Texas Agriculture Today

*The fall of the Texas sugar industry is felt across the nation.   *Time is running out for Texas farmers and ranchers to file documents to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act. *Texas cattle feeders are riding through some rough market turbulence.   *Another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill may be in the works.  *A long time Texas farm broadcaster is inducted into the industry’s Hall of Fame...

*2024 has been a good year for Texas feedlots.   *The South Texas Agriculture Emergency Assistance Act would help Rio Grande Valley farmers. *The cattle markets have been on a rocky ride lately.   *Senate Ag Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow released her framework for the new Farm Bill.   *The fertilizer industry is in a more stable environment compared to a couple of years ago.  *U.S. and Mexican o...

*A group of Texas farmers and ranchers called on Washington lawmakers last week.    *Texas A&M AgriLife is offering special online events for producers in the Texas High Plains.   *President-elect Trump has made his choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.   *Manufacturers got a look at the peanut industry in West Texas.   *Cotton harvest is winding down in the Concho Valley. *Lamin...

*The new agreement between the U.S. and Mexico should make it easier for Mexico to pay its water debt to the Rio Grande Valley.   *The demand for silage sorghum in increasing in the Texas High Plains.   *Washington lawmakers have selected a new leader in the Senate.   *There are some important contacts to make after you purchase rural property.   *From natural disasters to high input costs and low...

*Straightening out stocker cattle is a challenge this year.    *The Texas Wildlife Association is holding a free webinar on building ponds.   *Is there any interest in growing strawberries in Texas?   *Recent November rains on the South Plains of West Texas put a temporary hold on the cotton harvest.   *The U.S. and Mexico have reached an agreement to help Mexico pay their water debt under the 194...

*The 2025 Texas legislative session is right around the corner.   *Texas pork production rose last month.   *President-elect Trump is wasting no time making pics for his upcoming administration. *There may be a future for strawberry production in the Texas High Plains.   *The state’s largest farm organization is urging Congress to work on a new Farm Bill and on economic assistance for farmers.  *H...

*The Texas cotton harvest is hampered by the rain.   *Honey production in Texas is expected to be higher this year.   *The American Farm Bureau Federation honored retired army colonel Joe Richer as the first recipient of the Veteran Farmer Award of Excellence. *Fighting weeds is an ongoing battle for Texas farmers.   *Rumors are circulating about who may be the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture....

*Cow herd rebuilding may finally be underway.     *A pest that threatens corn yields and grain quality has re-emerged in Texas.  The FARM Act has a hefty price tag.   *Texas High Plains farmers are having some worries about weeds.   *Congress is back in session this week.   *The Texas Beef Council was represented at the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s fall meeting in Tucson, Arizona.   *84th annual...

*The fall run of calves and yearlings is slowing down.   *Lower crop prices have let U.S. farmers to take out loans at a rate and scale not seen in years.   *The Senate agriculture committee will have a new chairman when the new Congress is seated in January. *A big ranch rodeo is taking place in Amarillo.   *The Secretary of Agriculture is urging Congress to pass a Farm Bill.   *The U.S. Meat Exp...

*Farm groups are focusing on the lame-duck congress to take action on the Farm Bill.   *The U.S. Meat Export Federation is meeting in Tucson, Arizona.   *Brazos County voters approved two propositions that will require livestock to be fenced.  *Temperatures have taken a drop in the Texas High Plains.   *There will be four new faces representing Texas in the next Congress.   *Beef plays a critical...

*Much of the Texas winter wheat crop received some badly needed rainfall.   *Commercial red meat production in Texas fell last month *It’s always good to get a rain in Texas, but it can have both positive and negative effects.   *The election is over, and Congress is about to return to Washington D.C.  *Cotton harvest continues on the Texas Southern Plains.   *The U.S. cattle inventory is at the l...

*A proposed USDA rule may eliminate competition in cattle marketing.   *West Texas A&M University is looking for better ways to grow strawberries.   *USDA will test milk in states where dairy cattle tested positive for the H5N1 virus. *It was hard to grow grass in the Texas High Plains this year due to a lack of rain.   *The Farm Service Agency is issuing CRP and Farm Bill safety net payments....

*The final leg of the Texas sorghum harvest will be both good and bad.   *Avian influenza has now passed to a pig.   *The dispute over Mexico’s ban on biotech corn is expected to be settled by the end of the year. *Texas High Plains farmers may go with more sorghum next year.   *If Congress doesn’t take action on the Farm Bill by the end of the year, we could return to permanent law.   *Cotton har...

