Texas Business reports: Regional economic indicators point to stronger job and output growth in the first quarter of the year. Improvement has been pronounced and broad based, although growth slowed in March, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION – Though the overall percentage of the state is under moderate to extreme drought has continually dropped since September 2011, producers are beginning to worry that 2012 could be a repeat performance, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service personnel. 

Texas Business reports: Texas factory activity increased in April, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, fell from 11.1 to 5.6, suggesting growth continued but at a slower pace than last month. 

Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—In a unanimous decision, the Texas Transportation Commission voted to revise the 2012 Unified Transportation Plan (UTP), formally allocating approximately $1.6 billion to communities across the state using existing funding formulas. 

Texas Business reports: AUSTIN— The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 7.0 percent in March, marking the seventh consecutive month of decline. March’s unemployment rate was down from 7.1 percent in February, and from 8.0 percent a year ago. Texas’ unemployment rate is significantly below the national unemployment rate of 8.2 percent.

Texas Business reports: Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in Texas feedlots with capacity of 1,000 head or more totaled 2.78 million head on April 1, up slightly from a year ago.

Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION--Both sellers and buyers can find good news in the most recent outlook for the Texas housing market. For sellers, the good news is that 2011 Texas home prices increased for the second consecutive year and are likely to do so again this year. For buyers, the good news is that prices went up only modestly, and the 2012 home appreciation rate is expected to be less than the historical norm.

Texas Business reports:  COLLEGE STATION – Many livestock producers continue to make hay while the sun shines, according to Texas AgriLife Extension Service reports.

With rains and warmer-than-average weather, cool-season grasses and small grains continued to show rapid growth, according to the reports. Producers throughout the state were taking advantage of the situation to bale as much as they could and rebuild hay supplies depleted in the 2011 drought.

Texas Business reports: SAN ANGELO – The new tax code change that now qualifies beekeeping as an agricultural use enterprise in Texas open-space land appraisals has generated a lot of interest, said Chris Sansone, Texas AgriLife Extension Service entomologist in San Angelo.

Texas Business reports:  COLLEGE STATION — Much of Texas wheat looks better than anyone expected a few months ago, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service agronomist. 

Texas Business reports:  COLLEGE STATION—Rain continued to push back the Texas drought, with most of the northeastern, central, southeastern and eastern parts of the state either out of the drought or merely abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor status report last week.

Texas Business reports:  AUSTIN - Nearly 1,200 loaded trucks are needed to bring just one gas well into production— the traffic equivalent to roughly 8 million cars.

Texas Business reports: Texas factory activity continued to increase in March, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, held steady at 11.1, suggesting growth continued at about the same pace as last month. 

Texas Business reports:  COLLEGE STATION—Existing home sales across the state surged in February, reflecting a stronger market, an improving economy and “better weather than February last year,” said Real Estate Center Research Economist Jim Gaines.

Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION – Many parts of the state continued to receive heavy rains, bringing them completely out of the drought.

Other areas were not so fortunate, said a Texas AgriLife Extension Service expert.

Texas Business reports:  ASCO Equipment acquired the Case Construction Equipment distributorship from Heritage Equipment for the Lubbock and Amarillo markets.

Texas Business reports: Texas has been ranked the top exporting state in 2011 for the 10th year in a row, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Texas Business reports: Texas factory activity increased in January, according to business executives responding to the Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose from 0.2 to 5.8, suggesting growth resumed this month.

Texas Business reports:  COLLEGE STATION – Thanks to rains, more of Texas transitioned from exceptional to extreme drought, or from severe to moderate, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Texas Business reports:  FORT WORTH—American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, is replacing all of its ATR turboprop aircraft operating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

 Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION – Many areas received rain, but the general consensus from weekly reports by Texas AgriLife Extension Service county agents was that more is needed to keep wheat and winter pastures going.