Latest News From Texas

Helping Hands from the AgriLife Extension Network
Helping Hands from the AgriLife Extension Network

Texas A&M AgriLife extension agents have been on the ground since the wildfires helping communities and ranchers recover from the devastation.

Texas Wildfires Impacting Panhandle Ranchers But Not Overall Cattle And Beef Prices
Texas Wildfires Impacting Panhandle Ranchers But Not Overall Cattle And Beef Prices

Wildfires in the Texas Panhandle caused significant cattle losses for individual ranchers, but should not impact beef cattle markets or consumers, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.

Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire
Images From the Smokehouse Creek Fire

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension photographer Sam Craft was in the Texas Panhandle documenting the aftermath of the largest wildfire in Texas history, and the aid and support for fire victims.

Wildfire Battles Continue Over Weekend for Texas, Oklahoma
Wildfire Battles Continue Over Weekend for Texas, Oklahoma

After burning for more than six days, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma was only 15% contained Sunday morning. Drifting sand now poses a threat to rural roads.

Smokehouse Creek Fire is Officially the Largest in Texas History
Smokehouse Creek Fire is Officially the Largest in Texas History

While the Smokehouse Creek Fire rapidly became the state's largest in history, four other wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle area. (Additional images contained in story.)

Wildfires Raging in Texas, Oklahoma Panhandle Region Threaten Residents and Livestock
Wildfires Raging in Texas, Oklahoma Panhandle Region Threaten Residents and Livestock

Devastating wildfires are burning in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle region and the Smokehouse Creek Fire has already become the second largest in Texas history, consuming at least three-quarters of a million acres.

Texas Ranchers Urged to Remove Livestock from Low-lying Areas
Texas Ranchers Urged to Remove Livestock from Low-lying Areas

Emergency management officials are advising landowners in five Texas counties to remove livestock from flood-prone areas due to excessive rainfall upstream over the last three days.

Texas Rancher’s Property Rights Case to be Heard by U.S. Supreme Court
Texas Rancher’s Property Rights Case to be Heard by U.S. Supreme Court

After Texas renovated a highway, Richie DeVillier’s ranch experienced catastrophic flooding that destroyed his crops and killed his cattle. A seven-year legal battle ensued, which now heads to the Supreme Court.

Pat McDowell
Producers Must Put Themselves in Consumers’ Shoes

Our industry is constantly evolving, but today’s consumer is changing even faster. As producers, we must put ourselves in their shoes because we’re ALL consumers at the end of the day.

Exposing the Hidden Genetic Diversity of an Ecologically Harmful Microbe
Exposing the Hidden Genetic Diversity of an Ecologically Harmful Microbe

A microscopic species of algae is causing toxic algal blooms affecting two dozen states in the U.S., New research into the genetic diversity of the responsible organism could help predict when blooms will occur.

Mathis Selected to Lead Texas A&M Department of Animal Science
Mathis Selected to Lead Texas A&M Department of Animal Science

Former student returns to lead world-class faculty, staff and students in animal science teaching, research and extension.

Wildfire Warning Issued for Texas as Hot, Dry Conditions Persist
Wildfire Warning Issued for Texas as Hot, Dry Conditions Persist

The Texas A&M Forest Service warns of increased wildfire danger, as high temperatures and dry conditions continue to impact the state.

Noble Institute Program Offers the Essentials of Regenerative Ranch Management
Noble Institute Program Offers the Essentials of Regenerative Ranch Management

The first in-person Essentials of Regenerative Ranching course will be held July 11-12, 2023, at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas.

Brown Ranch Receives Texas Leopold Conservation Award
Brown Ranch Receives Texas Leopold Conservation Award

By restoring the native ecosystem on their land, the Browns are doing their part to protect one of the most imperiled ecosystems, the grasslands of North America.

Kick Off Beef Month, Win Prizes and Enjoy Texas Barbecue with New  BBQuest Digital Pass
Kick Off Beef Month, Win Prizes and Enjoy Texas Barbecue with New BBQuest Digital Pass

The Texas Beef Council (TBC) and Beef Loving Texans have launched the new “BBQuest – Take on Texas BBQ” free mobile pass program.

G Bar C Ranch Receives 2023 Texas Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award
G Bar C Ranch Receives 2023 Texas Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association recognized Meredith Ellis of G Bar C Ranch as the winner of the Texas Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award.

WOTUS Rule and Producers: What You Need to Know
WOTUS Rule and Producers: What You Need to Know

While the recent rule may be one of many WOTUS definitions, Mary Thomas Hart of NCBA shares how producers should prepare in reaction to the rule now in effect.

