Agriculture Outlook

AGRICULTURAL Outlook 2023

A Look At Local Agriculture

Producers Hang Tough Despite Soaring Costs, Drought, Inflation

Unbowed by times

The article that I wrote last year for the Leader News Ag Outlook was full of anticipation for higher input costs. That anticipation became a reality. What we all did not know in November 2021, was that a severe drought was five months away. And that a war in Ukraine would impact commodity markets around the world. Before I touch on the inputs and markets, I’ll address what our crop acreage looked like in 2022.

When we look at total crop acres across our major commodities in Wharton County (rice, cotton, corn, soybean, and grain sorghum) our total acres for 2022 came in at 234,490. The total acres were not much different from the 235,656 acres planted in Wharton County in 2021. The 93,157 acres of corn in 2022 were unchanged from the corn acres planted the previous year. Cotton borrowed acres that were not planted in grain sorghum to make up the 84,585 acres of cotton planted in 2022, which is a 21 percent increase in cotton acres over last year, 2021. Grain sorghum acres experienced a 64 percent decrease in planted acres compared to 2021, with only 10,317 acres planted in 2022. Farmers planted the same number of acres of soybeans in 2022 as they did the previous year – 7,256 acres planted.

Rice was up slightly this year, with 33,546 acres of conventional rice, and 5,590 acres of seed rice in 2022. Rice experienced a 6 percent increase in acreage in 2022 compared to 2021. These numbers come right out of the United States Department of Agriculture Crop Acreage

CORRIE BOWEN EXTENSION AGENT WHARTON COUNTY

Data Report, based on farmer certified planted acres.

Inflation is also tough on the ag community.

We’ve experienced high fertilizer prices and high fuel prices before, so why is it different this time? I’d say it’s different this time, because the inflation is impacting the same costs that all families face: higher food costs, higher electricity costs, higher insurance costs, higher propane costs, higher automotive costs etc. These are all expenses that farmers also pay to maintain a household.

In years past, when fertilizer and fuel costs went up, we didn’t necessarily see such a dramatic increase in costs of living at home. They say our inflation rates are the highest in 40 years. It’s harder this go-around, because the cost of everything is so much higher, straining the ability to raise a crop and the ability to support the household.

It cost the farmer about 40 percent more to grow a crop in 2022 than it did two years. 2020 and COVID-19 was the beginning of the uncertainty that has led to these price increases. Uncertain fuel

The 2023 Agricultural Outlook ©2022 is a section produced by the El Campo Leader-News and distributed in Wharton County Newspapers, Inc.

and fertilizer prices, uncertain weather, and uncertainly in the outcome and just how long the war in Ukraine will continue.

Just a tough year overall. It cost 40 percent more to raise a crop, and due to the drought, much of the dryland grain crop yields were down 30 to 40 percent or more.

The drought added more cost to raise a crop as well. It simply took more water to raise a crop of rice, due to evaporation and lack of rainfall. Rice fields normally lose 1/4 inch of water per day due to evaporation alone. This year rice fields were losing 1 inch per day to evaporation. And the diesel-powered water pumps were burning around $5/gallon diesel this year, that in 2020 cost only $2.40 per gallon.

Due to the drought, we did see a slight up-tick in the number of irrigated acres of corn and cotton, by about 1,800 more acres of irrigated cotton and 2,400 more acres of irrigated corn.

In a normal year, 15 percent of our corn acres are irrigated, this year 22 percent of our corn acres were irrigated. With cotton, 16 percent of the total cotton acres were irrigated in 2022. This is up from the 14 percent of the total cotton acres that were irrigated in 2021.

This year, 16,984 of the 93,157 acres of corn were irrigated; and 11,840 acres of the 84,585 acres of cotton were irrigated.

-Corrie Bowen is the Wharton County Extension Agent from Agrilife

publications. For information contact, the newspaper at (979) 543-3363. For advertising information: email advertise@leader-news.com.

