AGRICULTURE

Burbank High School’s agriculture program is expanding and has partnered with a local San Antonio college to give students a closer look into the industry.

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.

A 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.

“A year like this, where everything is disaster, is just, I’d say, devastating,” cotton farmer Steven Walker said.

The state’s agriculture commissioner oversees a vast portfolio including farming and ranching, rural health care and the scales you use at grocery store checkout.

Farming might not be a glamorous job for many, but simply put, we might not exist without the hardworking farm owners and laborers out there.

A company based in a Denver suburb turns up-cycled shipping containers into vertical hydroponic farms.. and claims the containers can create as much as two football fields worth of traditional agriculture.

As Texas continues to battle drought, groups are trying a market-based solution to help farmers and protect what little water is left.

Hemp advocates promised the Texas Legislature the crop was drought resistant. The 2022 drought has proven otherwise. And farmers are abandoning the nascent market.

Cotton is Texas’ largest crop, and industry experts say they expect just half the normal annual yield — which will drive up costs for consumers.

An old South Side rodeo venue is getting new life as the San Antonio Stockyards Historical Society (SASHS) renovates the ranch that once hosted the Charros Del Chaparral Charreada.

Daniel 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.

Extreme weather events, water scarcity, risks of illness: Climate change is here, and it’s already affecting Texans.

Climate change is here. We want to document where its effects are being felt in Texas, how communities are adapting and what government officials should do to help.

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a “rare” and damaging pest at the South Texas border earlier this month – the first time the bug has ever been spotted in the U.S.

The incumbent avoided a runoff. State Rep. James White had tried to unseat Miller with criticisms centered on controversies under Miller’s leadership.

You may be more familiar with the terms “genetically modified” or “GMO” — the new standard replaces those terms with “bioengineered” or “BE.”

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.”

A first-generation organic farmer is preparing the fields for more production as more people continue to buy organic foods.

For many San Antonio-area farmers, crops are their sole source of income, and rain is always a welcome sight, but too much can be a problem. A farmer on the Southwest Side says this week has already brought too much rain, damaging some of his crops.

Miller is running for a third term.

Miller 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.

Expect to pay more for chicken wings and breasts. The pandemic has tightened supplies, and a sudden surge in demand is driving prices up, forcing restaurants to adapt.

After 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.

All rights reserved)FILE - In this May 20, 2019 file photo, honeybees are shown on a frame at beekeeper Denise Hunsaker's apiary, in Salt Lake City. Erika Thompson, owner and founder of the Austin-based Texas Beeworks, has a pretty unique job. Sure you’ve heard of beekeeping, but she’s helping to preserve, protect and increase honeybee populations in Texas. The company works by helping to support the bees with hive removals and hive hostings for residents and businesses. You can hire a beekeeper to place and manage hives on your property registered by the Texas Apiary Inspection Service.

SAN ANTONIO – Losses in the agriculture industry brought on by the winter storm in Texas are now estimated to be $605 million, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Dr. David Anderson, the education agency’s livestock economist, said included in that figure are $228 million in losses to the livestock and poultry industries, as well as the animals who died due to the cold. RELATED: Texas Farm Bureau, others assessing winter storm damage“That probably ate up a lot more cost than they were expecting in producing the birds this year,” Anderson said. Full Screen 1 / 6 Image courtesy of Bryan Bettice, Adkins, Texas. Many had pumps that froze up, and damaged pipe systems now need repair to get water to their cattle.

POTH, Texas – As the president of the Texas Farm Bureau, Russell Boening experienced much of what the rest of the state’s agriculture industry endured during last month’s record cold. Boening said he agrees with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller’s prediction that the financial impact of the winter storm could be a billion dollars, if not more. AdWith the fragrant orange blossoms already on the trees, Murden said next year’s crop is gone. He said it’s been estimated the citrus industry has an economic impact of $468 million. The Texas Farm Bureau has been assessing the winter storm damage, but its spokesman said the figures, when complete, will come from the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

“What we need to do is get some real sharp pruners, get some quality hand pruners, hedge shears, quality loppers and start. Rodriguez also recommends pulling the organic mulch away from plants to allow the late February sun to warm up the soil. Other plant life, like palms and sago palms, also took a beating. As long as their center is nice and firm, sago palms can make a comeback. Also, keep in mind that while we are approaching our average final freeze date in San Antonio, a freeze in March is always possible.

POTEET, Texas – The area farmers who grew crops were unable to completely protect them against the record cold and are finding their prized harvest ruined after last week’s winter storm. “They got really cold, to the point where they just got brittle and they’re falling apart right now,” said Donovan Garcia Jr., who grows some of Poteet’s prized strawberries. Texas A&M AgriLife extension agents will be throughout affected areas assessing the damage and the economic impacts. Fernando Gonzalez, a major produce distributor, said he is “cautiously optimistic” because the supply is good. “There’s so much product that comes into Texas from all over the United States,” Gonzalez said.

ST. HEDWIG, Texas – Farmers across Texas were hit hard by the recent winter storm and rotating blackouts that knocked out power in many communities. Consumers can expect to feel the effects at the grocery store, with empty shelves and higher prices for some products. But the Scotts could not make it through the 2021 winter storm that left much of Texas without power. State relief for farmers is not available, and federal funds are slow to trickle in, according to the agriculture commissioner. The Texas Department of Agriculture has the STAR Fund, which is made up of private donations that help farmers during a disaster.

Texas Tiny bags marked as jewelry have been showing up in the mailboxes of Texas residents but it turns out the bags actually contain seeds. Texans arent the only ones who have received packages of mystery seeds, residents across the nation have reported receiving unsolicited packages that appear to have originated in China, according to a CNN report. To date, packages containing these mystery seeds have also been received in Washington, Virginia, Utah, Kansas, Louisiana and Arizona, according to a press release from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. If you do receive a bag of the mystery seeds, do not throw them away. It could be a scam, or it very well could be dangerous, said Agrilife extension horticulturist Larry Stein.

SAN ANTONIO – Hemp farming has begun in Texas this year and one set of farmers outside Boerne says they have some of the first crops in the state. The Texas Department of Agriculture began licensing farmers and businesses early this year to grow hemp after the state legislature greenlit farming of the plant. Pur IsoLabs in Bergheim, 10 miles east of Boerne off Highway 46, is one of the first to be licensed. Ruple and his wife Jennifer own Pur IsoLabs and have sold hemp products for the past five years, now they are expanding their business by starting to grow hemp right next to their store. This is just the beginning for the hemp farm industry, the future looks very promising for a plant that can be used in many ways.

Michelle Camara, with Southern Wildlife Rehabilitation, said bats in Texas are only known to contract rabies, just like cats and dogs, but theres nothing dangerous to them. Camara wants the community to know bats are vital to our ecosystem and need to be protected. Jonah Evans, a mammalogist for Texas Wildlife & Parks Department, said theres no indication that North American bats carry any form of coronavirus. Evans said bats in Texas are vital to the economy, and researchers are taking precautions to protect them, as much as they can. The most recent threat to Texas bats started a few years ago with white-nose syndrome, which attacks hibernating bats.