Category Archives: Agriculture News & Information
RODEO HOSTS ONLINE AUCTIONS TO SUPPORT JUNIOR EXHIBITORS
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will host online auctions, giving registered buyers the opportunity to support the 2020 junior exhibitors.
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New Landowner Education Program
This is a great opportunity for any and all landowners to learn from the experts in a classroom setting and have the opportunity to ask questions.
Read moreStudents Win Big with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™ Ranching & Wildlife Posters and Videos
Students competed in the Ranching & Wildlife Poster Board and Video Competitions at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo on Saturday, March 7.
Read moreNRCS Announces 2020 Sign-up Available for Partnership Led Conservation Program
The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) as part of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
Read moreWalk Across Texas – 2nd Week Report
At the end of the 2nd week, several classes are moving really fast in their quest to gain ground in Walk Across Texas. To date, the participants and their
families have walked 25,912 miles at the end of the 2nd week. Everyone is cruising right along!
Small Farms and Vegetable Conference
The Horticulture Committee of Austin County would like to invite everyone to the Small Farms and Vegetable Conference. There will be a variety of local vendors on site to assist with any questions or needs you might and provide the latest up to date technology and products available.
Read moreQuad County Urban & Homeowner Soil Testing Campaign
The Quad County Urban & Homeowner Soil Testing Campaign is underway in Austin County and will run January 21 – February 28, 2020. This campaign is made possible through the support of the Multi-County Ag Committee and in cooperation with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Soil, Water, and Forge Testing Lab in College Station.
Read more28th Annual Gulf Coast Grape Growers Field Day To Be Held in Cat Spring Feb. 7
The 28th Annual Gulf Coast Grape Grower Field Day is scheduled for Feb. 7 at the Cat Spring Agricultural Society Hall. This year’s field day includes an optional one-hour industry perspective for those new to the grape and wine industry.
Read moreEEA – Winter Gardening Program
The Extension Education Association of Austin County (a direct part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service) held their Winter Gardening Program about the best plants to plant during the winter season.
Read moreHistoric Midwest Blizzard Has Farmers Seeing “Massive Crop Losses…As Devastating As We’ve Ever Seen”
Many farmers in the middle of the country faced very serious delays in getting their crops planted from horrific flooding early in the year. Now, an unprecedented October blizzard that hit just before harvest time has absolutely devastated farms all across the U.S. heartland. The majority of US crops were still in the fields and in many cases has been declared a total loss. What this means for you is food prices are going to go up. Americans should begin to stock up and get prepared now, because we are facing a major shift from the ripple effect this will undoubtedly leave.
Read moreHuge Blow To US Farmers: China Heads To Argentina For Soy Meal In Landmark Deal
A new report from Reuters outlines how China has ditched US farmers for Argentina. An agreement between both countries is expected to be signed on Wednesday in Buenos Aires, describes how Argentina, the world’s biggest exporter of the animal feed, will allow China to import soy meal for the first time.
Read moreMidwest Farm Loan Repayment Issues Hit Highest Level Since 1999
A new farm survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago on Thursday detailed farm loans at Midwest banks are having the most repayment difficulties in 20 years. Following six years of falling farm income and rising debt levels, and the recent addition of record floods across the Farm Belt and the trade war between the US and China, a farm crisis on par to the 1980s could be imminent.
Read moreFarm Loan Delinquencies And Bankruptcies Soar, Incomes Plunge
Delinquency rates of agriculture loans have been above historical averages in the last several years as farm incomes in the Midwest and Mid-Southern states have collapsed over the previous six years. Net farm income, a broad measure of profits, has fallen 45% since a high of $123.4 billion in 2013 to about $63 billion last year, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Read more“It’s A Disaster Like I’ve Never Seen Before”: 2019 Could Be Worst Year Ever For US Corn Farmers
Even if the weather is ideal between now and harvest time, 2019 will just be a terrible year for farmers. The amount of corn produced in the United States this year is going to be way below expectations.
Read moreACSWCD – Banquet of Champions 2019 [VIDEO]
The Austin County Soil & Water Conservation District held their annual “Banquet of Champions” for 2019. The Conservation Rancher of the Year Award was presented to Harvey Stuessel, Jr.
Read moreWhat Would It Take To Spark A Rural/Small-Town Revival?
Recent research supports the idea that this under-the-radar migration is already under way.
Read moreBeijing Warns US Farmers May Lose Chinese Market For Good
Han Jun, the Chinese vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, says American farmers risk losing the entire Chinese market in the deepening trade war.
Read moreAmerican Soil Is Being Globalized: Nearly 30 Million Acres Of US Farmland Now Owned By Foreigners
Today nearly 30 million acres of U.S. farmland are held by foreign investors. That number has doubled in the past two decades, which is raising alarm bells in farming communities.
Read moreWill Robot Tractors Save America’s Farming Industry After It Crashes?
Agriculture automation has the potential to reshape the farming industry in the 2020s and beyond. A new analysis from Bloomberg shows robot farm equipment is becoming commercially available, which means tractors will have no cabs – able to spray, plant, plow, and weed cropland with artificial intelligence.
Read moreWhy The Banana Business Of Chiquita And Dole Is At Risk [VIDEO]
A deadly fungus is spreading from Southeast Asia and wiping out whole plantations of America’s favorite fruit: the banana. The tropical fruit’s popularity is thanks to a few pioneering entrepreneurs, who founded Chiquita under a different name over a century ago. Now, the business they built is at risk of decimation if the fungus reaches Latin America, the source of 97% of the U.S.’ banana imports.
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