Weekly Update from the Texas Seed Trade Association | |
We sincerely wish you all a very blessed Easter as we celebrate the holiest week in the Christian church calendar. | |
Ken Paxton agrees to community service, paying restitution to avoid trial in securities fraud case
The Texas Tribune
Prosecutors on Tuesday agreed to drop the securities fraud charges facing Attorney General Ken Paxton if he performs 100 hours of community service and fulfills other conditions of a pretrial agreement, bringing an abrupt end to the nearly nine-year-old felony case that has loomed over the embattled Republican since his early days in office.
The deal, which landed three weeks before Paxton is set to face trial, also requires him to take 15 hours of legal ethics courses and pay restitution to those he is accused of defrauding more than a decade ago when he allegedly solicited investors in a McKinney technology company without disclosing that the firm was paying him to promote its stock. The amount of restitution totals about $271,000, prosecutor Brian Wice said.
Paxton, who will not have to enter a plea under the terms of the agreement, faced the prospect of decades in prison if he had been convicted of fraud. His status as a felon, based in part on an opinion he issued himself, would have likely barred him from running for office in the future.
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U.S. FARMERS TO PLANT 90 MILLION ACRES OF CORN, DOWN 5%, 86.5 MILLION ACRES OF SOYBEANS
Source: USDA news release
WASHINGTON - Producers surveyed across the United States intend to plant 90.0 million acres of corn in 2024, down 5% from last year, according to the Prospective Plantings report released today by USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
Planted acreage intentions for corn are down or unchanged in 38 of the 48 estimating states. Acreage decreases of 300,000 acres or more from last year are expected in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. If realized, the planted area of corn in Arizona and Oregon will be the largest on record.
Soybean growers intend to plant 86.5 million acres in 2024, up 3% from last year. Acreage increases from last year of 100,000 or more are expected in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, and South Dakota. Record high acreage is expected in Kentucky and New York.
The Prospective Plantings report provides the first official, survey-based estimates of U.S. farmers' 2024 planting intentions. NASS's acreage estimates are based on surveys conducted during the first two weeks of March from a sample of nearly 72,000 farm operators across the nation.
Other key findings in the report are:
•All wheat planted area for 2024 is estimated at 47.5 million acres, down 4% for comparable states from 2023.
•Winter wheat planted area, at 34.1 million acres, is down 1% from the previous estimate and down 7% from last year for comparable states.
•Area planted to other spring wheat for 2024 is expected to total 11.3 million acres, up 1% from 2023.
•Durum wheat planted is expected to total 2.03 million acres for 2024, up 22% from last year for comparable states.
•All cotton planted area for 2024 is expected to total 10.7 million acres, 4% above last year.
Today, NASS also released the quarterly Grain Stocks report to provide estimates of on-farm and off-farm stocks as of March 1. Key findings in that report include:
•Corn stocks totaled 8.35 billion bushels, up 13% from the same time last year. On-farm corn stocks were up 24% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 1%.
•Soybeans stored totaled 1.85 billion bushels, up 9% from March 1, 2023. On-farm soybean stocks were up 24% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks were down 3%.
•All wheat stored totaled 1.09 billion bushels, up 16% from a year ago. On-farm all wheat stocks were up 20% from last year, while off-farm stocks were up 14%.
•Durum wheat stored totaled 36.6 million bushels, up 2% from March 1, 2023. On-farm Durum stocks were up 10% from a year ago, while off-farm stocks of Durum wheat were down 5%.
The Prospective Plantings, Grain Stocks, and all other NASS reports are available online here.
NASS will hold its biannual Data Users' Meeting on April 16, 2024. The event will be at the University of Chicago Gleacher Center in Chicago, IL. A virtual attendance option will also be available. The meeting is free and open to the public. Anyone interested in attending the Data Users' Meeting can find registration information, agenda items and details from previous meetings on the NASS website.
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BIRD FLU DETECTED IN TEXAS, KANSAS AND NEW MEXICO DAIRY CATTLE
Source: USDA news release
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state veterinary and public health officials, are investigating an illness among primarily older dairy cows in Texas, Kansas, and New Mexico that is causing decreased lactation, low appetite, and other symptoms.
As of Monday, March 25, unpasteurized, clinical samples of milk from sick cattle collected from two dairy farms in Kansas and one in Texas, as well as an oropharyngeal swab from another dairy in Texas, have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Additional testing was initiated on Friday, March 22, and over the weekend because farms have also reported finding deceased wild birds on their properties.
Based on findings from Texas, the detections appear to have been introduced by wild birds. Initial testing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories has not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans, which would indicate that the current risk to the public remains low.
Federal and state agencies are moving quickly to conduct additional testing for HPAI, as well as viral genome sequencing, so that we can better understand the situation, including characterization of the HPAI strain or strains associated with these detections.
At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses a risk to consumer health. Dairies are required to send only milk from healthy animals into processing for human consumption; milk from impacted animals is being diverted or destroyed so that it does not enter the food supply. In addition, pasteurization has continually proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk. Pasteurization is required for any milk entering interstate commerce.
Federal agencies are also working with state and industry partners to encourage farmers and veterinarians to report cattle illnesses quickly so that we can monitor potential additional cases and minimize the impact to farmers, consumers and other animals. For the dairies whose herds are exhibiting symptoms, on average about ten percent of each affected herd appears to be impacted, with little to no associated mortality reported among the animals. Milk loss resulting from symptomatic cattle to date is too limited to have a major impact on supply and there should be no impact on the price of milk or other dairy products.
This is a rapidly evolving situation, and USDA and federal and state partners will continue to share additional updates as soon as information becomes available. More information on biosecurity measures can be found here.
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The articles, views, and opinions expressed in the Weekly Update do not necessarily reflect the policies of the Texas Seed Trade Association or the opinions of its members. | | | | |