Business

Hemphill County’s 2020 Beef Cattle Conference show will go on—just a few months later than expected. Event organizer and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Andy Holloway announced this week that the annual event has been rescheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 1-2, at the Jones Pavilion in Canadian.

AMARILLO—Plains Land Bank has good news for its customers. It will distribute a record $8.5 million in cash patronage to its stockholders in April. The rural lending cooperative declared the patronage distribution based on its strong financial results in 2019.

The unemployment rate in Texas is around 9 percent—up from the state’s recent recordlow rate of 3.5 percent in January—as the coronavirus spreads, Comptroller Glenn Hegar said Thursday.

Gov. Abbott announced approval last week of emergency designation for smallbusiness disaster loans. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has included the entire state of Texas and several neighboring counties and parishes in its Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, which will provide longterm, low-interest loans to qualifying businesses across the state.

Hemphill County A&M AgriLife Extension Agent Andy Holloway finally called calf rope late last week, announcing reluctantly that this year’s beef cattle conference, slated for April 28-29, would have to be posponed.

U.S. Department of Agriculture service centers are encouraging visitors to take proactive protective measures to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. USDA service centers in Texas will continue to be open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While our program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with our producers by phone, and using online tools whenever possible.

AUSTIN—As Saudi Arabia and Russia flood the international energy market with a glut of crude oil, prices have dropped to unsustainable levels that threaten the future of the Texas oil and gas industry, its associated benefits to the state economy, and American energy dominance.

TEMPLE The Winter Garden Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) announced plans this week for the Greater South Texas Conference for Women in Agriculture, which will be held on March 24 at the Dimmit Count Arena and Conference Center in Carrizo Springs.