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“We have lost all faith in local government in Hopkins County. Right now the commissioners and the county judge has all the power to do whatever they want to do in Dike, Texas. We want to take that power away from them because we can’t trust them, because of what’s happened.” said resident Kirk Reams. But not all agree with him.

Rancher David Womack said they weren’t prepared for last year’s drought and are still trying to recover. He described “having to deal with the drought, having to sell some of the livestock off, move them around, trying to find other pastures while everyone else was trying to find pastures.”

An FDA regulation, set to go into effect in June, is not a welcome change for some East Texas ranchers. As part of the Food and Drug Administration’s five-year plan to support veterinary antimicrobial stewardship, over-the-counter sales of livestock antibiotics will be by prescription only. Gregg County Rancher Buck Birdsong talks about his concerns with the change.

East Texas Now’s Makayla Goos spoke with East Texas economist Dr. Ray Perryman about last week’s developments with Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, and what effect, if any, their rapid collapse and subsequent bailout could mean for East Texans.

With the economy, gas prices and inflation, East Texas cattle, pig and chicken producers also have to deal with rising feed prices. Small and independent producers have to struggle with feeding their stock and trying not to pass the extra cost to the consumer. Dealing with an unsure future as far as feed, many are trying to cut costs where they can and be inventive about how they get their stock in the best possible condition for processing or sale. Tanner Spurlock owns and operates Fuller Farms in Wood County and talks about the challenge to stay competitive with his pork products.

To control the problem, a contraceptive bait was created and placed on the market in June of 2021. And after a year and a half, the creators of the bait say ranchers are seeing the benefits. The feral hog birth control bait is called HogStop and it affects male sperm production.