The Associated Press
SourceEconomists don’t expect reopening the US to Mexican cattle imports to reduce high beef prices
The Associated Press • Aug 24, 2026Drought in cattle-producing regions of the U.S. is a major reason the national herd is so small, said David Anderson, professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University. If grass doesn’t grow, cattle have nothing to graze upon, forcing ranchers to sell them off. Low cattle prices over the past two decades also are a factor. “Where we are today is sort of the culmination of some 18, 19, 20 years of very low cattle prices,” he said. “That forces us to reduce our herds. Drought forces us to reduce them even further.”
Trump announces plan to lower beef prices, but ranchers and some Republicans are already balking
The Associated Press • Aug 21, 2026David Anderson, professor of agricultural economics at Texas A&M University, said he was skeptical other countries could redirect so much beef to the U.S. in such a short time period. “Is that even achievable?” he questioned in a phone interview.
Higher prices for gas, groceries and flights will likely outlast the Iran war
The Associated Press • Jun 16, 2026In places without enough refining capacity to meet their needs, such as the West Coast of the U.S., gas prices will take longer to drop, said Mark Barteau, a professor of chemical engineering and chemistry at Texas A&M University. “The bottom line is that getting back to ‘normal’ will be a lengthy process involving many parties and countries,” Barteau said. “Getting an agreement between the U.S. and Iran to open the strait is just the beginning.”
Cannons lost underwater during the American Revolution will soon go on display at a Georgia museum
The Associated Press • Jun 3, 2026“A lot of them have scour marks on the side from anchors or dredging, so there’s some scarring on the cannons,” said Chris Dostal, a professor of nautical archaeology who leads Texas A&M’s Conservation Research Lab. “But most of them look pretty exceptional.”
Southern California chemical tank has a crack that could possibly lower risk of explosion
The Associated Press • May 24, 2026Faisal Khan, head of the chemical engineering department at Texas A&M University, said a crack suggests an explosion could still happen -- just not in the magnitude initially feared. “Cooling is happening on the surface of the tank while runaway reaction may be occurring deep inside the tank,” he explained. “Yes, reaction is slowed compared to what it started. However, we are not out of explosive release risk.”
Traffic and trepidation in the Persian Gulf could keep gasoline prices from dropping quickly
The Associated Press • Apr 17, 2026“The historical observation is that gasoline prices rise quickly but fall slowly, regardless of the particular causes of the increase,” said Mark Barteau, a professor in the department of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University.
Stopgap measures aren’t enough to halt rising gas prices as the world scrambles for more oil
The Associated Press • Apr 1, 2026“They’re all incremental,” said Mark Barteau, professor of chemical engineering and chemistry at Texas A&M University. “You’re talking about these different patches being at the level of maybe 1 to 2 million barrels a day each, and you’ve got to get to 20, so it’s hard to see those actually adding up to the numbers that are needed. And then the question is, how long can you sustain those?”
Why this US cold snap feels bone-shattering when it’s not record-shattering
The Associated Press • Feb 3, 2026“People have forgotten just how cold it was in the 20th century,” Texas A&M University climate scientist Andrew Dessler said.
Texas leads the nation in supplying new residents to other states
The Associated Press • Jan 22, 2026“The obvious and primary answer is size,” said Dudley Poston, professor emeritus of sociology at Texas A&M University. “There’s got to be more people leaving Texas than leaving other states because of the population size of Texas.”
Climate change boosted Hurricane Melissa’s destructive winds and rain, analysis finds
The Associated Press • Nov 6, 2025Andrew Dessler, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, who was not involved in the WWA research, said the findings of the rapid analysis are in line with existing research about climate change and tropical storms in the Atlantic. “This is completely consistent with our expectation of what’s going to happen in the future,” Dessler said.