M&J Fertilizer Company

10/15/2026

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10/03/2026

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Thursday Industry Insight: Mealybugs
Cooper Larson || KRIRM Graduate Student

Pasture mealybugs are an emerging threat to pasture and hay production in the southern United States, particularly in Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Juvenile mealybugs feed on grasses by sucking plant sap, but most of the damage comes from the saliva they inject into the plant. This can result in yellowing, red or purple discoloration, stunted growth, poor root development, premature leaf death, and eventually plant mortality. Infested pastures may appear drought-stressed even when rainfall is adequate.

Mealybugs can damage economically important forage grasses, including bermudagrass, Bahia grass, buffel grass, and other pasture species. Mealybugs may occur beneath leaves, within thatch, and near or below the soil surface, making detection and control difficult. Movement of contaminated hay, mowing equipment, and potentially livestock can contribute to the spread of pasture mealybugs between fields.

Control efforts are still under evaluation. Pasture mealybugs thrive in tall, dense forages; thus, grazing and mowing may reduce insect populations in combination with a subsequent chemical application. One challenge for chemical control is the lack of adequate coverage in tall, dense forage stands. Two chemicals, Centric 40WG and Sefina Inscalis, have shown progress in reducing, but not eliminating, mealybug populations. Products with the active ingredients of fipronil or pyrethroids are not effective in control of the pasture mealybug.

For more information, visit Texas A&M AgriLife Extension:
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/pasture-mealybug/

Photo Credit: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

10/03/2026

Congratulations Morgan!!! 🌾💫👏🏼👏🏼

🌾 Congratulations to Leo Morgan Wilcox, the 2026 Texas Rice Festival Young Farmer of the Year! 🌾

Born in 2005, Leo has been surrounded by his family’s rice farming operation his entire life. In 2024, the same year he graduated, Leo planted and harvested his first crop with the guidance and help of his father.

In 2025, Leo had the opportunity to acquire Beaumont Rice Mills, now operating as Sunset Milling. Alongside several close friends, he has been working hard to learn the operation and make great progress toward getting the mill back to 100%.

Leo is incredibly grateful to receive the honor of being named Young Farmer of the Year, and he gives special thanks to his dad, Taylor Wilcox, for the guidance, commitment, and support that helped bring him to this point.

We are proud to recognize Leo and celebrate the next generation of agriculture in our rice-growing community. Congratulations, Leo! 🌾💚💛

09/26/2026

Our hometown girl!!! 💛

Congratulations, Mary Katherine! We are extremely proud to see White Ranch continue to blaze trails and make its mark in Texas agriculture. What an incredible accomplishment! 🤠💛

🌟🤠 Texas CattleWomen Member Spotlight 🤠🌟

This week, we’re proud to introduce Mary Kathrine White

Raised in Stowell, Texas, along the Gulf Coast, she comes from a family that has operated a commercial cow-calf operation for seven generations. Ranching in a hot, humid environment more reminiscent of the southwestern Louisiana marshes means raising cattle suited for the conditions. She was blessed to grow up working alongside her dad and eventually joined him full-time, learning from a cattleman she deeply admired.

Her introduction to Texas CattleWomen began through the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, where her father served as a director. She learned more about the organization while attending Texas A&M University and eventually became involved with Texas Coastal CattleWomen before joining Texas CattleWomen.

To her, Texas CattleWomen matters because organizations like TCW provide an important voice for the beef industry. As consumers become further removed from the ranch, she believes educating people about where their food comes from and what it takes to get beef from the pasture to the table is increasingly important. She also values TCW’s commitment to supporting the next generation and representing the interests of cattle producers.

When it comes to ranch life, she loves being outdoors, never knowing exactly what each day will bring, and seeing God’s hand at work along the way. She also treasures the people within the cattle industry — a community where even your competitors are often the first to lend a helping hand.

Today, she and her husband are raising two little ones, ages two and three, with roots in both of their families’ ranching operations — his in the Hill Country and hers along the Coast. Watching their children grow up with the same ranching experiences they had has become her favorite part of all. They hope to teach them to work hard, stay humble, and always give God the glory.

We’re proud to have her as part of Texas CattleWomen and appreciate her dedication to carrying a seven-generation ranching legacy forward while helping prepare the next generation to do the same! 🐂❤️

09/23/2026

Summer grass 🔜🔜🔜 Fall grass
🗓️⏳🍃🍀🌱

It’s about THAT time!!! Winter grazing is just around the corner 🌱🐴🐮🦌

It's been a while but we've got a cold front that looks to push through our region as we get into next week, around Wednesday. This looks to bring a round of showers & thunderstorms, & behind the front, cooler temperatures. 🍂

As we get closer to October, this is when we typically start seeing more cold fronts move into our region, bringing rounds of showers & thunderstorms along with cooler weather. Let the fronts begin!

09/21/2026

The Eastland Court of Appeals recently ruled in Surrento v. Cactus Growers, Inc., a vehicle-versus-cow case involving a number of defendants. This case illustrates a number of important considerations when it comes to Texas fence law. Read more on the Texas Agriculture Law Blog: https://agrilife.org/texasaglaw/2026/09/21/texas-appellate-court-rules-on-vehicle-versus-cow-collision/