A recent surge in bee losses is now impacting Texas beekeepers and may ultimately impact the price to produce.
Since June, commercial beekeepers in Texas have lost nearly two-thirds of their bee colonies.
Nationwide, those financial losses have totaled $635 million. Many now worry it will have a trickle-down effect on fruits and vegetables like watermelons and berries.
While no clear cause for the losses has been pinpointed, mites, pathogens, pesticides, and poor nutrition among bees would all play a role.
Related Stories
U.S. agriculture entered the week with mixed signals as weather, logistics, and markets shaped early-year decisions. Here is a regional breakdown of domestic crop and livestock production for the week of Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.
EXCLUSIVE: Texas Lawmakers Weigh USMCA’s Relevance and What Renegotiation Could Mean for Agriculture
RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey speaks with Texas’s Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez about USMCA renegotiation and its impact on U.S.–Mexico agriculture trade.
Rising rural business confidence supports local ag economies, but taxes and labor shortages remain key constraints.
CoBank Knowledge Exchange’s Jeff Johnston shares the group’s positive perspective on expanding data centers into rural areas and weighs the risks and rewards for those communities.
Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller joined us to discuss data center expansion, farmland preservation, rural economic impacts, and imminent cattle biosecurity concerns affecting agriculture today.
The Pennsylvania Farm Show continues through Saturday, wrapping up another successful year of celebrating agriculture in the Commonwealth.