USDA has a multi-point plan to combat screwworms.   *Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller supports the USDA plan. *USDA'a plan is getting a positive reaction from the Texas livestock industry. *Farmers in Victoria County have had a good year so far, but that may have changed. *Wheat harvest is underway in Kansas. *Consumers love beef.   *Scattered rainfall continues in Central Texas.   *West Nile vir...