Farm & Ranch
[AgriLife Today] Texas Crop and Weather Report for March 28
By: Adam Russell
Egg prices could rise slightly as Easter holiday nears
- Writer: Adam Russell, 903-834-6191, adam.russell@ag.tamu.edu
- Contact: Dr. Craig Coufal, 979-845-4319, cdcoufal@tamu.edu
COLLEGE STATION – Consumers might see a slight rise in egg prices as the Easter holiday approaches due to increased demand for baking and dyed eggs, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Dr. Craig Coufal, AgriLife Extension poultry specialist, College Station, said eggs are plentiful and prices are low as we near the holiday.
Egg prices are low, but increased demand for Easter baking, décor and hunts during the April 16 holiday could cause a slight increase in their cost. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Adam Russell)
“It looks like we’re on cruise control right now,” he said. “There are plenty of laying hens producing plenty of eggs.”
Coufal said the laying industry has fully recovered from an avian influenza outbreak that led to losses of around 35 million laying hens in the spring of 2015. Large numbers of laying hens were affected by the outbreak because hens are typically housed in large flocks, so if one facility is infected, many birds will be lost, Coufal said.
“Egg prices went crazy because there were so many birds taken out of production in March, April and May 2015,” he said. “We haven’t had any major outbreaks and those birds have been replaced, so over the past two years we’ve been in good shape.”
There are around 318.4 million laying hens in production as of January, up 6.4 percent from 299.3 million in production in January 2016, according to the March 2017 U.S. Flock Trends and Projections report by the Egg Industry Center in Ames, Iowa.
A dozen medium Grade AA white eggs averaged 87 cents in retail stores in the South Central U.S., which includes Texas, according to the March 24 U.S. Department of Agriculture National Retail Report. USDA market news reports for the region indicate the egg market is steady, with moderate to good demand.
Eggs were 5-8 cents higher, depending on size, than the previous report, according to the USDA market news report.
Coufal said consumers could expect a price spike around the April 16 holiday.
“People will be making dyed eggs for Easter egg hunts and baking for Sunday lunches and dinners,” he said. “That could mean a slight increase in prices because of demand, but prices should be back to normal soon thereafter.”
AgriLife Extension district reporters compiled the following summaries:
CENTRAL: The district was starting to dry out due to warm weather, high winds and limited amounts of rain. Summer grasses were growing, and wheat and oats were heading out. Also, weeds were being sprayed in many pastures. Field work continued. Fields were in good shape with corn planting finished and grain sorghum planting nearing completion. Cotton planting will start soon. Numerous small grain fields were negatively affected by the warmer-than-normal winter. Barley yellow dwarf virus was prominent in wheat and oat fields. Most counties reported good soil moisture. Overall rangeland and pastures, crops and livestock were in good condition as well.
ROLLING PLAINS: Extreme winds in the district dried the soil profile, but rain was in the forecast. Rain would help wheat fields and pastures going into spring. Some wheat began to head out. With the high winds came increased fire danger. Livestock were in good condition. Spring calving continued.
COASTAL BEND: Conditions were windy and warmer. Fields were dryer, which permitted planting of corn, grain sorghum, cotton and rice. Crops looked good so far. Producers were experiencing a challenge with weed growth due to the rainfall in early March. Pastures were lush, green and thriving. Hay was in abundance. Cattle were in good condition.
EAST: A front moved through the northeastern part of the region bringing rain and strong storms. Marion County reported 1.91 inches and Gregg County reported up to 1.75 inches. Warm temperatures continued to take a toll on ryegrass. Pastures and rangeland conditions were mostly fair to good with only Newton and Shelby counties reporting poor conditions. Excellent conditions were reported in Rusk and Gregg counties. Warm-season forages were making excellent growth. Producers in Gregg County were applying fertilizer as well as herbicides for weed control. Producers in Polk County were planning to make as much early hay as possible while the moisture was good. Hay was harvested in Upshur County. Wood County producers were getting ready to establish warm-season pastures. Subsoil and topsoil were mostly adequate. Land preparation was underway. Farmers were in the process of getting their fields ready. Gardens were being planted or prepared for planting. Cattle prices held steady in Gregg County and were stronger in Houston County. Prices remained about the same in Shelby County. Only Wood County reported supplemental feeding. Spring calving continued with a good crop of calves on the ground. Smith County reported horn flies on cattle. Homeowners were working on home lawns, gardens and preparing for spring weather. June bugs were emerging. Gopher and wild pig control was underway in Upshur County.
