I'm Chris Jamison with the Jameson Ranch in Coleman, 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 the Texas agriculture. The largest and most experienced farm news team in the Lone Star Stade covers it all. From the tiny woods of East Texas to the rocky ranges of the Transbakers, and from the Panhandle down to the Rio Grande Valley. Here's today's top stories. Good news for livestock producers in the Texas High Plains. It looks like you can expect cattle markets to stay strong in 2025. I'm James Hunt and we'll talk about that on Texas Ag today. President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office later this month and some say his second term will likely be different than the first. I'm Jessica Dommel and I'll have more on that coming up on Texas Ag today. Diversifying nitrogen sources for corn to improve quality and increase yield. I'm Tom Nickelodeon and I'll have more on Texas Ag today. Now, here's the host of Texas Ag Today, Carol 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 Stade 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. With the discovery of new world screwworms in southern Mexico recently, Texas ranchers are being asked to watch their herds closely for signs of it here. Dr. Burke Healy is the USDA's lead veterinarian for screwworms. Exactly. What we would hope for is that any producers that see a wound that has maggots in it, that we have those contactive veterinarians, your local extension agent, but get those maggots out of those wounds and have them inspected so that we can verify that they are or they are not screwworm. If they are, then obviously we'll assist in getting those animals treated, put a surveillance zone around that region and we'll start dropping flies in that area as well, so that we can mitigate it. We've done that successfully a number of times with a few outbreaks in the US. One was in Texas in the 80s. We also had a situation in 2012 in Florida where we had screwworm attacks of population of key deer and we were able to use the same processes in Florida and clean that one up and a little over a year's time. Healy says that once Mexican cattle are allowed to enter the US again, there will be strong protocols in place to keep screwworms out. Anyone is now open for the Texas and Southwestern Cattleraisers Association's annual convention. Registration is now open for the 2025 Cattleraisers Convention and Expo hosted by the Texas and Southwestern Cattleraisers Association. The annual event will be held April 11th through the 13th in downtown Fort Worth. It includes educational sessions by top industry professionals, live cattle demonstrations, student opportunities, entertainment, and an expo with more than 250 exhibitors. Register by February 15th for early bird pricing. Details are available at cattleraisersconvention.com. That is cattleraisersconvention.com. For the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, I'm Jessica Dommel. Cattle markets are expected to stay strong for 2025. James Hunt reports from Amarillo. For cattle producers in the Texas High Plains, 2024 was a pretty good year economically speaking. DD Jones is a Texas A&M AgriLife economist in Amarillo. You know, in terms of the actual per head profits, they were kind of all over last year. The market's fluctuated quite a bit, but I can say overall, they were very, very good. We had strong markets, strong prices across the board. It didn't matter if you were talking about cull cows, or calves, or feeders, or fed. All those prices were very, very good, and we combined that with relatively low hay and feed costs. Pasture conditions were all over, so some guys, especially around here, had to feed a little bit more than they would have liked to, but I think for the most part, we had very high profits, some of the best I've seen in a long time. And Jones believes strong cattle prices will be with us for a while. In terms of 2025, we expect the prices to remain high throughout the year, and most likely to go into 2026 as well. Just due to very, very tight inventory levels, we have the lowest cow inventory in history. USDA has been tracking cow numbers for over 50 years, they've never been this low before, and there's really no indication that we have started expanding those numbers yet. And the thing is, is once we start expanding and retaining those heifers, then those feed lot numbers will go down even more. Inventory numbers will get tighter because the heifers that are in feedlot right now, and the cull cows that are in feedlot right now will start getting held back for herd expansion. And we're not seeing an expansion yet, so as long as we remain in that consolidation phase, then I think we're going to continue to see very high prices. Once again, that's Texas A&M AgriLife Economist, D.D. Jones. I'm James Hunt, on the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. President Trump will start his second term later this month. Jessica Donal tells us some expect this term to be much different than the first one. The new year brings with it hope, new goals, and soon a new administration in the nation's capital. President-elect Donald Trump will officially be sworn into office January 20th, and while it will be his second term in the Oval Office, Sam Keefer, Vice President of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says this administration will likely be different than the president's first. We're witnessing a much better organized transition. There are policy initiatives ready to go. They just seem more prepared, more comfortable, and have a much clearer direction moving forward. There will be significant change, and along with that change comes uncertainty. Some of it will be welcomed. Some of it is going to give farm advocates and farmers more work to do. Taxes is going to definitely be on the agenda. We certainly know that trade and trade conversations will ensue. Not the least of which is USMCA is up for renegotiation, regardless of who is going to be in office, so that's going to be something that we're going to have to contend with as well. Dr. John Newton, Executive Head of Terrain, said the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is set to expire this year, will also likely be a priority for the new administration. According to the House Ways and Means Committee, if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cuts are not extended, the average American