Mysterious seed packages from China are showing up in Texas homes. Officials warn they could threaten farms and gardens. If you get one, don’t open it—keep it sealed and call the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Christmas tree sales are up in the Lone Star State, even as many tree farmers are aging out of the business with no successors.

Texas lawmakers heard conflicting reports on the state’s readiness to fight the New World Screwworm, which is approaching the southern border.

Four months after devastating flooding hit the Texas Hill Country, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo says $500,000 it pledged to support recovery efforts have been delivered.

In the self-proclaimed “Pumpkin Capital of the U.S.,” Floydada farmers are exporting pumpkins across Texas and the nation.

The federal agency accused Miller of disregarding proven strategies to combat the parasitic pest “in favor of clickbait publicity stunts.”

In May 2023, Miller wrote a letter urging university leaders to reconsider admitting a student whom he described as a “biracial Latina,” who was also the daughter of his political associate.

Starting Sept. 1, cultured meat sales will be banned for the next two years even though the product isn’t ready to be sold at a large scale.

Mounted patrol officers, known as tick riders, who typically patrol the southern border to protect cattle from fever tick, will also now serve as the first line of defense against screwworm.

Miller denies wrongdoing after allegations surfaced during an investigation into one of his aides, who pled guilty to bribery. The agriculture commissioner has not been charged with a crime.

A group representing High Plains region farmers has launched a campaign to make buyers aware of synthetic fibers’ impact on the environment and health.

Aoudad sheep are joining the short list of animals Texas lawmakers allow to be shot from a helicopter, along with coyotes and feral hogs.

Far from the Capitol, students at Texas Tech spend time examining the quality of beef for meat judging competitions.

The Legislature has approved a conference committee report that lists sales to certain people from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran as threats to national security.

U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz hope to fund an operation to kill the parasitic fly before too much damage is done.

Supporters say the bill would protect farmland in Texas. Opponents say limiting PFAS chemicals in biosolids will force water utilities to look at other disposal methods, which will lead to higher utility bills.

If approved, the legislation would expand one of the state's most popular loan programs with even lower interest rates.

As lawmakers work to close loopholes that allow minors access to cannabis consumables, hemp farmers warn a total THC ban would strangle a once-hailed crop.

Commercial beekeepers in Texas have lost about two thirds of their honey bees since June last year, according to a recent survey.

Trump has vowed punishing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, which are Texas’ biggest international trading partners.

Since cattle imports were cut off in November, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and some ranchers worry about the ban’s economic impact on beef producers and consumers.

The historical bipartisan legislation includes a bevy of policies from crop insurance to food stamps.

A hurricane and winter freeze devastated the South Texas industry. A lack of water is preventing a full recovery.

The fertilizer was promoted as an environmental win-win for years. An untold number of farmers and ranchers across Texas have spread it on their land.

The amendment to a 1944 treaty will help Mexico catch up with its water deliveries to the U.S. and might help Rio Grande Valley farmers devastated by low rainfall.

Todd Smith’s plea comes days before he was set to go to trial, where Miller was subpoenaed to testify.

Todd Smith was indicted in 2022 on felony charges of theft and commercial bribery related to taking money in exchange for hemp licenses that are issued by Miller’s office.

Millions of Texans would lose food subsidies and farm insurance if Congress doesn’t act before the end of the year.

For the first time in 20 years, the Texas FFA Association will call Houston home for their annual state convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Rising temperatures intensify drought and increase costs for the heavily subsidized crop insurance program.

Twelve years after a state law gave tax breaks for keeping bees on at least five acres, people are still getting into the trade — or throwing in the towel and hiring professionals to do it for them.

Dairy farmers and veterinarians in northern Texas furiously investigated a mysterious illness among cattle before the government got involved. Farm cat deaths were the tip off.

The Republican senator and congressman introduced a bill that would expand a federal aid program to pay ranchers when pregnant cattle are killed in disasters.

Federal officials said the nation’s milk supply should be not at risk after a bird flu outbreak hits dairies in Texas, New Mexico and Kansas.

As ranchers recover from the Smokehouse Creek fire, they face the agonizing choice of what to do with an unknown number of injured cattle.

Texas wildfires have consumed acres of agricultural land, killing thousands of livestock, destroying crops and exacerbating challenges lingering from last year’s drought.

According to the most recent census, Texas has fewer than 26,000 Hispanic farmers compared to 236,000 white farmers.

Supporters of the amendment say it will protect farmers as the state’s largest cities continue to grow. Opponents suggest the amendment is too broad and ambiguous.

Egan sat down with Tribune environmental reporter Alejandra Martinez to talk about his new book, “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance,” which explains how overuse of phosphorus is impacting the environment.

The practice of using land for both agriculture and solar power generation, known as agrivoltaics, is becoming increasingly common in Texas and nationwide.

After 70 years on the farm, Jimmy Drake retired from the cotton business. With no family stepping up to take over the farm, he turned to a young neighbor.

The must-pass package of legislation known as the farm bill, which is renewed every five years, funds critical crop insurance and loans to farmers and food to low-income families.

A minority of farmers in the Texas High Plains region are looking to organic and regenerative techniques to keep their soil healthy year round, despite a dry climate.

One year after a devastating drought, Texas agriculture watchers are wary that the positive effects of a wet spring could be zapped up with extreme heat.

The policy comes as LGBTQ advocates are fighting a wave of hostile legislation at the Capitol, including proposals to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender children.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.”

Billy Trainor, the owner of Verdegreens Farm in Acres Homes, knows his greens.

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.

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.

This panel features state officials and a former U.S. agriculture secretary talking about the state of agriculture in 2020 and beyond.