Texas Agriculture Today

*The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is underway.   *The state legislature is making efforts to protect natural resources.   *It has been a dry winter for the Texas High Plains.   *Economic assistance payments will soon be making their way to farmers.   *The very high winds across Texas this week created a challenge for farmers and ranchers.   *Cushing’s disease is common in older mares. 

*President Trump told farmers to prepare for tariffs.   *Texas farmers may wait until the last minute to make planting decisions. *There are indications that cattle herd rebuilding is beginning in the Southern Plains.   *The U.S. levied new tariffs on Mexico and China this week.   *The deadline is coming up to apply for an agricultural water grant.   *The Trump administration released a freeze on...

*The upcoming economic and disaster aid package for farmers should be an improvement over the last one.   *A pair of lawmakers from Texas have introduced a bill to help Texas wildfire victims.   *Winter is just about over.   *A lot of Texas High Plains farmers have been adding sorghum silage to their crop mix.   *U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins addressed tariffs and agricultural trade...

*Economic relief for farmers is on the way soon.    *We are right in the middle of peak wildfire season.   *South Texas cabbage producers planted less last year, but production was up.   *USDA is taking the fight against screwworms to Mexico. *The Hemphill County Beef Conference has reached a big milestone.   *A representative of the fresh produce industry in South Texas testified before Congress...

*The cattle industry needs Congress to reduce burdensome regulations.    *Tarleton State University is establishing a new center to focus on enhancing well being in rural and agricultural communities.   *A South Texas rancher was killed by an improvised explosive device near Brownsville. *Texas farmers and ranchers met with state lawmakers at the State Capitol last week.   *How soon will Texas Pan...

*Texas wheat crop conditions improved last week.    *The new chairman of the Texas House Committee on Agriculture and Livestock outlined his priorities for the committee in the current legislative session.  *Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is fully behind the Trump Administration’s effort to downsize the federal government.  *Secretary Rollins is also launching a new plan to fight avian influ...

*The Trump Administration is addressing the avian influenza outbreak.    *The National Cotton Council is pleased with the current direction of agricultural issues in Washington.   *Texas wheat grower Koby Dickerson is a National Wheat Yield Contest state winner. *The Texas legislature is addressing water issues for Texas farmers and ranchers.   *There’s a good chance of the Texas High Plains getti...

*The new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture was back in Texas this week to address the avian influenza outbreak.   *A Texan will testify before the Senate Ag Committee in Washington this week.   *Texas farmers produced more than $19 million worth of cucumbers last year.   *Cotton production is falling in Texas because it isn’t a profitable crop to grow. *Planting time is getting near in the Texas High...

*We’re not expecting any freeze damage to the Texas winter wheat crop.   *Onions are a big crop in South Texas.   *Beef production is expected to go up this year. *Cattle feeders continue to produce heavier cattle.   *USDA is unfreezing some conservation funding.  *Fly season will be here before you know it.   *Coastal Bend farmers and ranchers are dealing with the wild February temperature swings...

*Cotton production is growing in Brazil.   *Prairieview A&M is conducting research on organic sorghum.   *Another case of New World screwworms has been found in southern Mexico. *Committees have been named by the House in the Texas Legislature.   *A new bill could make it easier for students from family farms to get financial aid for college. *Silage production has taken a big jump in the Texa...

*The cold weather is shutting down cattle marketing.   *USDA has given preliminary approval to a vaccine to prevent avian influenza in chickens.   *This is National FFA Week. *There are some indications that cow herd rebuilding may be getting underway.   *A bill designed to expand school milk options has been reintroduced in Congress.  *Thousands of volunteers help to put on the San Antonio Stock...

*The House Budget Committee is calling for a $230 billion cut in ag spending.   *A Texas native received a posthumous award at the National Cotton Council’s annual meeting in Dallas last weekend.   *Texas farmers planted more watermelons last year.   *Texas wheat crop conditions continue to decline. *A Texas federal court has allowed enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act to go forward.   *...

*The National Cotton Council held its annual meeting in Dallas.   *Cotton growers are expected to plant nearly 15% less cotton acreage this year. *Cattle feeders are getting historically high prices for cattle, but that doesn’t always translate to profits. *Lawmakers in Washington are making another attempt to eliminate the death tax.   *Several factors are causing rural Texas land prices to rise....