2023 Ag Outlook Contributors

Corrie Bowen Extension Agent – Page 2

William Hedstrom Leader-News reporter – Page 4

Dwight Roberts U.S. Rice Producers – Page 6

David Gibson Texas Corn Producers – Page 8

Alfonso Sandoval USDA – Page 11

John Nielson-Gammon Climatologist – Page 12

Michelle Frankum United Ag El Campo – Page 14

Stephen Diebel TSCRA – Page 15

Jeralyn Novak Beefmasters Breeders – Page 18

Russell Boening Texas Farm Bureau – Page 22 Kate Crumley Pest Management – Page 27

Neil Hudgins Ground Water – Page 28

El Campo FFA offers national look at cotton concern – Page 33

Philip Spenrath Wharton County Judge – Page 34

Jeremy Mazur Texas 2036 – Page 39

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Prices up in 2022, struggles as well

Farmers hoping for fuel, fertilizer savings as new season opens in spring

By WILLIAM HEDSTROM

Calling 2022 a mixed bag for agricul tural producers is definitely a generous statement. Crop prices might be up, but spirits have taken a beating.

Almost every producer is facing some variation of the same problem.

“(It’s the) high input costs of every thing: fuel, fertilizer and chemicals. The price of rice has gone up, but not enough to offset the input costs. We’re hoping the price of rice continues to go up and the prices of fuel and fertilizer goes down,” Speaks rice producer William Garrett said.

Increased costs to both put food in, and take it out, of the ground is hamstringing producers even when production holds strong.

“The prices of diesel for one, every thing that we do revolves around diesel. The weather has been decent with some

rain and drought, the cows are good but fuel prices are just so high. We require constant work in the fields,” BC Ranch Foreman Matt Hearn said. “We’ve gone from almost double (fuel budgets) and now it’s down to just about 150 percent of what we were spending before.”

The cost of diesel in the Gulf Coast re gion has increased an average of $1.455 per gallon from November 2021, after peaking in June 2022.

Beyond inflated costs for inputs, maintaining the land you’re growing on has gotten more expensive.

“Another concern of ours is the compe tition for land. We’re getting competition with solar farms and other constructions and that drives rent prices up. Solar proj ects take up a lot of agricultural land and take it out of production. It seems to be replacing land that was productive with land that isn’t as of yet. You lose that pro duction and it’s not being replaced. In the

Fertilizer and other agriculture chemical costs have increased over the past year, with price indexes reaching three to four times previous year’s costs, maxing out in April 2022 at an index value of 254.97, triple the index value just two years prior in April 2020 of 73.70.

past, we competed against urban sprawl ... it just makes the value of our land higher and that just drives the rents up,” said Dean Hansen, owner of 2H Farms.

Even Mother Nature this year seemed to refuse to cooperate this year.

“We had to irrigate, because we got no help from the rain. Our irrigating costs were way up. We have our natural gas wells to pump water and thats tripled in price from last year. The heat, dry weath er and insect problem really hit the ra toon crop,” Garrett said.

Lack of water impacts all producers and everyone felt the pressure of a hot,

clear sky.

“One of our ranches are on the Low er Colorado River Authority and they’re cutting back on most of the other produc ers,” El Campo hay and cattle producer Slade Harfst said.

The LCRA operates and dispenses water from lakes Travis and Buchanan to both municipalities and producers. In times of drought, when the lakes reach certain thresholds of inflow and fill, wa ter is interrupted to customers to help preserve the remaining water in the res ervoirs.

“Another concern of ours is the competition for land. We’re getting competition with solar farms and other constructions and that drives rent prices up,”

Dean Hansen

Farm bill politics vital next season

Whatever kicked off the chain of events that began with the COVID pan demic, followed by a war, extreme weath er and about 10 other events, one thing is for sure, farmers have come to expect the unexpected. We are in a rice market that we have never witnessed before. And will someone please call Washington, D.C., to let them know just because rice pric es are higher than past years this does not mean rice farmers are getting rich! Is Congress familiar with fertilizer?

Predicting the outcome of the 2023 Farm Bill before the mid-term elections is highly speculative. Every Farm Bill has been important, yet the 2023 version is going to be the most important in the past 25 years.

