Amarillo AgEcon
Amarillo AgEconEconomics for the Texas High Plains

High Plains Ag Week – 6/7/23 – An Update on the Drought

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Aug. 9, 2022 in College Station, Texas. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

The Texas High Plains received some much-needed rain in the month of May, but conditions across much of the area are still dry.  In this post, we’ll discuss the current state of the drought, what the current temperature and precipitation outlook is for the next month, and what all of this might mean for production in the region.

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High Plains Ag Week – 5/31/23 – Dual-Purpose Annual Forage Insurance Program

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(Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

With summer approaching, it’s time to consider the Dual-Purpose Annual Forage Insurance Program for our next season’s wheat operations (deadline: July 15). The program has shown long-term positive results for wheat producers in many places in Texas. In today’s blog, we’ll discuss the features and advantages of this program, highlighting how it can benefit farmers across the state. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week – 5/31/23 – Dual-Purpose Annual Forage Insurance Program

High Plains Ag Week – 5/3/23 – Machinery Management

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The costs associated with owning and operating machinery represent a large proportion of the total production costs for many farm operations.  In this post, we will look at the costs associated with machinery ownership as well as the options available to farm managers for obtaining access to machinery services.

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High Plains Ag Week – 4/26/23 – Program Cattle

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(Courtney Sacco/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

Are you looking to market your calves in a “program cattle” but unsure if the added costs outweigh the benefits? Today, we will discuss the potential benefits of implementing these programs in your operation and how you can evaluate whether it fits you well. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week – 4/26/23 – Program Cattle

High Plains Ag Week – 4/19/2023 – Basis and How to Manage It

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In this post, we look at commodity basis and discuss how understanding a commodity’s basis can help you as you develop a marketing plan.

 

 

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High Plains Ag Week – 4/12/2023 – Wheat Grain Alternatives

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Dryland wheat grain and forage conditions in our area are different from what we were expecting in many cases. The Wheat and Small Grain Decision Aids will help you analyze the best alternative for your wheat fields according to your expected yields, production costs, equipment, and other variables.  [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week – 4/12/2023 – Wheat Grain Alternatives

High Plains Ag Week – 4/5/2023 – An Introduction to Carbon Credits and Carbon Markets

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Carbon markets have been a trendy topic lately and present producers with a potential new revenue source for their operation.  This post briefly describes the basics of what carbon credits are and how carbon markets/contracts are structured.  At the end of the post, I provide a set of links to additional articles that provide a more in-depth discussion of some of the legal and economic considerations related to carbon contracts.

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High Plains Ag Week – 3/29/2023 – A Look at the 2023 Cow-Calf Budget

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(Laura McKenzie/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)

The 2023 crop and livestock budgets for District 3 are posted, and the budgets are available for all districts on the AgriLife Extension Agricultural Economics website.  Today, we look at the expected costs and returns from the Cow-Calf budgets in the Rolling Plains.

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High Plains Ag Week – 3/15/2023 – Building a Profitable Ranch Business

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Building a Profitable Ranch Business – Beef Cattle Standard Performance Analysis

 

One of the most essential responsibilities in our businesses is to ensure the economic sustainability of our companies for the future of our business or future generations. Most ranchers have suffered multiple years of low margins due to market prices below the average total economic cost of production. Even today, with a much better prices outlook than a year ago, breakeven prices are still high for most cow-calf operations.

 

 

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High Plains Ag Week – 3/1/2023 – Wheat Grain vs. Gain

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Dryland wheat grain and forage conditions in our area are better than last year but still not the best.  The Wheat and Small Grain Decision Aids will help you analyze the best alternative for your wheat fields according to your expected yields, production costs, equipment, and other variables. [Read more…] about High Plains Ag Week – 3/1/2023 – Wheat Grain vs. Gain