Texas Cattle Rancher Recognized as 2022 Advocate of the Year at  Cattle Industry Convention
Texas Cattle Rancher Recognized as 2022 Advocate of the Year at Cattle Industry Convention

Tucker Brown of Throckmorton, Texas, has been selected as the 2022 Advocate of the Year by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.

More Than 8,000 Homes Saved During 2022 Texas Wildfire Season
More Than 8,000 Homes Saved During 2022 Texas Wildfire Season

Fire officials have identified property owners as the primary line of defense in protecting their homes before a wildfire starts.

Botswana Signs MOU With Texas A&M for Agriculture Improvement Collaboration
Botswana Signs MOU With Texas A&M for Agriculture Improvement Collaboration

Entities seek advances benefitting the Republic of Botswana and Texas sectors.

Texas Beef Council Meets Producers At Beef Cattle Short Course
Texas Beef Council Meets Producers At Beef Cattle Short Course

More than 2,000 Texas beef producers received an update on how the Texas Beef Council is helping keep beef in its strongest state through demand-driving programs during the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course.

Deep-Fried Fantasies: 10 Big Tex Choice Award Finalists Announced for Texas State Fair
Deep-Fried Fantasies: 10 Big Tex Choice Award Finalists Announced for Texas State Fair

Everything’s bigger in Texas. And when it comes to the Texas State Fair, everything’s fried, too. Here’s the 10 Big Tex Choice Awards finalists of 2022!

Mile-Long Lines at Texas Livestock Auction: Drought Persists as Feed Costs Rise
Mile-Long Lines at Texas Livestock Auction: Drought Persists as Feed Costs Rise

The Emory Livestock Auction saw 3,494 head of livestock on July 9, drawing miles of trailer lines filled with desperate sellers, thankful for a sale while prices hold relatively steady.

Stolen Double Ear-Notched Calves Sold, Texas Man Indicted on Two Counts
Stolen Double Ear-Notched Calves Sold, Texas Man Indicted on Two Counts

Distinguishable calves sold by suspicious seller results in two Theft of Livestock charges for Texas man.

Texas Stocker Cattle Program Set June 22 in West, TX
Texas Stocker Cattle Program Set June 22 in West, TX

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s 12th annual Central Texas Stocker Cattle Program for McLennan County will be held June 22 in West and will offer the opportunity to earn Beef Quality Assurance Certification.

Texas Wildfire Losses $23.1 Million in Preliminary Estimates
Texas Wildfire Losses $23.1 Million in Preliminary Estimates

Wildfire threats are not over in Texas, but preliminary estimates from early March through the end of April put losses to ranchers at $23.1 million from multiple fires that covered 433,000 acres.

Firefighters from across Kansas and Oklahoma battle a wildfire near Protection, Kan., Monday, March 6, 2017.
New Mexico Wildfire Torches Nearly 180,000 Acres, Texas Under Threat All Week

As the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire continues in New Mexico, Texas Panhandle residents are under a severe fire risk warning with high temperatures and high winds forecast all week.

Cattle Raisers Testify Before Texas House on Border Security
Cattle Raisers Testify Before Texas House on Border Security

TSCRA reminded the committee ranchers and landowners are right beside law enforcement officers on the front lines of the battle, confronting regular thefts, burglaries, damaged infrastructure and armed intimidation.

Self-eliminating Genes Tested on Mosquitoes
Self-eliminating Genes Tested on Mosquitoes

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have tested a technology to make temporary genetic modifications in mosquitoes that may reduce risks associated with invasive genetic elements.

Milkweed Turns Political, Texas Attorney General Sends Letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Milkweed Turns Political, Texas Attorney General Sends Letter to U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Could a proposed ‘endangered species’ along the southern Texas border be a deterrent to proceed with border enforcement activities? Texas Attorney General Paxton comments.

For the Love of Red Cattle and Nancy
For the Love of Red Cattle and Nancy

Rancher Gene Kubecka, Bay City, Texas, is the incoming president of the Santa Gertrudis Breeders International.

Champion Steer Sells For $1 Million in Houston
Champion Steer Sells For $1 Million in Houston

Selected as Grand Champion Jr. Market Steer from a field of 1,750, Vanilla Ice sold for a record $1 million at the 90th Anniversary of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

USDA Inspector Charged With Accepting Bribes At Texas Border
USDA Inspector Charged With Accepting Bribes At Texas Border

A U.S. Department of Agriculture employee was paid to allow tick infested and diseased cattle to enter the country, according to an indictment filed in a Laredo federal court last week.