Many U.S. rice market analysts be lieve 2023 is a make-or-break year. How Congress will handle inflation in agricul ture is critical. How much will depend on which party controls the House and Senate. However, there are some basics that most ag watchers agree. The first is the high probability the 2023 Farm Bill will need a one-year extension so it will become the 2024 Farm Bill.

Although some groundwork has been done in regards to hearings, outreach and education on the farm bill, much more is expected which will largely occur in 2023. Since the 2023 Farm Bill gener ally expires in September, it is expected that the committees will need to take a portion of 2023 to further build a record

Dwight RobeRts U.s. Rice PRoDUceRs

and develop farm bill policy; therefore, they will need 2024 to complete the legis lative process. This has happened before and previous farm bills have required ex tensions, but it does mean retaining the status quo for the 2023 crop year.

Besides the high probability of an extension, the policy focus in the agri cultural sector of the Democrats vs. Re publicans can also be predicted. Although Democrats and Republicans can agree on the need for rural development/broad band, there are major divides on other issues.

Democrats have largely focused on climate/conservation, equity, nutrition and securing additional funding for ac complishing these goals in the American Rescue Plan and the IRA and through the administration.

Republicans have largely focused on — and bemoaned the lack thereof — support for production agriculture and concerns about runaway spending. These will be reflected in the farm bill legisla tion. Democrats are expected to resist any efforts to reduce or reprogram any of

the increased funding, particularly with in the conservation/climate or nutrition sector which have received billions of dol lars in additional spending.

Republicans are expected to reallo cate or reprogram some of the additional funding to commodity risk management programs, whether they be crop insur ance, commodity programs or a new mar gin program. In addition, there will be support on the Republican side to reduce some of the additional funding in order to reduce the deficit and the national debt of approximately $30 trillion.

2024 is a Presidential election year and it is difficult to predict the final out come of any major legislation. In any event, agriculture is hoping to maintain its bipartisan support and avoid becom ing a casualty of larger partisan debates.

In the meantime, foreign competition and governmental policies in a number of countries (Mexico and Central America especially) with an assortment of unex pected developments has crippled U.S. rice exports that normally result in the sale of 50 percent of the U.S. rice crop.

Today the U.S. is harvesting its’ small est rice crop in 30 years and export sales to our most important customers in the Western Hemisphere have been severely challenged. The great free trade agree ment known as “CAFTA-DR” (Central American Free Trade Agreement) was intended to give the U.S. a major advan tage however the incentive to buy U.S.

rough rice has been handcuffed. Free trade does not mean fair trade. The attempt by the Central American and Dominican Republic Rice Federation and the U.S. Rice Producers Association to renegotiate an edited agreement designed to maintain a strong U.S. presence was not in the interest of other parties in the U.S. rice industry nor the USDA and no progress resulted.

The visit last month by a Guatemalan rice trade team to the El Campo area is a direct result of the efforts of the Texas Rice Council and the U.S. Rice Producers Association to develop new initiatives and projects that benefit rice farmers. Meetings with Central Americans in Houston next month will support these efforts as will travel to Mexico before Thanksgiving. The success of the annual Rice Market & Technology Convention set to take place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, May 30-June 1, 2023 will bring together the rice trade from 35 or more countries. All hands on deck for 2023!

-Dwight Roberts is former President of the US Rice Producers Association

Have A Rice Day

William “Bo” Garrett tends to his rice field at the beginning of planting season. Agricultural producers depend on the passage of the annual Farm Bill, it’s likely that the new year’s bill will be delayed into 2024 as the legislation passes through U.S. Congressional committees. Foreign rice producers and state action have taken its toll on local production, as this year’s rice crop is the smallest in 30 years.

No

win for corn farmers

The family farm has been in the crosshairs of many affronts. From trade to input costs and even Mother Nature not being its kindest this past year.

That’s why corn farmers certainly welcomed a win this summer when the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued its ruling against imposing tariffs on nitrogen fertilizers imported from Russia and Trinidad and Tobago.

