Texas Agriculture Today

*There’s a new approval to help fight pasture mealybugs.  

*Tyson Foods is closing two beef facilities and selling another.  

*The drought in the Texas Panhandle is reaching extreme levels.

*The Southern Plains of Texas is drying out.

*The U.S. does not intend to reinstate the US Mexico Canada Trade agreement in its current form.  

*Policy development meetings for Texas Farm Bureau are underway across the state.  

*Rehab exercises are important in helping horses recover from injuries.  

*Texas corn harvest is moving forward, but the condition of the crop is going down.   

*Farmer sentiment improved in July.  

*The Texas Animal Health Commission published a list of certified screwworm inspectors.  

*Capitol Hill has long been a tough place for agricultural advocacy.  

*Beef export values were up in June.  

*The USMCA review continues.  

*Alfalfa fields are an oasis in the West Texas desert landscape.  

*Elastic resistance band training is used on horses.  

*Cotton acreage is going up while yield estimates are dropping.  

*A Texas ranch is a regional winner of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Environmental Stewardship Award.  

*The Texas rice harvest continues with steady yields and low insect pressure.  

*One year’s sorghum regrowth can help the next year’s crop.

*The heat and dry weather are making ideal wildfire conditions.  

*Funding is available to help Texans control wild hogs.  

*Two tick-borne diseases cause similar clinical signs in cattle. 

*There are only three active cases of screwworms in Texas.  

*USDA is giving farmers more time to apply for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program.  

*The FDA issued an emergency use authorization for a screwworm preventative spray.  

*High cattle prices are causing producers to sell calves at lighter weights.  

*Rainwater collection could help with water needs on newly purchased rural property.  

*The head of the Senate Ag Committee says he understands the frustration over the lack of movement of the Farm Bill. 

*Row crops in the Southern Plains are suffering from high heat and low rainfall.  

*Pinkeye is a costly problem in cattle. 

*The new sterile screwworm production facility in the Rio Grande Valley will open earlier than planned.   

*Time is running out for farmers to submit applications for the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program.  

*USDA plans to reopen the Mexican border for livestock imports later this month.

*It’s too dry, too hot and too windy in the Texas High Plains. 

*Developing water needs on newly purchased rural land can add a lot of value.

*Are lamb imports hurting the domestic sheep industry?  

*It’s been a good year for hay production in East Texas.  

*Managing back pain in horses is a challenge.  

*High cattle prices are affecting all sectors of the industry.  

*USDA has confirmed a case of classical scrapie in Oregon.  

*Texas A&M AgriLife is hosting an event near Plainview to allow producers to learn more about High A corn.

*Data centers are a hot topic of discussion in rural Texas

*The Senate Agriculture Committee did not move the Farm Bill forward last week.  

*Cotton harvest is underway in the Texas Coastal Bend.  

*Back pain in horses is difficult to diagnose and treat.  

• USDA is giving farmers more time to pay their crop insurance premiums.
• Corn harvest continues to move through Texas.
• Cotton conditions are declining all across the cotton belt.
• Texas Gulf Coast rice yields are down somewhat, but the quality is very good.
• The Randall County Extension Office will soon offer a presentation on data centers.
• It may be called pigeon fever, but the bacterial infection can affect horses.

• We're still waiting to rebuild the cow herd. 
• The Farm bill failed on a first vote in Senate Ag Committee.
• There are alternatives to 765 kV transmission lines.
• The cattle herd in Hale County is on the rise.
• A new study shows calves like being with their buddies.

• A Central Texas cattle producer says it’s been one of the best summers ever.
• A group of House Republicans is urging EPA to reconsider its limit on chlorpyrifos use.
• Corn in parts of the Panhandle is feeling the heat.
• Drought and heat have made things challenging for Texas High Plains ranchers.
• The deadline to approve additional base acres is Aug. 31.
• A new report from USDA looks at land values and cash rents.
• There’s still a lack of quality control, safety and efficacy data for the majority of equine supplements.

*There were no surprises in the recent Cattle on Feed report.  

*The National Sorghum Producers yield contest is now open.   

*The number of companies using USDA’s voluntary Product of the U.S. label is growing.

*Drought seems to be improving in the southern part of the Texas High Plains.  

*Hay production in East Texas is good in some places, not so good in others.  

*The Senate Ag Committee will consider the Farm Bill this week.  

*As Congress works toward approving a budget, the House has authorized $12 billion in additional farm aid. 

*Vitamins are important for goats.