taxpayer will see a 22 percent increase in their tax burden. American Farm Bureau reports the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act benefited most farm and ranch businesses, and has allowed them to build their operations and stimulate the ag economy. They say important provisions in the bill included reduced tax rates and new business income deduction, provisions to allow the matching of income and expenses, and an increase in the estate tax exemption. For the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network, I'm Jessica Dommel. Diversifying nitrogen sources can help increase corn production. Tom Nicaletti has the story. My guest today is Rick Myrup. He is Senior Director for Product Management and Marketing with Pivot Bio. Rick, your company, has worked with farmers over the years in helping them to improve yields and increase quality of their crops, specifically corn. How is diversifying nitrogen sources helping them in this manner? When you think about nitrogen sources, this is the first new mode of action this century with proven 40, and microbial nitrogen that is gene-edited, fix it directly to the roots of the corn plants, right when and where the crop needs it, so you think about being able to spoon-feed the crop throughout the season, get it that nitrogen it needs, and the beauty of this is this new mode of action isn't susceptible to some of the other weak spots for other forms of nitrogen, specifically leaching and rain. So where is a fall application or spring application of nitrogen is going to have some potential for loss due to moisture in the springtime or before planting? By protecting yourself and mitigating risks with a new mode of action in nitrogen and proven 40, you're able to protect that top-end yield potential and see great results even in challenging weather years. It's actually an on-seed product, which is different than you would think of for most nitrogen products, right? We've got two flavors, one would be on-seed, the other would be liquid infero. But if you look at the on-seed variety of that, you're actually treating the seed before planting and then planting that with the seed in the ground and the microbes will grow around the root structure and continue to feed that nitrogen to the plant. And really what we've seen nationally is farmers are replacing about 38 pounds on average of their nitrogen program with proven 40 and seeing a 4.2 bushel per acre increase on the acres that they leverage that new mode of action. That is Rick Myrup with Pivot Bio. I'm Tom Nickelodey for the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. Coming up next... As we are into the new year, we have to reflect on last year and all the things we went through that affected our gardening and our plants. Please show me John Beggno as we talk about planning for the new year. And cattle are sometimes on a nutritional roller coaster. These stories plus a look at the markets are straight ahead on Texas Ag Today. Nearly 90 percent of farmers say that financial worries constantly changing market conditions and other uncontrollable variables take a toll on their mental well-being. Add in the weather and family dynamics? Well, it's a lot to handle alone. But did you know farmers and their families can receive free, confidential services from licensed professionals? Support is available 24/7 to help with the challenges you face. Look for Farm Family Wellness Alliance under the Resources tab at farmfoundation.org. Take care of yourself. Farewell-being matters. Now back to more Texas Ag Today. 2024 presented quite a few challenges for plants and landscapes in Texas. Horticulturalist John Beggno has more from the Texas Hill Country. Well, we can reflect on last year and we can see the things that we witnessed that might have affected our plants and that sprout and heat and maybe dry wind in some areas and maybe in parts of Texas do much water. Those are things that we really can't change, but we can select plants and we can place them in locations and we can develop kind of a landscape scheme that helps to kind of complement these conditions if we get them again. And a good example is, let's say, different plant materials. Your west side of your home got blistering hot and the plants sure did or near dead or not doing good. Well, it's coming season, the long about in March and April. Great time to put out new plants so you can jerk those things out during the now time and get rid of them and prepare these beds, make them big enough to do the job they need to do, shade walls, things like that. But there's a lot of other things. It may be that water was a challenge for you. You couldn't get enough water out on a landscape where you lived in a drought's condition. Well, you can reduce the number of plants or change to a type of plant that is more drought hardy, especially when you're dealing with annuals. A good examples are like lantanas and yellowbells and some of those plants that naturally grow in dry areas, we can choose those when it is time, but you develop the plan for all of that now. And another thing is hardscapes. Those areas that might need to be enlarged for, let's say, entertainment space or for access like sidewalks and maybe even driveways, you can start designing and getting ready to use that opportunity to change your landscape design so it fits the environment a little bit better. And not only the environment, but the resources you have. We may not have the time we had when we were younger and as your children leave the home, for instance, when the swing set is no longer necessary, your landscapes need to be dynamic and changing. And so that was a good time to reflect on last year and plan for next year. This is John Beggno reporting from Kingsland in the Hill Country for Texas HAG today. Cattle are sometimes on a nutritional roller coaster. Dr. Bob Judd says testing your hay can help prevent this. Dr. Katie Mason is an assistant professor of beef cattle nutrition at the University of Tennessee. And she indicates that not testing the hay you feed your cattle can put them on a nutritional roller coaster. And although some folks like a roller coaster, this is not the best method of feeding cattle, as slow and steady is the best option. All hay cut from the same field at the same time and manage the same way should be similar in quality. However, hay baled in April from that same field