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Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller subpoenaed to testify in his former political consultant’s criminal trial
Read full article: Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller subpoenaed to testify in his former political consultant’s criminal trialTodd Smith was indicted in 2022 on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for hemp licenses that are issued by Miller’s office.
All about agriculture! Inside the 96th Annual Texas FFA Convention
Read full article: All about agriculture! Inside the 96th Annual Texas FFA ConventionFor the first time in 20 years, the Texas FFA Association will call Houston home for their annual state convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
How a chance meeting helped Texas become the nation’s top beekeeping state
Read full article: How a chance meeting helped Texas become the nation’s top beekeeping stateTwelve years after a state law gave tax breaks for keeping bees on at least five acres, people are still getting into the trade — or throwing in the towel and hiring professionals to do it for them.
Ted Cruz and Ronny Jackson push legislation to help ranchers who lost livestock in Panhandle wildfires
Read full article: Ted Cruz and Ronny Jackson push legislation to help ranchers who lost livestock in Panhandle wildfiresThe Republican senator and congressman introduced a bill that would expand a federal aid program to pay ranchers when pregnant cattle are killed in disasters.
Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfires
Read full article: Cows at two Texas dairy farms have bird flu, another blow to Cattle Country following wildfiresFederal officials said the nation’s milk supply should be not at risk after a bird flu outbreak hits dairies in Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.
“It does not get easier”: Texas ranchers lose cattle and land in historic wildfires
Read full article: “It does not get easier”: Texas ranchers lose cattle and land in historic wildfiresAs ranchers recover from the Smokehouse Creek fire, they face the agonizing choice of what to do with an unknown number of injured cattle.
Wildfires ravage cattle country, threatening Texas’ agriculture economy
Read full article: Wildfires ravage cattle country, threatening Texas’ agriculture economyTexas wildfires have consumed acres of agricultural land, killing thousands of livestock, destroying crops and exacerbating challenges lingering from last year’s drought.
Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.
Read full article: Once a laborer, this immigrant now owns his farm. He and his daughter are among few Hispanic farmers in Texas.According to the most recent census, Texas has fewer than 26,000 Hispanic farmers compared to 236,000 white farmers.
Do Texans have the “right to farm?” Voters will decide with Proposition 1.
Read full article: Do Texans have the “right to farm?” Voters will decide with Proposition 1.Supporters of the amendment say it will protect farmers as the state’s largest cities continue to grow. Opponents suggest the amendment is too broad and ambiguous.
Author Dan Egan talks with The Texas Tribune about phosphorus overuse and toxic algae blooms
Read full article: Author Dan Egan talks with The Texas Tribune about phosphorus overuse and toxic algae bloomsEgan sat down with Tribune environmental reporter Alejandra Martinez to talk about his new book, “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance,” which explains how overuse of phosphorus is impacting the environment.
Sheep graze on Texas solar farms as renewable energy companies embrace agriculture
Read full article: Sheep graze on Texas solar farms as renewable energy companies embrace agricultureThe practice of using land for both agriculture and solar power generation, known as agrivoltaics, is becoming increasingly common in Texas and nationwide.
A generation of Texas farmers are retiring. It’s not clear who will replace them.
Read full article: A generation of Texas farmers are retiring. It’s not clear who will replace them.After 70 years on the farm, Jimmy Drake retired from the cotton business. With no family stepping up to take over the farm, he turned to a young neighbor.
Delayed passage of farm bill stirs uncertainty for Texas agriculture
Read full article: Delayed passage of farm bill stirs uncertainty for Texas agricultureThe must-pass package of legislation known as the farm bill, which is renewed every five years, funds critical crop insurance and loans to farmers and food to low-income families.
High Plains farmers are experimenting with novel techniques to protect Texas’ future soil
Read full article: High Plains farmers are experimenting with novel techniques to protect Texas’ future soilA minority of farmers in the Texas High Plains region are looking to organic and regenerative techniques to keep their soil healthy year round, despite a dry climate.
Texas agriculture commissioner orders employees to wear clothes “consistent with their biological gender”
Read full article: Texas agriculture commissioner orders employees to wear clothes “consistent with their biological gender”The policy comes as LGBTQ advocates are fighting a wave of hostile legislation at the Capitol, including proposals to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender children.