SOUTH PLAINS: The district experienced strong winds and blowing dust with peak winds recorded at 54 mph at the Lubbock airport. Afternoon highs were in the 80s with lows in the 40s. Light showers and some pea-sized hail were observed. Subsoil and topsoil moisture levels continued to drop due to dry and windy conditions. Pastures, rangeland and winter wheat needed moisture. Producers were preparing for spring planting.
PANHANDLE: Temperatures were above average. Soil moisture ratings varied from very short to adequate with most reporting short. A good general rain was needed throughout the region. Deaf Smith County producers were preparing for corn and cotton plantings. Fertilizer rigs were running as land preparations were ongoing. Producers were strip tilling or putting down dry fertilizer and watering it in. Producers were running irrigation on winter wheat trying to help it green up. Dryland wheat was in bad shape with no rainfall and little in the forecast. Stocker cattle were grazing many acres of dryland wheat and some irrigated fields as producers try to salvage as much as possible. Hansford County was very warm and windy. Enough rain fell in the southeast part of county to put out a fire. Rangelands needed rain, especially in burned areas. Cattle were supplemented on all rangeland acres.
NORTH: The topsoil and subsoil moisture levels ranged from adequate to short with a few counties reporting surplus. Spring-like temperatures were the norm, and rainfall amounts ranged from 0.25-2 inches in the district. Pastures were starting to green-up, but moisture levels were drying out due to the high temperatures and windy conditions. Wheat fields, rye and clover looked good. Corn started to emerge, and producers were starting to fertilize. Cattle and spring born calves were in good condition. Feral hogs were active and caused damage. Flies were active on livestock and caused some discomfort.
FAR WEST: Temperature highs were in the 90s with lows in the 40s. Precipitation reports averaged 0.5 inches. Damaging winds were reported with gusts of 50 mph that caused damage to crops and made working conditions hazardous. Some cattle were on wheat in a few places across the district. Producers continued to prepare fields for cotton. A good portion of corn was planted, and sorghum will be planted shortly. Wheat was progressing quickly and heading out. Supplemental feeding continued for livestock and wildlife. Lambing and kidding was finishing up. Late-bred goats will be kidding through April. Dry weather continued to degrade pasture and range conditions. Mesquite trees began to bloom.
WEST CENTRAL: Temperatures were warmer than normal with very high winds. Soil moisture continued to dry out. Fire dangers continued to increase. All areas needed rainfall. A few areas reported some strong scattered thunderstorms, but no rain totals. Field work continued to increase as producers prepared fields for spring planting. Producers plowed fields and sprayed for spring weeds. Wheat and oat pastures were mostly in good condition. Most were expected to be grazed out and some baled for hay. Some small grain fields were cut for hay. Some wheat streak mosaic virus and rust were showing up in wheat fields. Rangelands and pastures remained in fair to good condition. Most summer forages were breaking dormancy. Wildflowers were in full bloom with more expected in April. Producers reported an increased number of rattlesnakes under buildings and on the move. Livestock remained in fair to good condition. Some small acreage producers were beginning to see internal parasite problems with sheep and goats. The cattle market was very active, with a large group of buyers on hand. Prickly pear spraying was almost complete. Mature pecan trees finished bud break.
SOUTHEAST: Rains of up to 2 inches halted planting in areas of the district with more precipitation in the forecast. Some other areas did not receive any rain. Rice was planted, and planted rice was irrigated. Livestock were in good condition. Soil moisture levels were holding well and ranged from adequate to surplus. Overall pasture and range conditions were mostly fair but ranged from fair to excellent.
SOUTHWEST: Temperatures were warmer, but subsoil conditions remained adequate. Prior rain allowed warm-season grasses to flourish. Wildflowers began to bloom. Recent warmer conditions allowed field work to resume, and corn and milo planting neared completion. Pastures were doing fair. Spring lambing and kidding continued, and livestock and wildlife were in fair conditions.
