Texas Ag Today - September 10, 2026

0:00I'm Don Fox, Fox Farms in Angleton, Texas. You're listening to the latest news in Texas, Agriculture, on Texas Ag today. This is Texas Ag Today, the number one source for the latest news in Texas agriculture. The largest and most experienced farm news team in the Lone Star State covers it all. From the tiny woods of East Texas to the rocky ranges of the Transpacus and from the pan handle down to the Rio Grande Valley. Here's today's top stories. New seed products will soon be coming the way of Texas High Plains wheat farmers. I'm James Hunt and we'll talk about that on Texas Ag Today. Making changes in feed for broilers and laying hands can help the birds better tolerate the heat of summer in Texas poultry houses.

1:01I'm Tom Nicoletti and I'll have more on Texas Ag Today. EPA is accepting public comments on definitions that would be included in the water of the U.S. rule. I'm Jessica Domo and we'll have that story coming up on Texas Ag Today. Now here's the host of Texas Ag Today, Karen Martin. Hello Texas, why don't you jump on in with me and buckle up. We're going to take a ride around the Lone Star State as we cover the most important industry in this greatest state in the nation. Texas Agriculture, be sure to hold on tight because it all starts right now. One billion sterile screw worm flies have been released in Texas since the past cross the border back in June. Those flies have been coming from fly production facilities in Panama and Mexico. The newly constructed fly production facility at more air base in the Rio Grande Valley is expected to be in production this coming spring.

2:04Those one billion flies have been successful at keeping the screw worm from spreading. We've had a total of 47 cases here in Texas and one in New Mexico. Out of all of those, only one of those cases is still active. Diesel prices hit a record high in the U.S. According to Reuters, the average U.S. diesel price hit $5.82 a gallon Tuesday. Reuters reports it is due to a global supply crunch intensified following renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran and due to disruptions caused by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries. Russia is a major source of diesel exports. The record this week beats out the record set June 17th, 2022 of $5.81 a gallon that was set after Russia invaded Ukraine. For the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, I'm Jessica Domo. Corn harvest is 69% complete across Texas according to this week's crop progress and condition report.

3:05On the corn that is left to harvest, 35% is rated good to excellent, 30% fair and 35% poor to very poor. The Texas Sorghum Harvest, now 72% done on the remaining Sorghum crop, 24% is rated good to excellent, 47% fair and 29% poor to very poor. Cotton harvest is well underway here in Texas as well as Arizona, USDA's Brad Rippy. Most of the harvest that has taken place has been confined to Arizona and Texas as you would expect this time of year. Nationally 7% of the cotton acreage harvested on September 6th, 1 point ahead of average but equal to last year's progress. Getting off to a very quick start on the cotton harvest in the desert southwest Arizona cotton, 35% harvested already by September 6th. 5 of your average is only 4% and then in top producer Texas we are seeing 18% harvested. Most of that obviously in the South and the coastal regions, 5 of your average is 13%.

4:06That leaves 82% of the Texas cotton crop still to harvest and the ratings on that crop do not look good at all. Only 16% of that cotton rated good to excellent, 36% rated fair and a big 48% of the Texas cotton crop now rated poor to very poor. New seed products are on the way for Texas wheat farmers. James Hunt reports from Amarillo. Even though we're still in the early stages of winter wheat planting in the Texas high plains, it's pretty likely that a lot of area farmers have already purchased their seed for this season. And in many cases, a lot of producers will be using seed that has been saved over from last season. So whether it's for this season or for future considerations, local agronomist Russell French is encouraging wheat growers to try new varieties that offer better disease protection and yield potential. One thing French wants farmers to know is that new hybrid wheat will be entering the market in the coming years.

5:12Hybrid wheat is you know your breeding wheat, you know have a male and a female and you cross them and you get a hybrid and you can't save a procedure each year. It's just like corn or sorghum and so you know most producers are used to wheat being a variety, you know they'll save seed wheat for the next year and plant it. You're planting the same thing again but with hybrid wheat you'll have to purchase it every year just like you do corn or sorghum. But the genetic gain that I'm seeing in the potential and drought scores and feeding value and all those things look pretty promising. And again people just have to see if the economics work out, you know hybrid seed wheat will cost considerably more than men run seed wheat but I think if the economic advantage can be shown to producers they'll give it a try. That's Russell French who owns French agronomics in Amarillo. One place to go if you would like information on what varieties work best in the Texas high planes is the resources section of the Texas Wheat Producer's site. That's Texas Wheat dot org again Texas Wheat dot org.