CF Industries requested the tariffs on imported nitrogen fertilizer, claiming losses. Meanwhile, farmers across the country experienced skyrocketing prices for the product.

How much of an impact was this for Texas farmers? The Ag and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University (AFPC) recently completed a study identifying the urea ammonium nitrate solutions (UAN) price impact of just the threat of these tariffs had on corn farmers.

The study - funded by Texas Corn Producers (TCP) and other state corn organizations - determined an additional

DaviD gibson texas coRn PRoDUceRs

$13.89 to $27.79 per acre was spent by corn farmers until the ITC ruling eliminated impending tariffs.

On Texas’ 2.3 million corn acres this year alone, that equates to $31.95 million to $63.92 million from farmers’ bottom lines.

TCP worked judiciously with fellow state corn organizations to advocate against these tariffs: pooling resources, funding studies and actively ensuring the farmer’s perspective was heard on this important matter.

The state’s corn and association boards recognized the need to advocate for its farmers as fertilizer costs that account

for approximately 36 percent of a farm’s operating expenses climbed. With Texas farmers among the first in the nation to prepare their fields to plant, the matter became quickly apparent statewide.

TCP had reports of farmers from South Texas to the Panhandle who saw an astonishing 264 percent increase in the cost of nitrogen fertilizer alone in just over two years. TCP saw the need to work together to call attention to the issue that posed harm to the viability of family farm businesses.

TCP worked with fellow state corn organizations to commission a study through AFPC on nitrogen fertilizer costs and the impact on farms released at the beginning of the year. The analysis eyed several concerning factors appearing to drive fertilizer prices.

The AFPC historical analysis went back to 1980 and found fertilizer costs tend to go up when corn revenues increase. Notably, these prices tend to go up exponentially even after accounting for

natural gas prices and higher demand. The study also showed that four manufacturers account for approximately 75 percent of the total domestic nitrogen fertilizer production. While the correlation of nitrogen fertilizer prices with the price of corn could nod to increased demand for nitrogen products as corn prices rise, it could also be “due to the exercise of market power by nitrogen product manufacturers,” according to the study.

TCP and fellow corn organizations worked to share the findings from this study, as well a one the groups commissioned on phosphorous fertilizers with the ITC, legislators, media and other decision makers.

These efforts proved fruitful this summer with ITCs’ ruling against imposing tariffs.

If even a portion of the additional $13.89 to $27.79 per acre spent by corn farmers until the ITC ruling eliminated impending tariffs, corn farmers have more than made back any investment with their TCP checkoff and membership dollars this year.

This is just one example of a tremendous win for farmers made possible by the state’s corn checkoff and association. TCP continues to advocate on this and other input cost issues. It’s also ensuring the farmer’s voice is heard on other matters, including the looming threat of Mexico’s ban on certain corn imports and looking ahead to the next farm bill.

Visit TexasCorn.org to find out more about how the Texas corn checkoff and association advocate, educate, research and promote on behalf of farmers.

-David Gibson is the Texas Corn Producers Executive Director

Beefmaster cow.”

Nothing is more adaptable than the Beefmaster female.

She’s built to withstand extremes — from heat and cold, to desert, prairie and coastal plains.

Research shows the breed ranks above others for feed efficiency, one of the most important production traits.

So if your cow herd has lost its ability to adapt to changing times or challenging environments, maybe it’s time to rebuild with proven, Beefmaster females.

Nothing beats a Beefmaster.

Trey Scherer, Collier Farms Beefmasters, Brenham, TX

“There’s no more versatile cow in the industry than the

Assistance available via federal programs

Severe weather events create significant challenges and often result in catastrophic loss for agricultural producers. Despite every attempt to mitigate risk, operations may suffer losses. The United States Department of Agriculture offers several programs to help with recovery.

Risk Management

For producers who have risk protection through Federal Crop Insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), remember to report crop damage to your crop insurance agent or the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.

If you have crop insurance, contact your agency within 72 hours of discovering damage and be sure to follow up in writing within 15 days. With NAP coverage, file a Notice of Loss (Form CCC-576) within 15 days of loss becoming apparent, except for hand-harvested crops, which should be reported within 72 hours.