*Cattle carcass weights continue to grow.   *Texas commercial lamb and sheep slaughter increased last month.    *Cattle thieves are busy this fall.  *Water conservation is a major issue for agriculture in the Texas High Plains.   *If Congress is unable to complete a Farm Bill in the lame duck session, they will have to start all over in the next Congress.   *We had a very dry October in Texas.  Wh...

*Beef-on-dairy calves are having a positive effect on the beef industry.    *Time is running out for sorghum growers to enter the National Sorghum Yield contest.   *Texas feedlot inventories have declined slightly.  *Getting into the cattle business is a tough task.   *There is very little time to get a Farm Bill completed this year.   *Burn bans are in effect all across Texas.   *One of the many...

*Texas corn and sorghum yields were great in some places and not so great in others.    *There is less rough rice and more milled rice in storage in Texas.   *A Texan is the new president of the American Hereford Association. *Cattle prices remain strong, but how long with they last?   *Almost half of Texas congressional representatives have thrown their support behind a farm disaster aid bill.  ...

*Feedlot inventories remain steady.    *This is not turning out to be a good year to grow corn.   *Congressman Trent Kelly of Mississippi has introduced the Farmer Assistance and Revenue Mitigation act. *What’s the status of cow herd rebuilding?   *Several agricultural groups are expressing concerns over the federal government’s new dietary guidelines.   *New traceability rules for cattle go into...

*USDA released another proposed rule dealing with cattle marketing.   *Drought continues to spread across Texas.   *The American Lamb Board has grant money available for sheep producers.   *Halloween decorations could spell trouble for Texas corn farmers.   *Farm debt could continue to grow without a new Farm Bill.   *Winter wheat planting continues in Texas.   *Our dry fall can affect plants abil...

*Fall grain harvest is wrapping up in the northern Texas Panhandle.   *Texas milk production is increasing.   *Farmers from around the country were touring West Texas agriculture last week. *The WRCA World Championship Ranch Radio is coming up next month in Amarillo.   *The American Farm Bureau has polled the presidential candidates on where they stand on agricultural issues.   *Influencers from M...

*Corn basis is high for Texas cattle feeders.   *Texas peanut production is growing.   *The Texas Animal Health Commission is looking for areas of the state that have a veterinary shortage. *A very big annual ag event is about to take place in Amarillo.   *Nearly a dozen ag organizations are weighing in on the EPAs proposed rodenticide strategy.   *The meat industry is not happy with the new propo...

*The Texas cotton harvest is nearing the half-way point.   *The Texas quail season is here.   *A train derailment on the southern border is holding up agricultural shipments to Mexico. *Feedyards in the Texas High Plains are producing heavier cattle.   *The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association is expressing concerns with tax provisions that expire next year.   *Halloween is next week, so how does...

*There is some good cotton to be found on the Texas High Plains.   *Deer leases should pay off this year with a good season.   *A West Texas cotton gin is celebrating 100 years in business. *Fed cattle prices took a dip in the summer, but they are coming back strong this fall.   *A lawmaker from Texas is making sure that farmers and ranchers in the Rio Grande Valley have a voice in negotiations ov...

*Cheaper corn is causing cattle to stay in feedlots longer.   *Drought continues to expand across Texas.   *Corn harvest is moving quickly across the U.S. *Silage production is expanding in the Texas High Plains.  *An important deadline is approaching for Texas farmers and ranchers.   *Farmers markets are thriving in Texas.   *East Texas is dry as fall hunting season gets underway.  *A new animal...

*Feeding cattle can be profitable, but it takes some work.    *Some Texas universities are getting money from USDA to attract Hispanic students.   *Texas cotton crop conditions have improved slightly.   *Many Texas High Plains farmers had to deal with an insufficient supply of water during this year’s growing season.   *The Texas FFA travel team is crisscrossing the state.   *USDA has released its...

*How will the upcoming elections affect Texas cattle feeders?   *The EQIP signup deadline is coming up soon.   *Texas wheat planting has passed the half-way mark.   *The hot, dry August caused a big setback for crops on the Texas High Plains.   *Rumors of a last-minute Farm Bill have resurfaced.   *It’s fall fair season all across Texas.   *Leaders in agricultural organizations are teaming up to e...