Texas Agriculture Today

*A large corn crop helps cattle producers make money.   *Registration is underway for Texas A&M’s first ever Beef Sustainability Summit.   *Texas Congressman Michael McCaul received the “Friend of Farm Bureau” award from the American Farm Bureau Federation. *The sugarcane aphid has been a problem for some Texas sorghum farmers in recent years.   *EPA is restoring pesticide application exclusio...

*The Texas Cattle Feeders Association held its annual meeting in San Antonio over the weekend.   *The sorghum in the Texas High Plains is headed towards the finish line.   *USDA recently announced a plan to help improve seed research and development.   *Cotton warehouses face both challenges and opportunities in West Texas.   *Nutrition is key to top performance in sheep production.  

*Cotton ginning is getting underway in the Texas Panhandle.   *An anaplasmosis vaccine is in the works.   *The USDA Crop Production and Supply and Demand Report was somewhat bearish for the corn market.  *Helping farmers conserve water is a major priority on the Texas High Plains.   *USDA is proposing another rule under the Packers and Stockyards Act.   *Advancements in cotton ginning technology h...

*Texas Panhandle ranchers continue to rebuild fences destroyed by the spring wildfires.   *There is more corn and grain sorghum in storage in Texas this year.   *East Texas cattle producers are feeding hay early due to drought. *Texas High Plains corn farmers had an unexpected visitor in their fields this year.  *The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging farmers, ranchers and applicators to pa...

*The Texas southern plains had the best crop in a decade, but that’s not the case now.  ' *The grand champions were auctioned off at the State Fair of Texas last weekend.   *McDonalds is suing the nation’s largest meat packers. *Depressed prices are making things tough for Texas High Plains corn growers.   *EPA’s herbicide and insecticide strategies could mean extra work and costs for farmers and...

*Texas cotton harvest is one-third complete.    *Farmers do not have a good outlook for the future.   *Halloween is bringing an unexpected scare to the Texas corn industry.  *The success of the Texas corn crop this year comes down to where you are.   *EPA continues to roll out pesticide strategies.   *Texas pecan production is down this year.   *Biological therapies are being used for ligament and...

*The West Texas cotton crop has made a turn for the worse.   *Extreme and exceptional drought continues to spread in Texas.   *The ending of the port workers strike is good news for agriculture. *Halloween is bringing an unhappy trick for the Texas corn industry.   *A Texas congressman and the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee are asking the GAO to review the decision to allow fresh beef...

*There was a big field day last week in the world’s largest cotton patch.   *The average age of farmers and ranchers in Texas has increased slightly.   *The Farm Bill continues to be in limbo.   *West Texas A&M will honor Paul Engler later this week.   *The Farm Bill has expired, so what is the likelihood we will see another extension or a new bill by the end of the year?   *It’s fair and live...

*Farmers are already feeling the impact of an expired Farm Bill.   *Texas farmers have more wheat in storage this year.   *A court appointed receivership has entered into a purchase agreement to buy Ft. Worth based Agridime after the owners were discovered running a ponzi scheme.   *West Texas A&M is growing its agricultural research programs.   *With no Farm Bill in place, we are inching clos...

*Texas cotton conditions continue to decline.   *Texas farmers grew more wheat this past season.   *Farms and ranches are devastated in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. *It’s time for Texas High Plains cotton farmers to make decisions about harvesting their crop.   *The Farm Bill has expired.   *What effect will the port strike have on agriculture? *It’s important to get a forage analysi...

*Texas wheat planting is nearing the half-way mark.   *USDA has made changes to the Farm Service Agency’s loan programs.   *American farmers and ranchers are now officially without a Farm Bill. *This may turn out to be another disappointing year for cotton in the Texas High Plains.  *EPA announced additional changes are coming for chlorpyrifos labels.   *The State Fair of Texas is underway.   *The...

*Some West Texas farmers and ranchers had a wet September.    *Texas pumpkin growers have a better crop this year.   *The nation’s first bale of cotton brought over $25,000 for scholarships. *The Texas High Plains is reaching the final stretch for this year’s cotton crop.   *The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture weighs in on the Farm Bill.   *Fall is now here, and the temperatures are finally cooling...

