Business

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.

AUSTIN––The Railroad Commission of Texas issued a total of 1,133 original drilling permits in January 2020, compared to 1,199 in January 2019. The January 2020 total included 1,041 permits to drill new oil or gas wells— only nine of those in the Panhandle District— eight to re-enter plugged well bores and 84 for recompletions of existing well bores. The breakdown of well types for those permits is 310 oil, 61 gas, 751 oil or gas, 33 injection, zero service, and one other permit.

AUSTIN—The Texas Railroad Commission received reports in December 2019 of crude-oil and natural-gas production from 174,016 oil wells and 87,595 gas wells. From January 2019 to December 2019, total Texas reported production was 1.455 billion barrels of crude oil and 9.8 trillion cubic feet of total gas. Crude-oil production reported by the RRC is limited to oil produced from oil leases and does not include condensate, which is reported separately. Average daily statewide production in December 2019 was 3.298,738 Bbls of crude oil, up from 2,910,743 Bbls in December 2018, and 22,827,243 Mcf of natural gas, an increase from December 2018 production of 20,881,305 Mcf. For additional oil and gas production statistics, including the ranking of each Texas county by crude-oil, total gas, and condensate production, visit the RRC’s website at http://www.rrc.texas.gov/oil-gas/research-and-statistics/production-data/ texas-monthly-oil-gas-production/.