SOUTH: Many areas of the district showed signs of spring – green rangeland and pastures and flowers in full bloom. Weather conditions were windy and mild to hot with temperatures reaching the 90s in some areas. Wheat fields were in the heading stage and under irrigation. Potato fields were in full bloom and under irrigation. Corn planting was completed with most fields already emerged. Sorghum planting began and was nearing completion in some areas. Pasture and rangeland conditions were fair to good. Most pastures were green, and native flowers were in bloom. No measurable rainfall was reported. Previous rainfall and warm temperatures helped boost great spring conditions for pastures. Body condition scores on cattle continued to improve with most herds in good condition. Soil moisture conditions ranged from adequate to short with reports of very short topsoil moisture. Cattle sale numbers decreased in some areas, while other areas remained average. Overall, Brooks County cattle prices remained steady. Coastal Bermuda grass was about ready for the first cutting of the season in some areas. In Zavala County, dry conditions forced corn, sorghum, wheat and oat producers to apply irrigation to fields. No supplemental feeding was reported in most areas. Fresh-market spinach production continued. The latest reports indicated some spinach harvesting may continue into late April and early May. Also in Zavala County, onions did well, cabbage harvesting was still active, and pecans reached the bud-break stage. Cotton planting continued in some areas. Harvesting of sugarcane, citrus and vegetables also continued.
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By Savannah Magoteaux
Two bales can look almost identical and feed very differently. Color, smell and leafiness tell part of the story, but a forage test tells you what your cattle are actually being offered. If you buy hay by the ton or are trying to stretch winter feed, that little lab sheet can be one of the cheapest management tools on the place.
Reading the report
Start with dry matter. Hay contains water, and labs report nutrients either “as fed” or on a dry-matter basis. Feeds are easiest to compare on a dry-matter basis because it takes moisture out of the comparison. Hay that is 90 percent dry matter is about 10 percent water.
Crude protein, usually abbreviated CP, is the number most people recognize. It estimates protein from the forage’s nitrogen content. Higher isn’t automatically better. The goal is to match the hay to the animal. A dry, mature cow in mid-gestation doesn’t need the same protein as a lactating cow, a growing replacement heifer or a young calf.
Energy matters just as much. Beef cattle forage reports commonly estimate energy as total digestible nutrients, or TDN. Low-TDN hay may fill a cow up before it supplies enough energy, particularly when her requirements rise late in gestation or during lactation. That is when you may need better forage, an energy supplement or a different feeding plan.
Fiber numbers explain why some hay looks coarse and why animals may not be able to eat enough of it. Neutral detergent fiber, or NDF, is closely tied to intake. As NDF climbs, cattle generally eat less because the forage moves through the digestive tract more slowly. Acid detergent fiber, or ADF, is tied to digestibility. Higher ADF generally means lower digestibility.
Some reports also include relative feed value or relative forage quality. These indexes help compare lots of forage, particularly alfalfa and mixed hay, but they aren’t a complete ration. They don’t replace looking at protein, energy, minerals, animal class and expected intake.
Then come the numbers you hope are boring. Nitrate testing matters when drought, heavy nitrogen fertilization, cloudy weather or other conditions have stressed the forage enough to cause nitrate accumulation. Sorghum-type forages, johnsongrass, corn and some weeds deserve particular attention. Nitrates stay in hay after it is cut and baled, so a risky crop doesn’t become safe just because it dried.
Minerals deserve a look, but this is where a hay report gets harder to interpret. Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other minerals may be listed, yet a complete mineral program depends on water, other feeds and local conditions. A high number isn’t always an advantage. Excessive potassium, for example, can interfere with magnesium use under some circumstances. If you are balancing a ration for high-risk animals, work with a nutritionist or Extension specialist rather than treating the lab sheet as a stand-alone mineral prescription.
Moisture tells another story. Hay baled too wet is at greater risk of heating and mold, and very wet hay can become a fire hazard as microbial activity raises its internal temperature. A test taken months later can’t reconstruct every storage problem, so inspect the stack, too. A musty odor, visible mold, unusual heat and dark discoloration are all reasons to investigate.
Getting a good sample
A hay test is only as good as the sample, and sampling is the step most likely to ruin a good analysis. A handful pulled from the outside of one convenient bale doesn’t represent a stack of 100 bales. Round bales aren’t uniform from the outside to the center, and one bale may not represent the whole cutting.
Texas A&M AgriLife recommends using a hay probe and collecting cores from multiple bales in a lot, then combining them into one representative sample. A coring probe reaches through the layers of the bale and gives the lab a much better cross-section. Test different cuttings, fields or hay types separately, and don’t blend samples from separate fields or cuttings to save the cost of a test if you will feed them as separate lots.
Putting the numbers to work
The most useful way to read the report is backward from the cattle. What class of animal will eat this hay, at what stage of production, and how much is she likely to eat? Once you answer those questions, the lab numbers start to mean something.