*Congress continues to kick agriculture down the road.   *Drought conditions have improved slightly in Texas over the past week.   *Milk demand is strong and prices are high.   *USDA is requiring new electronic ID tags for certain cattle and bison.   *Lawmakers are urging their leaders to make passing a Farm Bill a priority.   *The Federal Milk Marketing Order reform process is continuing. *Resear...

*Hurricane Helena had the potential to cause major damage to agriculture in the southeast.   *Columbia is lifting its ban on U.S. beef imports.   *The United States is no longer the leading supplier of cotton for the world.   *There are new electronic ID requirements for interstate movement of cattle.   *Congress has passed a stop-gap spending bill.   *New sprayer technology is providing big savin...

*Cow and bull prices are dropping this fall.   *The state of Texas is suing the federal government over an endangered species listing.   *Mexico will import less corn over the next year.  *When the times comes for herd expansion, it will be important for cattle producers to keep a close watch on the economics of expansion. *USDA recently announced a new network to help financially distressed farme...

*The condition of the Texas cotton crop is declining.   *Registration is underway for the 2024 Bennett Trust Land Stewardship Women’s Conference.    *The latest government funding measure does not contain a Farm Bill extension. *Rainfall has turned things around for the northwest Texas Panhandle.   *The Farm Bill helps keep our nation’s food supply safe from foreign diseases.   *Wheat variety sele...

*USDA is piloting a program that will allow cotton bales to be shipped in a four-bale grouping.   *Texas peanut farmers will produce more peanuts this year.   *The latest Cattle on Feed report came out Friday. *Making a profit will be a challenge for Texas High Plains farmers this year.   *The process to reform federal milk marketing orders is coming to an end.   *Wheat planting is underway.   *Tr...

*Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley had a tough summer.   *Texas corn farmers may produce less corn this year.   *The Environmental Working Group is suing Tyson Foods. *Last week’s interest rate cut will lower borrowing costs for farmers and ranchers.   *The Farm Bill extension expires in a week, and lawmakers are urging Congress to get something done.   *We are entering a new grazing season in Texa...

*Both planting and harvest are underway in South Texas.   *Registration is open for the Texas New Fruit Growers Conference.    *A Missouri judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing large crop seed and input companies of price fixing.   *It’s been dry lately in the Texas High Plains, but the weekend brought rain to many areas.  *The Senate Ag Committee ranking member is calling on Congress to provide emer...

*Harvesting hurricane damaged corn is a challenge.   *The one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill ends on September 30th.   *The condition of the Texas cotton crop is improving slightly. *Fed cattle prices may be headed for a rebound.   *A lawsuit and a lack of information from the Farm Service Agency has slowed the review of the controversial 2022 Emergency Relief Program payments. *This is Nati...

*Corn harvest is underway in the northern Texas Panhandle.   *Texas rice farmers have a smaller crop this year.   *Hiland Dairy is expanding in East Texas. *There has been a drop in the prices Texas High Plains cattle feeders are getting for fed cattle.   *EPA is temporarily allowing the sale of a cancelled product.   *Farmers on the South Plains of Texas are getting closer to cotton harvest.   *B...

*There is still no progress on solving the Rio Grande Valley water crisis.    *We should have a better Texas cotton crop this year.   *The CME Group is lowering the daily limits on cattle futures contracts.   *Providing more water for Texas is going to require a lot of money.   *A bill dealing with the reporting of U.S. agricultural land sales to foreign adversaries has passed the House.   *Agricu...

*CattleCon25 is coming to San Antonio in February.   *USDA released the latest WASDE report last week.   *UT-Arlington has harvested its first climate smart soybean crop. *The oil and gas industry could play a role in providing new water resources for Texas.   *The Department of Commerce is recommending tariffs on 2,4-D imports from China and India.   *The Tri-State fair and rodeo is underway in A...

*Cotton harvest continues in South Texas.   *We are still transitioning into a La Nina weather pattern.   *The Delta cotton crop was susceptible to damage from Hurricane Francine.   *Providing enough water for a growing Texas will be a major focus of the next session of the Texas legislature.   *The democrat and republican leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees all agree on one thi...

*A Texas senator says we could be getting close to a trade war with Mexico.   *USDA is investing in two specialty crop projects in Texas.   *The Texas cotton crop's condition is getting worse.  *Diversity can help farmers and ranchers deal with the ups and downs of agriculture.   *The embattled Waters of the U.S. definition continues to cause confusion.   *Rural land in Texas continues to bring st...