6:14I'm James Hunt on the Texas Farm Bureau radio network making changes in feed can help brogglers and laying hands cope with the summer heat. Tom Nicoletti has the story during the hot summer temperatures in Texas poultry producers practice a number of management techniques to accommodate their broilers and laying hands. Dr. Greg Archer is with me again from college station. He is a poultry extension specialist with Texas a.m. Now for our listeners most of the broiler operations are based in East Texas with some in central Texas when it comes to laying hands most of those operations are long interstate 10. In taking care of the birds in any of these locations are there any other differences in the manner of care for them when it comes to any type of feed changes or other supplements in the hot temperatures. They may reduce stocking density in the trying to get less birds in an area so they're not reading heat on each other but they also yes sometimes there are some things that they can do with feed so there are sometimes adjustments in the time of when they're trying to make them feed most of the time so maybe they're going to try and make them so they're eating more in the cooler time to the day they're in the morning or they're not going to be able to do that.

7:23They're not trying to encourage the birds to eat during those times and maybe not giving as much feed during the hot periods of the day. There are lots of feed added out there that can be used through things like substances like B-Tain which is a natural substance that's been shown to really help birds and other animals during heat stress and then there's lots of other ones out there as well that sometimes the companies will then add to their normal feed ration to try and help alleviate the heat stress because they have some properties that help the birds in different ways depending on which one they're doing but the other way they do it is also trying to make sure the birds are good. They're trying to make sure the birds are drinking so making sure the water is as cool as possible so if there's pipes or the outside they try and run the water through those more often so that they're not to heated up by the sun and then giving those birds hot water because obviously the birds aren't going to drink if the water is warm so they try and give them as cool water as possible. That is Dr. Greg Archer, Texas A&M poultry extension specialist. I'm Tom Nicoletti for the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. The EPA is accepting public comments on the waters of the U.S. rule. Jessica Domo has the details.

8:25The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers are now accepting public comments on a proposal to change some of the regulatory language that is used to define what constitutes a water of the U.S. A water of the U.S. or a lotus is a water body that falls under federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act. EPA in the Corps have issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to consider alongside the 2025 proposed lotus rule. EPA says the Supplemental proposed rule will help the agencies evaluate a wider range of options as they work toward a final lotus rule that will provide greater predictability for landowners, farmers, ranchers, and others while protecting water quality. According to AgriPulse, the Supplemental Notice proposes new definitions for several terms in the lotus proposal, including what constitutes a relatively permanent water body and a continuous surface connection.

9:25The proposal seeks to define relatively permanent as a perennial water body that is a water body that has standing or continuously flowing water every day of the year in ordinary conditions. It would define continuous surface connection as a perennial surface water in a wetland that is continuously connected with the surface water in a jurisdictional water to the point that it's difficult to determine where the lotus or jurisdictional water ends and the wetlands begin. EPA says only the portion of the wetland that is indistinguishable from the water of the U.S. would fall under federal jurisdiction. The Supplemental Notice and a fact sheet are available on epa.gov-wotus. For the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, I'm Jessica Domell. Coming up next. Developing drought conditions in parts of northeast Texas have forced many ranchers to dip into winter feed and hay reserves early. Most hay purchases are frequently based on quantity as opposed to quality.

10:28We will discuss the importance of the four genelsis and Dr. Vanessa Olson from Overton. And a sunken flank can tell you a lot about a can. These stories plus a look at the markets are straight ahead on Texas Ag Today. Set sail with up to 60% savings on popular cruise lines. Texas Farm Bureau members can save on cruises with carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Margaritaville, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess and Royal Caribbean International. Member savings are also combinable with cruise line perks. Go to txfb.us-forward-slash-benefits for details. We're the number one rated farm and ranch radio network in Texas. This is Texas Ag Today on the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network.

