By Julie Tomascik Editor A trio of top officials in Washington, D.C. visited West Texas farmers and ranchers last week. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz toured an area farm and discussed agricultural issues facing farmers and ranchers on Friday, Sept. 22. “We had [...]
Meetings are set for Sept. 27 in Dimmitt and Dumas to address concerns about the presence of high levels of fumonisin in corn being harvested in the Texas Panhandle, according to Dr. Jourdan Bell, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist in Amarillo. The first meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Castro County Expo, [...]
By Julie Tomascik Editor Strengthening private property rights was a common issue discussed at recent Texas Farm Bureau Policy Development meetings held across the state. Members also discussed other potential organizational policy ideas for the upcoming year. “Policy Development meetings are instrumental in mapping out our organization for the next year,” Glen Jones, director of [...]
The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) is accepting nominations for geographic areas of Texas experiencing a shortage of veterinarians who work in food animal medicine, rural private practice or public practice. The TAHC will accept nominations until 5:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29. As part of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Veterinary [...]
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo officials announced plans for its $2 million donation to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts to help rebuild Houston and the surrounding areas. “With a mission of promoting agriculture and a passion for education, it is only fitting for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo to equally support these areas in [...]
By Shala Gean Communications Specialist More than a dozen farmers in the Panhandle lost cotton and received damage to other crops after a weekend hailstorm wiped out thousands of acres. Billy Tiller lost 3,500 acres of his cotton acreage in Lamb and Bailey counties. He estimates 20,000 acres were damaged in the area from the [...]
By Jessica Domel Multimedia Reporter Two weeks after their successful merger, DowDuPont is clarifying and altering its plan to later split into three independent companies. After analyzing the company’s plan for businesses focusing on agriculture, materials science and specialty products, the board of directors announced a few changes to what companies, or lines, will go [...]
By Shala Gean Communications Specialist The full impact of Hurricane Irma on Florida’s agriculture is still undetermined, but early informal estimates place the cost of farm losses in the billions of dollars, according to Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) Director of Public Relations G.B. Crawford. “We’ve experienced an agricultural disaster here,” Crawford told the Texas [...]
By Shala Gean Communications Specialist Pecan harvest generally begins late September or early October in DeWitt County. But this year, most growers won’t have a crop to harvest due to damage sustained from Hurricane Harvey. Pecan orchards in the region took a hard hit, according to DeWitt County Extension Agent Anthony Netardus. “We’ve pretty much [...]
By Jessica Domel Multimedia Reporter Higher commodity prices have pushed Texas farmers to plant, and produce, more cotton, soybeans and peanuts this year. Upland cotton According to the September Crop Production report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), about 9.3 million bales of upland cotton are expected from Texas farmers this year. That’s an [...]