*Brooke Rollins hit the ground running as the new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.   *Rain is good for both crops and weeds.   *Land prices in Texas have shot higher over the past few years.   *Texas is one of the top four catfish producing states in the nation.   *South Texas Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz has introduced a resolution to condemn Mexico for its failure to uphold the 1944 water treat...

*A Texan is the new U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.   *Governor Abbot outlined his emergency items for this session of the Texas Legislature.   *There is hope for a potential resolution to the water debt Mexico owes the U.S.   *It’s unlikely that dicamba will be available for this year’s cotton crop.   *Choosing the right cotton variety is very important this year.   *Cattle producers should watch...

*A Texan is now running the U.S. Department of Agriculture.   *Texas farmers and ranchers may have another dry summer ahead.    *This week’s Texas wheat crop ratings showed a small improvement.   *Fighting cattle parasites is a never-ending problem.   *Texans are raising more goats.  *Burning has been used for year to rejuvenate grasslands.   *Some planning is required for artificial insemination...

*A Texas farmer testified before Congress.   *New research shows dairy cattle infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus can build natural immunity to it.   *Coast Packing Company broke ground on a new edible fats and oils refinery and packing facility in Amarillo. *With cotton prices so low, controlling production costs will be vital for this year’s crop.  *Producing weed free hay is possible,...

*Texas cotton acreage is expected to stay the same this year.   *Texas goat producers saw a decrease in mohair production last year.   *A Texas Panhandle ranch was recognized at the recent Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio.  *It looks like Texas cotton farmers will be doing without dicamba in this upcoming growing season.   *A bill that would help Texas cattle producers fight fever ticks h...

*Things are moving fast in Washington D.C.    *Texas wool production was down last year.   *The condition of the Texas wheat crop continues to decline. *Last year was a very dry season for Texas High Plains cotton producers.   *USDA has released a new farm income forecast.   *The San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo is now underway.  *Planting time is here for farmers in Deep South Texas.   *Equin...

*Brooke Rollins get the thumbs up at the Cattle Industry Convention.   *The NCBA is watching the tariff situation closely. *Texas continues to lead the nation in the number of cattle.   *Texas citrus growers are assessing the damage from the recent freeze. *The electric company that serves the Texas Panhandle is using AI technology to help fight wildfires.   *The man nominated to be the next U.S....

*The annual Cattle Industry Convention is underway in San Antonio.   *There are new updates to the Beef Quality Assurance program.   *Texas dairy farmers produced more milk last quarter.   *JBS USA announced a $150 million expansion project at its Cactus, Texas beef processing plant.   *Ag groups are urging Congress to pass a new Farm Bill.   *Having a diversified operation is an advantage when it...

*The Texas beef cow herd grew last year, but the statistics can be confusing.   *The number of sheep in Texas increased last year.   *Imports of Mexican feeder cattle into the U.S. are getting underway.  *There has been some very interesting weather in the Texas High Plains in recent months.   *We are one step closer to having a new Secretary of Agriculture. *The trade and tariff situation continu...

*The U.S. cow herd continues to shrink.   *There drought situation in Texas has improved over the past few months, but some areas of the state are still in extreme drought.   *Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Cotton Specialist Ben McKnight was named the 2025 Beltwide Cotton Specialist of the Year. *The tariff war is officially underway.  *The Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo wraps up this week. *Tex...

*Less heifers are going into feedlots.   *Signup is underway for the Dairy Margin Coverage program.   *Texas Congressman Jodey Arrington has introduced a bill to reduce the federal estate tax. *The Asian Longhorned Tick is a potential threat to the Texas cattle industry.   *The House Ag Committee is making the Farm Bill a priority in this Congress.   *A very cold January has turned into a milder e...

*Mexican cattle imports should resume soon.   *A young Texas couple was recognized for their work on their ranch in Sterling County.   *A trailer load of cattle was found abandoned in Houston County. *Texas High Plains corn farmers have been learning more about the corn leafhopper.   *The U.S. has a new administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency.   *A new bill has been filed in the Texa...