11:31Drought conditions are forcing many Texas ranchers to feed hay early. Forage specialist Vanessa Olson says it's important to know the nutritional value of that hay. One of the first considerations producers should keep in mind when purchasing hay is that it should be based on individual animal requirement. For optimal production, forage quality should be matched as closely as possible to the nutritional needs of the animal. Low quality forage can result in reduced animal performance and increased supplemental feeding cost. Whereas hay of sufficient quality, little or no supplementation will be necessary to meet the animal's nutritional needs. Producers should keep in mind that not all forage or hay is created equal. There is great variation between forages and nutrient content can vary dramatically, even within a particular type of forage. Several factors influence hay quality, such as time of harvesting, forage species and variety, fertilization, temperature, leaf to stem ratio, and weather at harvesting and bailing.

12:32Regardless, if producers are buying hay or feeding hay, it is a good idea to test the hay to determine what, if any supplementation will be needed. When collecting samples, a good practice is to sample approximately 10% of the bales from a particular cutting or load using a hay probe. Often producers can borrow a hay probe from your local county extension office. Samples should be taken from bales that would represent hay from the entire field. After samples from the 10% of the bales, producers should combine the samples and remove a portion of the composite to send off for analysis. Crude protein content is the most common thing producers think about when testing hay. While crude protein content is important, a good estimate of total digestible nutrients or TDN is as important and in many cases more important than protein. There are a multitude of both commercial and university forage labs around the country. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Soul, Water, and Forage Testing Laboratory does offer forage analysis as a service out of college station for additional information on forage testing or available forage labs contact your local county extension agent.

13:40If you haven't done so already, now is the time to get a nutrient analysis of all available hay and forage. Feeding cattle is never cheap, but producers with information about what they are feeding can be more efficient. This is Dr. Vanessa Olson with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Overton for Texas Ag Today. A sunken flank can tell you a lot about a calf. Dr. Bob Judd has more. Andrea Bedford indicates at Bovine Veterinarian that a sunken flank on a calf indicates that a calf is four times more likely to die in the first three weeks at a Ville facility. A calf with a visibly hollow or sunken flank is more than just a sign of an empty stomach and indicates that a calf is at greater risk for disease, poor performance, and death. The flank is the Parallelunbar Faso, which is the triangular region between the last rib and the thigh. In a healthy calf, this region is difficult to distinguish because the abdomen is full. But when the area is noticeably hollow, it usually means that a calf has gone too long without adequate nutrition.

14:42Newborn calves do not have much energy reserve, as Newborn calves are born with only about 2% brown fat tissue indicating there is very little stored energy available when they are not eating. Once those reserves are depleted, they start breaking down their own body tissue to basically stay alive. Obviously, this decreases their ability to resist disease, especially during transport. The majority of the gulf found that 20% of 5,000 Ville calves arrived at a Ville facility with a sunken flank. And those calves with a sunken flank had a four-fold greater risk of dying within the first 21 days after a rival compared to calves without a sunken flank. Researchers believe a sunken flank may reflect long periods between milk feeding and depleted energy reserves, not just a calf that missed one feeding. These calves generally not only have a sunken flank, but also show reduced alertness or a weak suckle reflex. Signs of dehydration, delayed feeding after transport, cold stress and a reluctance to move.

15:42A sunken flank is not a disease, but should be an early warning sign for a producer that this calf likely needs increased care to survive. I'm Dr. Bob Judd. This is the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. We'll check the markets coming up next on Texas Ag Today. Save money and stay in shape. Find a gym that works for your goals and needs. Texas Farm Bureau members can save on gym memberships at any time fitness, crunch fitness and planet fitness. Check out txfb.us forward slash benefits for details. Here's the latest market information on Texas Ag Today. Patty neighbors, I'm Larry Marble with the Livestock Auction Market Report on Texas Ag Today. We're on the line with Russell Heller from Lexington Livestock Commission Company, Russell. How is our sale?

16:45Yes, we're having good sale, 498 total ahead with 51 cows. Walked depends with me, Russell. All right, then our powder cows a dollar to 130, better cows, 131 to 160. On the steering bull, here's three to four pounds, 270 to 550, four to five, ways, 260 to 450, five to six, weights, 250 to four dollars, 67, weights, 240 to 345, 7, 8, weights, 230 to 330. On the heppers, three to four pounds, 250 to 510, four to five, ways, 240 to 430, five to six, weights, 230 to 390, 67, weights, 220 to 340, 7, 8, weights, 210 to 320. Good, what was the count again? 498. How do you feel about this coming Saturday? Oh, one man's going to have about 15 or 20 black, black ball facecares and one other guy's supposed to have some red charlotte crosses. Tell everybody how to get a hold of your Russell. You can get me on the cell. That number is 979, 8207002. Russell, I appreciate it. Thank you for the call. Thank you, Larry. Bye-bye.