Disaster Assistance

USDA also offers disaster assistance programs, which are especially important to livestock, fruit and vegetable, specialty and perennial crop producers who have fewer risk management options.

From drought to storms, extreme weather beating down crops is always something to contend with. Federal and state programs for disaster relief are available to help mitigate the harm that nature brings down on crop fields and production.

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First, the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) and Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybee and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) reimburse producers for a portion of the value of livestock, poultry and other animals that died as a result of a qualifying natural disaster event or for loss of grazing acres, feed, forage and livestock water sources. And, the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) provides assistance to producers of grazed forage crop acres that have suffered crop loss due to a qualifying drought. Livestock producers suffering the impacts of drought can also request Emergency Haying and Grazing on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres.

Next, the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) provides cost share assistance to rehabilitate and replant tree, vine or shrub loss experienced by orchards and nurseries. This complements NAP or crop insurance coverage, which cover the crop but not the plants or trees in all cases.

For LIP and ELAP, you will need to file a Notice of Loss for livestock and grazing or feed losses within 30 days and honeybee losses within 15 days. For TAP, file a program application within 90 days.

Documentation

It’s critical to keep accurate records to document all losses following disaster events. Livestock producers are advised to document beginning livestock numbers by taking time and date-stamped video or pictures prior to the loss. Other common documentation options include:

•Purchase records

•Production records

•Vaccination records

•Bank or other loan documents

•Third-party certification

Other Programs

The Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners and forest stewards with financial and technical assistance to restore damaged farmland or forests.

Additionally, FSA offers a variety of loans available including emergency loans triggered by disaster declarations and operating loans that can assist producers with credit needs. You can use these loans to replace essential property, purchase inputs like livestock, equipment, feed and seed or refinance farm-related debts, and other needs. Additionally, FSA has a variety of loan servicing options available for borrowers who are unable to make scheduled payments on their farm loan debt to FSA because of reasons beyond their control.

Meanwhile, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial resources through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program to help recover from natural disasters and protect and improve the natural resources. Assistance may also be available for emergency animal mortality disposal from natural disasters.

Additional Resources

Additional details – including payment calculations – can be found in our program fact sheets available at fsa.usda.gov/factsheets. On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Farm Loan Discovery Tool can help you determine program or loan options.

While we never want to have to implement disaster programs, we are here to help. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local USDA Service Center in Wharton County at 979-532-0567.

-Alfonso Sandoval is the County Executive Director of the Wharton County FSA Office

alFonso sanDoval

La Niña x3 could equal warm, dry days

The Pacific Ocean is approaching its third La Niña winter in a row. The Climate Prediction Center’s outlook is pretty solid that we’ll have a weak to moderate La Niña running through February at least.

Typically, La Niña makes warm and dry winters in Texas much more likely. Last year’s winter, mainly thanks to the ridiculous warmth of December 2021, was rather warm, and the dry weather that started last fall is something we still haven’t been able to shake.

By contrast, the Winter of 2020-2021 wasn’t all that unusual, except for a few days back there in the middle of February.

It’s tempting to look back at the records to see what typically happens during the third year of a La Niña. Unfortunately, it’s so rare that we have almost no idea what typical would be, apart from what we would expect from a La Niña anyway.

Since 1950, the only two triple-dip La Niñas ended in 1976 and 2001. The year 1976 wasn’t particularly special (my apologies if you’re 46 years old) and 2001 wasn’t all that bad either, considering the massive heat wave in September 2020.

There are two possible reasons why a

JOHN NIELSON-GAMMON CLIMATOLOGIST

triple-dip La Niña might be important. One is ocean temperature patterns. While we measure La Niña based on a narrow strip of the tropical Pacific Ocean, the whole ocean has an influence, and the rest of the temperatures evolve while La Niña persists. We can get a handle on the possible effect of sea surface temperatures overall by looking at what weather and ocean forecasting models come up with.