A mature dry cow in good body condition can often use lower-quality forage than a first-calf heifer nursing a calf. Young cattle need nutrients for growth on top of maintenance, and cold stress raises energy demand. A hay test becomes valuable when you pair it with those real-world differences.
Remember that price per bale isn’t the same as price per unit of nutrition. A cheap bale with very low energy and protein may require expensive supplementation, and better hay can turn out to be the lower-cost feed once you count waste and supplements.
Before buying, try putting two hay reports side by side. Compare dry matter, crude protein, TDN and fiber first. Then add delivered cost and likely feeding waste. A heavier, denser bale isn’t automatically more economical, and a greener bale isn’t automatically more nutritious. The numbers make the comparison fair.
Testing is especially valuable after a hard weather year. Drought hay may be lower in yield and higher in nitrate risk. Mature, rain-damaged hay may test lower in protein and energy than it looks. Hay cut from a fertilized field after stress may deserve a safety screen before it ever reaches a feeder.
A forage test won’t make poor hay better. It shows you where the gaps are before your cattle show them through lost condition or lower performance. One report can’t answer every feeding question, but it replaces several guesses with measurements, and that makes winter nutrition planning much more accurate.
By Savannah Magoteaux
A heavy crop of acorns under an oak tree usually looks more like a sign of fall than a livestock problem. For most cattle in most years, that is all it is. Trouble starts when acorns stop being an occasional bite and become a meaningful part of the diet.
Oak leaves, buds and acorns contain tannins that can damage the digestive tract and kidneys when cattle eat enough of them. Green acorns are generally considered more toxic than mature brown ones, but either can cause problems if cattle eat too many.
The risk climbs when forage is short and cattle go looking for something else to eat. Drought, overgrazed pastures or simply a heavy acorn crop can set up that situation.
Cattle aren’t equally interested in acorns. A few animals in a herd may eat far more than the rest, which helps explain why cases can appear scattered.
Early signs can be vague. Affected cattle may go off feed, look depressed or become constipated. As the damage progresses, you may see dark or bloody manure, abdominal pain, frequent urination followed by reduced urine output, dehydration and weakness. Kidney failure is the most serious concern.
You can’t remove every acorn from a wooded pasture, so prevention comes down to keeping cattle from relying on them. Adequate forage and supplementation take away the incentive to eat large amounts.
You can also fence cattle away from heavily producing oaks for a while, especially when pasture conditions are poor. If several animals seem to be seeking out acorns, take a close look at the rest of the ration instead of assuming they will quit on their own.
If you suspect oak poisoning, call a veterinarian early. Treatment is supportive and does much more good before severe kidney damage sets in. Moving unaffected cattle away from the source and providing good-quality feed and water may prevent more cases.
Acorns are an important fall food for deer, squirrels and other wildlife, and a few acorns generally don’t spell disaster for cattle. The concern is quantity. A pasture full of oaks becomes a different management problem when grass is short, cattle are hungry and the ground is covered with something they are willing to eat.
Oak toxicity comes up most often in cattle, but other livestock can be affected, too. And the risk isn’t limited to acorns. Oak buds and young leaves also contain tannins, so spring can occasionally bring problems as well. In fall, though, the obvious temptation is lying on the ground where cattle can eat it quickly.
Watch where your cattle spend their time. If cows that normally graze open grass start camping under oaks and hunting acorns, that behavior tells you something.
Walk the pasture, estimate how much usable forage is left and check whether a few dominant animals are eating more than the rest. Hay or supplemental feed may help, but place it where all the cattle can reach it rather than assuming one feeder will solve the problem.
Oak poisoning can look like other illnesses, and no one can diagnose kidney damage from pasture observation alone. A veterinarian may use history, clinical signs and lab work to separate it from dehydration, digestive disease or other toxicities. That is another reason to mention a heavy acorn crop when you call. A detail that seems like an ordinary part of fall can be an important part of the history.
Your pasture plan doesn’t have to be complicated. If one wooded trap has a much heavier acorn crop than the rest, use another pasture while you still have the choice.
If you can’t move the herd, make sure hay and supplement are adequate before the animals get hungry enough to seek out acorns aggressively. Salt or mineral by itself won’t make up for a shortage of forage.
