cotton

Why many Texas cotton farmers are planting less this year

After a disastrous season for cotton production, could Texas lose its crown as top producer? Three Texans on the front lines talk about why some fear 2023 could be a tipping point.

The head of the University of Texas System Board of Regents puts a pause on new diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

With student debt forgiveness plans on hold, what are the implications for those struggling most to get out from under it?

Also tech expert Omar Gallaga on the rising price of social media verification and whether it pays to buy into the changes.

Texas Standard: August 29, 2022

A booster rollout: ready for launch? As a long awaited Omicron vaccine gets ready for release, are Texans ready for another round of shots? We’ll explore. Other stories we’re covering: families of victims of the Uvalde shooting gather at the capitol to tell their stories and demand action. And military rules on weight leading to eating disorders and some say the services are do too little to address that issue. Also, the business of college football changing as never before with some players getting paid de facto salaries at bigger schools and altering the calculus for recruitment. Those stories and much more coming up today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: April 21, 2021

Guilty on all counts. As Texans react to the verdict in the killing of George Floyd. The message: a just verdict, but not justice. Not without meaningful reforms to policing. We’ll hear from George Floyd’s former hometown of Houston, and from other voices across Texas, reacting to yesterday’s murder conviction of a white former police officer. Also you’ve heard of the UK strain, a Brazilian strain, now researchers at Texas A&M report a Texas mutation of COVID-19. What this means for vaccination efforts and the ongoing pandemic fight. And a Politifact check about herd immunity claims. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: October 24, 2018

As the midterms get underway in earnest, The Pentagon launches its first cyber operation to counter Russian interference. We’ll have the latest. Plus all this week, as Texans head out to the polls, we’re taking your questions about the midterms. Today: who’s saying what, and to what extent, when it comes to climate change? We’ll explore. Also, in a place that loves to be number one, Texas is below the middle of the pack when it comes to the healthiest states. What’ll it take to turn things around? And the government gives A&M the greenlight to turn cotton into food. All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 14, 2018

As members of the senate return to Washington, one issue in particular is set for the spotlight, again. The issue of the Border Wall never really went away. But now demands from the President, and a separate issue congress has kicked the can on, appear to be coming together, we’ll explain. And pilots in training report problems with their planes but the Air Force doesn’t want to talk about it. What’s really happening in the skies over Texas? Plus kids return to classes in San Antonio but who’s really playing the teachers salaries? At one community school, a controversy. And are you ready for a visit to the man camps? Those stories and a whole lot more on today’s Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 13, 2018

Can the U.S. reduce the number of asylum seekers without leaving them in limbo? Talks underway today with Mexico, we’ll explore the plan and its prospects. Also, if you’re traveling from Dallas to the Texas capitol in 20 minutes, you sure ain’t on IH-35. Instead, it’s the promise of a planned new transport system call the hyperloop. But how much of it is hype? And round up the herbicides. Texas A&M develops a clever way to kill the weeds currently choking Texas cotton growers. Plus state versus city: headed soon for the courts? Also the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and much more today on the Standard:

Texas Standard: January 29, 2018

A vote to censure a prominent Texas lawmaker on his way out of office. What the move says about the state of the state’s GOP. Also, the disaster relief bill that would send tens of billions of dollars to Harvey devastated parts of Texas is still on hold in Washington. Why some of the state’s farmers may be contributing to the delay. And it’s been exactly 100 years since an event in Texas history that you probably don’t remember reading about in school. Why we should remember the Porvenir massacre. Plus, how re-thinking our message about the flu could do more to keep people healthy. All that and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 28, 2017

The official forecast was spot on: an unprecedented event and beyond anything experienced. How Texas is weathering Harvey. It started out with staggering winds making landfall north of Corpus Christi, the view from near Rockport described as apocalyptic. No longer a hurricane, Harvey unleashed its fury further north, plunging the third largest metropolitan area into a flood of historic dimensions. We’ll have the latest today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 22, 2017

Change in plans: the president does a 180 on Afghanistan. When will the US leave? We’ll explore why the commander in chief says that’s the wrong question. Also, the navy takes a knee after another ship in the pacific fleet collides with a commercial vessel. 10 navy crew members missing. Who’s on lookout and what’s going wrong? Plus popping the cork on a controversy between grape growers and their cotton pickin’ neighbors: are pesticides killing Texas wineries? And as kids go back to school, will there be enough teachers? That depends: you live in the city or the country? Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 3, 2017

As members of congress return to Washington, Texas lawmakers get ready to return to austin. The road ahead reconsidered today. Also when police use deadly force against an unarmed suspect, what happens next? A new investigation in Houston suggests very little. We’ll have details of a new investigative report. And Texas wine versus Texas cotton? A decision by the EPA could pit the two against each other, we’ll hear why. And Sinatra versus Sinatra in a Texas courtroom: the issue? Love and marriage. And bitcoin is ballooning, or is that a bubble getting ready to burst? Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Cotton: Sven Beckert (Ep. 17)

Cotton. Not quite a food item, but a plant nonetheless with a rather complicated history and an enduring relevance in our lives. Today, a typical day cannot pass without using this pillowy crop that rules our commodified lives.

In this edition of the Secret Ingredient with Raj Patel, Tom Philpott, and Rebecca McInroy: Sven Beckert, Harvard University professor, historian, and author of the 2014 book “Empire of Cotton,” discusses the significance of cotton as the most important commodity of the 19^th century, as well as the violent history cotton production has in the Southern United States, and most importantly the pivotal role cotton plays in the enterprise of capitalism we know today.

We ‘d also like to welcome a very special guest to our show for a new segment called “Letter From a Correspondent,” it’s the world-renowned economist Dr. James K. Galbraith; author of, most recently, “Welcome to the Poisoned Chalice The Destruction of Greece and the Future of Europe.”

KUT Weekend – March 21, 2014

Why Texas farmers are planting more and more cotton. How much does citizen input REALLY matter for city projects? And three grisly murders at Lake Waco 30 years ago continue to raise questions. Those stories and more in this edition of KUT Weekend.