Texas Wildfire Activity Forecast
Texas Wildfire Activity Forecast

Wildfire activity is forecast to increase along and west of I-35 and into South Texas from Feb. 18-21. Texas A&M Forest Service firefighters have responded to 91 wildfires that burned 7,312 acres since Feb. 14.

White_Tail_Deer_Doe
Are Deer in COVID’s Crosshairs?

With deer hunting a major recreational activity and economic benefit, understanding more about deer and the possibility of zoonotic disease transmission ensures the industry’s safety and sustainability.

Detecting Texas Drought Conditions With Small Fish
Detecting Texas Drought Conditions With Small Fish

The Shoal chub is a widely distributed small fish species being studied as part of a project to identify how flow regulation in Texas can benefit water users while maintaining a sound ecological environment.

TSCRA Applauds Bill to Protect Landowners from High-Speed Rail Projects
TSCRA Applauds Bill to Protect Landowners from High-Speed Rail Projects

TSCRA president Hughes Abell says the cattlemen's group has long opposed the use of eminent domain to force the sale of private property for Texas Central’s high-speed rail venture.

Critical Fire Weather Predicted in Texas Through Dec. 26
Critical Fire Weather Predicted in Texas Through Dec. 26

Critical fire weather is forecast through Dec. 26 for portions of North and West Texas, with Dec. 24 holding the most potential for wildfire activity, particularly in the Panhandle

Compensation for Rising Temperatures Without Compromising Beef Quality
Compensation for Rising Temperatures Without Compromising Beef Quality

Incorporating Brahman genetics into cattle herds amid changing environmental temperatures in the southwest has one Texas A&M AgriLife team researching the physiological differences to enhance beef quality.

$5 Million to WTAMU Will Have Far-Reaching Impact on U.S. Meat Industry
$5 Million to WTAMU Will Have Far-Reaching Impact on U.S. Meat Industry

Two major gifts to West Texas A&M University totaling $5 million will help ensure the continued excellence of the University’s meat science program.

Texas Cattle Raisers Fight to Protect Water Rights in Texas Supreme Court Briefing
Texas Cattle Raisers Fight to Protect Water Rights in Texas Supreme Court Briefing

Texas cattle producers seek clarity and consistency over who has jurisdiction to decide disputes regarding ownership of water rights, the court system or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

All Texas Livestock Brands Expire August 31
All Texas Livestock Brands Expire August 31

For Texas livestock owners, the registration of brands, earmarks, tattoos and other forms of animal identification expire every ten years at the end of August.

Texas Cattle Co. Wins Suit Against Breed Association
Texas Cattle Co. Wins Suit Against Breed Association

A Texas jury has awarded a $30 million verdict to a cattle company after a three-year legal battle over withheld DNA verified pedigree information.

J.D. Cage
Cage: Protecting Cattle From Pest and Disease

Livestock from the U.S. move through Texas in route to Mexico every day. Animals rejected for export could be moved somewhere in Texas without proper testing and treatment, creating vulnerability for Texas ranchers.

San Pedro Ranch to Receive Texas Leopold Conservation Award
San Pedro Ranch to Receive Texas Leopold Conservation Award

San Pedro Ranch, located near Carrizo Springs is the recipient of the 2021 Texas Leopold Conservation Award®. The ranch is owned by siblings Joseph Fitzsimons and Pamela Fitzsimons Howard and their families.

TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund Distributes Aid
TSCRA Disaster Relief Fund Distributes Aid

Thanks to contributions from across the U.S., Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Disaster Relief Fund mailed checks totaling $112,750 to cattle raisers financially burdened by February’s Winter Storm Uri.

Devastating Drought: Texas Farmers Say 2021 Drought Already Rivals 2011
Devastating Drought: Texas Farmers Say 2021 Drought Already Rivals 2011

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows from North Dakota to Texas, all the way west to California, the most severe levels of drought didn’t ease across the U.S. this past week. 

Eddie Jackson
Beef Loving Texans Names Eddie Jackson as Chief Recipe Officer

Food Network Chef and former NFL star Eddie Jackson has been named Chief Recipe Officer for Beef Loving Texans to develop unique, timely recipes and partnering as an ambassador for the brand.

Brian Treadwell, Treadwell Cattle Co.
Treadwell Cattle Co. Wins Rangeland Stewardship Award

The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association announced Treadwell Cattle. Co, Christoval, Texas, as the winner of the Outstanding Rangeland Stewardship Award.

Gearhart Ranch, Texas
McKnight: Cow-calf Producers Need Better Price Discovery

"For too long, cow-calf producers across the nation have marketed our cattle with one hand tied behind our back. The culprit has been an ever-growing lack of price discovery."