The problem usually fades as cattle eat through the crop or the acorns weather or get covered. Don’t return cattle that have already shown signs as soon as they look better, though. Kidney injury can be serious. Follow your veterinarian’s recommendations and reassess the pasture before turning recovered animals back out.
By Jared Groce
Late summer has been brutal on our livestock, our grass and the rural land market in North Texas. We currently have an astounding 42 months of inventory on hand in our report area, and the only properties selling are the ones priced right. Overpriced properties aren’t even getting looked at, much less receiving offers, so pricing your property correctly matters more than ever right now.
Many sellers are still picturing the daily price increases we saw in 2020 to 2023, but those days are behind us, and agents need to be more realistic with listing prices to get any activity for their clients. Hopefully the rains will come soon and bring more land buyers with them this fall, but right now it is still very much a buyer’s market. No one knows how long this dry spell will last, but it will likely take a flood to end it. The same is true of the weather!
They say the best time to plant a tree, or buy land, was 20 years ago, and the second-best time is today.
| County | Area | Acres | $/Acre | List Price | Sold Price | Sale/List | DOM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay | Henrietta | 120.07 | $5,150 | $714,000 | $618,309 | 86.60% | 434 |
| Clay | Bellevue | 159.44 | $6,184 | $981,000 | $985,959 | 100.50% | 48 |
| Clay | Henrietta | 293 | $4,982 | $1,538,250 | $1,459,600 | 94.90% | 212 |
| Clay | Average | 190.84 | $5,438 | $1,077,750 | $1,021,289 | 94.00% | 231 |
| Collin | Anna | 11.08 | $84,356 | $1,200,000 | $935,000 | 77.90% | 634 |
| Collin | Average | 11.08 | $84,356 | $1,200,000 | $935,000 | 77.90% | 634 |
| Cooke | Muenster | 11 | $18,000 | $209,000 | $198,000 | 94.70% | 250 |
| Cooke | Gainesville | 19.3 | $16,580 | $345,000 | $320,000 | 92.80% | 541 |
| Cooke | Valley View | 96.23 | $15,500 | $1,679,215 | $1,491,565 | 88.80% | 194 |
| Cooke | Average | 42.18 | $16,693 | $744,405 | $669,855 | 92.10% | 328 |
| Denton | Sanger | 16.46 | $39,422 | $649,000 | $649,000 | 100.00% | 47 |
| Denton | Cross Roads | 10.35 | $97,575 | $1,200,000 | $1,010,000 | 84.20% | 40 |
| Denton | Sanger | 300 | $14,000 | $4,999,999 | $4,200,000 | 84.00% | 1,327 |
| Denton | Aubrey | 74.09 | $57,684 | $4,815,525 | $4,273,550 | 88.70% | 302 |
| Denton | Average | 100.22 | $52,170 | $2,916,131 | $2,533,138 | 89.20% | 429 |
| Grayson | Collinsville | 11.61 | $46,516 | $600,000 | $540,000 | 90.00% | 280 |
| Grayson | Van Alstyne | 18.8 | $58,511 | $1,175,000 | $1,100,000 | 93.60% | 280 |
| Grayson | Whitesboro | 30 | $37,984 | $1,170,000 | $1,139,506 | 97.40% | 277 |
| Grayson | Average | 20.14 | $47,670 | $981,667 | $926,502 | 93.70% | 237 |
| Jack | No sales reported | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Montague | Montague | 485 | N/A | $5,566,000 | N/A | N/A | 333 |
| Montague | Bowie | 26 | $12,244 | $323,500 | $318,352 | 98.40% | 743 |
| Montague | Montague | 37.3 | $10,327 | $428,950 | $385,195 | 89.80% | 1 |
| Montague | Saint Jo | 1,185 | $7,764 | $10,000,000 | $9,199,829 | 92.00% | 19 |
| Montague | Average | 433.33 | $10,112 | $4,079,613 | $3,301,125 | 93.40% | 274 |
| Wise | Sunset | 12 | $19,027 | $234,000 | $228,320 | 97.60% | 16 |
| Wise | Sunset | 12 | $19,027 | $234,000 | $228,320 | 97.60% | 14 |
| Wise | Chico | 11.44 | $24,476 | $299,000 | $280,000 | 93.60% | 24 |
| Wise | Chico | 10.25 | $29,265 | $315,000 | $300,000 | 95.20% | 12 |
| Wise | Average | 11.42 | $22,949 | $270,000 | $259,160 | 96.00% | 17 |
DOM = days on market
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