will be different from hay baled from the same field in May. And the longer between cuttings, the more difference there may be in the hay. Dr. Mason gives an example of testing one batch of hay stored for the winter. And let's say that the total digestible nutrients are TDN of the hay was 57 percent. And the crude protein was 12 percent. From this information, the producer decided to feed 5 to 6 pounds of whole cotton seed per head per day to ensure adequate energy in the diet. So as November begins, the producer notes that fall calving cows are dropping body condition. And the hay is tested and the TDN has dropped from 57 to 52 percent. And the crude protein has dropped from 12 to 8 percent. In this example, the nutrient needs have increased while the quality of the hay has decreased. And the only method of determining this is to test every different batch of hay. If the producer had known the difference, the poorer quality hay would have been fed earlier and the better hay would have been fed when the nutrient levels needed were higher. Dr. Mason recommends to try and cut hay at optimal quality and save as much hay as possible by storing it in a barn or at least covered and storing it off the ground. And test each individual lot of hay that comes from different fields or is bailed at different times of the year. I'm Dr. Bob Judd on the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. We'll check the markets coming up next on Texas Ag Today. Connect with us. Visit TexasFarmBureau.org. Like, follow, share on social media, subscribe to our publications and communications, and download the MyTFB app. Together, we're cultivating agricultural conversations and experiences that move agriculture forward. Here's the latest market information on Texas Ag Today. The first couple of trading days of 2025 saw record prices for fed cattle, both in futures and cash. Next we'll look at the futures, nearby February live cattle broke a record. We traded as high as 196.20 on Friday. The previous record for futures was 195.65 made back in June. However, we did pull that back some on the clothes. We didn't close at a record level. February contract was up 45 cents, 194.05. The rest of the contracts closed lower, April live cattle down 5, 196, June live cattle down 67 at 1.9067. Let's check feeder cattle January down $1.65, 264.82, March feeders down 202 at 264.17, with April feeders down 212, 264.40. Cash fed cattle also set records last week. Here in the southern plains, we sold cattle as high as 197. In the north, live sales broke $200. We sold them at 200, 201. Dressed sales in the north, 315 to 317. All of those prices, $3 to $6 higher. Boxed beef was higher, choice up $1.46, 324.94, select up $1.83 at $2.96.06. As far as the feeder cattle auctions go, things shut down over the last couple of weeks for the holiday, but we're still going to check in with Larry Marble. He's walking the pans. We are on the line with Seth Crane from Union Commission company, Hondo Livestock. Seth, I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year. Well, thank you, sir. Same to you and same to everybody out there. I hope Christmas went well and this new year is going to be a good one. Looking forward to this upcoming sale on the 6th, I tell you what Larry is still very, very dry around. I've had lots of calls and people need to move some cattle, several bunches I know of coming in. I would imagine this first sale is going to be a pretty good one. The way this market's ended up, the way we left off last year, we were in a very, very good market. As of today, it looks like it's holding true. So I would expect a sure enough good market going into the new year. If we can help anybody out there, feel free to contact us right there. The office, 830-741-8061, give me on my cell phone, 210-280-3960. And for any updates or information, visit us on Facebook or HondoLives.com. Seth, thank you much. Yes, sir. Bye-bye. Neighbor fertilizer prices are important to beef production, particularly with small grains and the production of corn for feeder cattle in the feed yard by fertilizers that were slightly higher in price this week were potash, which had an average price of $444 per ton, 10-34-0 at 614 per ton, and high dress at 729 per ton, and UAN-28-326 per ton, and UAN-32-365 per ton. For urea, it was at $489 per ton. On a price per pound basis, the average urea price was 53 cents by the pound, and high dress 44, and UAN-32-57 cents by the pound. Neighbor, thanks for joining me. I'm Larry Marble. This is the Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network. Walk in the pence. We'll see you tomorrow. Good day. Back over to the futures market, where lean hogs close lower, February hogs down 37 cents at 80-77, April down 77 cents, 85-77. Last three milk was higher, January milk up 10 cents at 20-46-100 weight, February milk up 9-20-57-100. A strong dollar and weak demand continues to weigh on cotton prices, USDA's weekly export sales report Thursday didn't look all that great, 128,900 bales, that was 54% lower than the previous week, and down 35% from the monthly pace. shipments, 115,800 bales, that was down 18%. March cotton, down 91 points, closing at 67-66, the May down 92, 68-81, with July cotton down 86, 69.89 cents. Producer selling and profit taking both weighed on corn. We took a quite a drop. In fact, we erased the previous five trading sessions gains all in one day on Friday. March corn down 8-3 corners, 450-3 corners, May corn down 9, 458-1/4, while July corn was down 9 cents for 61-1/4. Week-or-demand for wheat weighed heavily on the wheat complex. The export sales report for the week coming in at just 5.2 million bushels well below what analysts were expecting and hitting a marketing year low. That resulted in double-digit losses in both hard and soft wheat. March Kansas City wheat, down 12-3/4, 5-39, a bushel. March Chicago wheat down 16-1/2, at 5-29-1/4. In the energy markets, February natural gas down 29 cents at 3-36, February west Texas crude up 89, 7402 a barrel. The financial markets higher with the Dow up 339 points, 42,732. The NASDAQ up 340, 19,621, the S&P up 93, and 5,942. That wraps up our look at the markets, and that wraps up this episode of Texas Ag Today. I'm Kerry Martin, hope to see you back here next time as we cover the most important industry in this greatest state in the U.S. of A. Texas Ag Reculture. [music] (gentle music)
