Texas Farmers Concerned Over Growing Trade War

Texas farmers are voicing growing concerns about tariffs being enacted by President Trump adversely affecting their ability to sell agricultural goods overseas, the Houston Chronicle reported. Texas Farm Bureau President Russell Boening said the tariffs could be especially tough on younger farmers.

“We understand that’s his negotiating tool, but at the same time tariffs can be hard on agriculture,” he said. “If you’re in a good spot you can withstand this, but you worry about the producer who has only been in this for five or 10 years and doesn’t have a lot of equity built up. Those are the operations that could be in trouble.”

Drought and low commodity prices are already taking a toll on agricultural revenue. Cotton sank to its lowest price in four years this month after China announced a 15% retaliatory tariff on several U.S. agricultural goods. China, the largest purchaser of grain sorghum in the world, has almost completely stopped buying the crop from Texas farmers, Boening said.

Farmers are hopeful the Trump administration will provide federal relief as occurred during his first term. Voters in counties dominated by farms and ranches voted for Trump by 77.7%, the Chronicle reported.

Fatal Crashes and Fans Wildfires 

A dust storm that swept across the U.S. last week caused a number of deadly crashes and fanned dozens of wildfires, The Dallas Morning News reported. Three people were killed Friday in car crashes in the Texas Panhandle. One dust storm in Amarillo County caused a crash involving an estimated 38 vehicles.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”

As of Sunday, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported eight active wildfires. The largest was the Windmill Fire in Roberts County in the Panhandle. It covered 23,000 acres and was just 50% contained. A total of 130 counties have burn bans in place.

Bill Filed to Clarify State’s Abortion Ban 

The author of the bill that essentially outlawed abortions in Texas has filed a bill that would give doctors more latitude to end pregnancies during medical emergencies, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, would remove language in the abortion ban that required pregnant women to have a “life-threatening condition” before doctors could legally induce an abortion.

The bill would also clarify that women in Texas can access abortions if they are at risk of a “substantial loss of a major bodily function,” such as their fertility. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last week designated Hughes’ bill as a priority, increasing the chances it will pass. An identical bill has been filed in House by state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth.

Measles Outbreak Continues To Spread The Texas measles outbreak has now, in less than three months in 2025, surpassed the total number of cases in any full year since 1992, The News reported. A total of 259 cases have been reported, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, primarily in West Texas. The outbreak began in Gaines County, near the New Mexico border, which has reported 174 cases and one fatality — a school-age, unvaccinated child. Four new cases were reported last week in Lamar County, 100 miles northeast of Dallas. Health officials said the four infected patients were not vaccinated and had traveled to Gaines County.

Measles is considered one of the most contagious viruses in the world and can spread rapidly among unvaccinated people.