Agriculture

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is disrupting global fertilizer shipments, causing shortages and price hikes for Texas farmers.

The flesh-eating parasite has not been reported in Texas since 1982, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture is eyeing the movements of New World Screwworms south of the Texas-Mexico border.

Following recent reports from the Texas Education Agency about removing Cesar Chavez from curriculum, Mayor Pro-tem and District 1 Lubbock city council representative Christy Martinez-Garcia said that she does not want the changes to erase the history altogether. This week, the Texas Department of Agriculture announced the Marketing Enhancement Grant Assistance program for GO TEXAN partners. Our Charley Maranville has more on how the program works. More at gotexan.org.

The Supreme Court will examine claims that allege Bayer failed to include a cancer risk warning on its popular weedkiller. If Bayer wins, it could prevent others from suing over the failure to provide health warnings.

The 2026 Farm Bill has been approved by the House Agriculture Committee, with expansions on crop insurance and the establishment of new research programs. Next, the bill heads to the full U.S. House of Representatives for a vote. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for a new topical treatment to combat the spread of New World Screwworm. Texas Public Radio's Marian Navarro explains it's one of many drug and treatments the FDA has recently approved to address the spread of the parasite.

Chapters of FFA, once called Future Farmers of America, are becoming more common in city schools. Program advisors say students are learning skills that can help them work in a wide range of industries — from biotech to cosmetology.

A study is starting soon from Texas Tech University researchers within the Department of Natural Resource Management, utilizing new technology to study rangeland recovery two years after the devastating Smokehouse Creek Fire.

Wildfires swept through Northwestern Oklahoma last month, including the Ranger Road Fire that burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Beaver, Harper and Woods Counties. The immediate danger is gone, but people are only beginning to recover from the toll on their homes, livestock and emotional well-being.

Across the country, ranchers have fewer cattle than at any point since 1952, leading to rising beef prices. Farmers are still expected to accumulate more debt this year.

Farmers are waiting longer for U.S. Department of Agriculture services. Harvest Public Media’s Macy Byars reports that more than a quarter of USDA employees have left their jobs since late 2024. More than four million Texans cast ballots in this year’s primary elections. The Texas Newsroom’s Lucio Vasquez reports Democratic turnout more than doubled compared with recent primaries and Republican turnout remained strong and consistent.