17:45Goodbye. Neighbor, thanks for joining me. I'm Larry Marble. This is the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. Walk in the pants. We'll see you tomorrow. Good day. Cattle futures put in a higher close on Thursday with October live. Cattle up $1.97, 21782, that December up $1.12, 21960. Peter Cattle closed higher. Oct. up $1.72 at 327.55. November feeders up $1.42, 322.77. Cash fed cattle markets still mostly quiet for the week. Not seeing much happen at all. Received bids of $3.40 to $3.48 in Nebraska, but no cattle traded yet. Asking prices here in the south at $2.25. Boxed beef prices lower, choice down $2.97, $3.7780. Select down $6.9, $3.51, $65. Corn finished higher after a five-day sell-off. The December contract up $6.00, closing at $5.33 in 3.25.

18:49March corn up $6.549 in 1.25. The lack of black sea wheat exports continues to support wheat prices. With December, Kansas City wheat up $12.5, $818.3 in 3.25. While December, Chicago wheat up $12.5, $7.41 in 1.25. Cotton finished the day higher. Betrators are nervous as crude oil passed the $100.00 barrel mark. Traders also waiting on some reports to come out on Friday, things like CPI, PPI, and the export sales report. New crop December, cotton up 94 points, closing at $88.22. The March contract up $101, finishing at $90.66. In the energy markets, October natural gas up 1 at $283. October West Texas crude up $609.102.14 a barrel. The financial markets lower with the Dow down 316 points, 52.064, the Nasdaq down 171, 26.081, with the S&P down 44, 7591.

19:56Now with a closer look at the energy and financial markets, here's economist Tim Snyder with Matter-Dor economics in Dallas. The August producer price index is out and the wholesale inflation is moving higher. Headlined PPI rose 4.10 to 1% monthly, while the annual rate is accelerating from 4.7% to 5.4%. Core PPI, excluding food and energy, rose 4.10 to 1% monthly and 4.6% annually. Here's what matters, energy, particularly elevated diesel prices continues putting pressure on the cost structure of the economy. And tomorrow, on top of all this, we get the August consumer price report. Meanwhile, the PPI report last night showed crude oil inventory is down 300,000 barrels, with gasoline down 1.9 million, and the distillates increased 2 million barrels. But here's the number that's catching my attention. Another 1.2 million barrel draw that left the strategic petroleum reserves dropping inventories to the 285 million barrel level. This is important because there's a limited statutory floor for the SPR at 252.4 million barrels.

21:01We must understand, however, that the 252.4 million barrels isn't an absolute floor for the SPR. But it's a statutory threshold restricting the government's limited drawdown authority, and we're getting closer. Geopolitical pressure isn't helping either. Reports indicate and Ron launched 20 ballistic missiles towards the US-based in Jordan. But with most intercepted, sent-con reported aircraft damage due in 810 warthog and 8F-15 fighters, but luckily no casualties. That escalation is keeping crude oil prices higher, and now has pulled WTI back above $100 barrels. This is feeding inflation concerns and pushing interest-roid expectations higher for next week and beyond. And as you might expect, equities are responding lower. Here's today's bottom line. Wall Street still isn't panicking, and that's remarkable. Though we're approaching the point where higher energy prices stop being merely a geopolitical story and become that everyday cost of doing business. And that, my friends, crosses a very different line. For the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, I'm a con artist Tim Snyder. That wraps up our look at the markets, and that wraps up this episode of Texas Ag Today.

22:04I'm Carrie Martin. Hope to see you back here next time as we cover the most important industry in this greatest state in the US of Ag. Texas Agriculture. Thanks for joining us for Texas Ag Today. Be sure to follow their Texas Ag Today podcast, found wherever you listen to podcasts. For more Texas Farm and Wanchews, check out our website at texasfarm bureau dot org or tfbredio dot com. Texas Ag Today is a production of the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network.