Farmers face a higher risk of suicide. The Texas Agriculture Department wants $500,000 a year to change that.
Read full article: Farmers face a higher risk of suicide. The Texas Agriculture Department wants $500,000 a year to change that.The department’s helpline is less than a year old. But advocates hope state lawmakers fully fund it as farmers and ranchers continue to face hard economic times and isolation.
Texas ag agency says climate change threatens state’s food supply
Read full article: Texas ag agency says climate change threatens state’s food supplyA new Texas Department of Agriculture report also points to other factors that are making it harder for Texans to access and afford food, including wages falling behind rising costs of living.
Watch: Panhandle cotton farmers, rural economies struggle under “exceptional” drought conditions
Read full article: Watch: Panhandle cotton farmers, rural economies struggle under “exceptional” drought conditions“A year like this, where everything is disaster, is just, I’d say, devastating,” cotton farmer Steven Walker said.
Both have deep Texas roots, but Sid Miller and Susan Hays offer stark contrast in fight for ag commissioner
Read full article: Both have deep Texas roots, but Sid Miller and Susan Hays offer stark contrast in fight for ag commissionerThe state’s agriculture commissioner oversees a vast portfolio including farming and ranching, rural health care and the scales you use at grocery store checkout.
How important is farming still to the U.S.? These facts and figures might surprise you
Read full article: How important is farming still to the U.S.? These facts and figures might surprise youFarming might not be a glamorous job for many, but simply put, we might not exist without the hardworking farm owners and laborers out there.
To save water in Texas, these nonprofits are paying farmers to leave it in reservoirs
Read full article: To save water in Texas, these nonprofits are paying farmers to leave it in reservoirsAs Texas continues to battle drought, groups are trying a market-based solution to help farmers and protect what little water is left.
Hemp was supposed to save Texas farmers during a drought. It hasn’t yet.
Read full article: Hemp was supposed to save Texas farmers during a drought. It hasn’t yet.Hemp advocates promised the Texas Legislature the crop was drought resistant. The 2022 drought has proven otherwise. And farmers are abandoning the nascent market.
Texas’ cotton industry is facing its worst harvest in years — costing the state more than $2 billion
Read full article: Texas’ cotton industry is facing its worst harvest in years — costing the state more than $2 billionCotton is Texas’ largest crop, and industry experts say they expect just half the normal annual yield — which will drive up costs for consumers.
Decades after Texas took part of its historic farm, a family fights again to save its land from a highway expansion
Read full article: Decades after Texas took part of its historic farm, a family fights again to save its land from a highway expansionDaniel Alexander was enslaved when he founded a farm before the Civil War. 175 years later, his family is fighting to keep it intact as Texas plans to expand U.S. Highway 183.
Sid Miller wins Republican primary for Texas agriculture commissioner
Read full article: Sid Miller wins Republican primary for Texas agriculture commissionerThe incumbent avoided a runoff. State Rep. James White had tried to unseat Miller with criticisms centered on controversies under Miller’s leadership.
Black Texas farmers were finally on track to get federal aid. The state’s agriculture commissioner wants to stop that.
Read full article: Black Texas farmers were finally on track to get federal aid. The state’s agriculture commissioner wants to stop that.Sid Miller is challenging a debt relief program that the U.S. Department of Agriculture saw as a way to correct historic discrimination. An advocate for Black Texas farmers says the challenge “pushes us back even further.”
Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller running for reelection, instead of challenging Gov. Greg Abbott
Read full article: Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller running for reelection, instead of challenging Gov. Greg AbbottMiller was seen as a potential challenger to Abbott because of his vocal criticism of the governor's restrictions to stop the spread of COVID-19 last year.
Texas could give landowners more say in eminent domain negotiations under bill sent to Greg Abbott’s desk
Read full article: Texas could give landowners more say in eminent domain negotiations under bill sent to Greg Abbott’s deskAfter failing last session, lawmakers finalized a bill — described as a “delicate compromise” — that provides new protections for landowners in negotiating with companies attempting to seize their land through eminent domain.