No big surprises there, as it turns out. Five out of seven models simulate dry conditions for Texas this winter, which lines up with the historical odds of dry conditions during a La Niña. The outlook is dry for all of the southern United States and much of the Great Plains.

The second possible reason is that the effects of the first two La Niña years have

not gone away. Texas reservoirs are only about 2/3 full, normally during the winter they’d be about 4/5 full. Soil conditions are also fairly dry. The rain starting in August has not made up for how dry it was during the preceding year or so.

This means that there’s a lot of capacity in the soil to store moisture. It will take good rains during the winter and early spring to provide moisture in a deep soil column that will let crops and warm season grasses get established. And unlike a normal year, we don’t have all that much chance at getting good rains.

Prospects turn a bit better during late spring and summer, if you think that “I have no idea what’s going to happen” is a more favorable forecast than “it’s probably going to stay dry.” Not only does La Niña stop having a big influence on our weather by April, but this La Niña should be gone by then. After that, it will be up to the weather to come through for us, unfettered by the loaded dice that will likely make this winter a dry one.

-John Nielson-Gammon is the Texas State Climatologist and Director of the Southern Regional Climate Center

What is El Niño?

During El Niño, trade winds weaken. Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas. The warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to move south of its neutral position. With this shift, areas in the northern U.S. and Canada are dryer and warmer than usual. But in the U.S. Gulf Coast and Southeast, these periods are wetter than usual and have increased flooding.

What is La Niña?

During La Niña events, trade winds are even stronger than usual, pushing more warm water toward Asia. This tends to lead to drought in the southern U.S. and heavy rains and flooding in the Pacific Northwest and Canada. During a La Niña year, winter temperatures are warmer than normal in the South and cooler than normal in the North.

At Left: High pressure fronts in the Pacific Ocean push the Jet Stream northwards, leading to cold, wet weather in the Pacific Northwest, leaving the southern United States with stagnent cold air, unrefreshed by ocean evaporation.

Wharton County Farm Bureau

The voice of Agriculture

120 N. Houston • Wharton, TX •979-532-2852 1905 W. Loop • El Campo, TX • 979-543-1220

Preserving our past, Protecting our future

ROOTED IN AGRICULTURE

County life, traditions still farm-based

When someone asks you where you live and you say Wharton County, the response is typical ly followed with “we are halfway between Houston and Victoria.”

However, to everyone that lives here we are so much more. Did you know that Wharton County ranks No. 2 in agriculture in the great state of Tex as? Our land in Wharton County is used for aqua culture, vegetables, egg production, nursery, turf grass, row crop, rice, cattle and so much more. So often we take for granted this honey hole that we live in that contains small town charm and charisma with quick access to the big city.

FRankUM

UniteD ag - el caMPo

row crop and hay yields as well as increased feeding costs for ranchers.

“Diesel prices are up due to shortages. Fertil izer and other input costs are still elevated above historical averages, along with labor, utilities, insur ance and interest rates,” United Ag Assistant Man ager Lane Schoeneberg said.

Agriculture producers constantly have to pro duce more with less and have been able to do so with technology innovations.

While we all know that urban sprawl is continuing to move in our direction, many people are unaware 19,684-plus acres are being removed from production agriculture in Wharton County.

Due to the vast amount of open land we use for agriculture and our proximi ty to the power grid, Wharton County is a very attractive location for renewable projects.

“Federal policies are pushing for more renewable production. With the way the Texas grid is designed, we are the most attractive state. Today we see that in in dustrial solar and wind projects,” Cricia Ryan said.

Ryan added “The goal is not to limit private property rights or hinder a land owners’ choice to do what he/she wishes with their land. However, we know cur rently, ag simply cannot compete with these projects as the renewable industry is supported and funded through massive federal and state subsidies.”

Another concern is once acres are tak en out and put into solar specifically it is extremely hard, and some even say im possible, to ever put that land back into production ag.

Agriculture producers have faced ex traordinary hardships this year. The state of Texas faced severe and wide spread drought that significantly reduced

The United States food supply is one of the safest in the world due to our farm ers and their conservation practices used on a daily basis to be sustainable and ef ficient. However, at what point does our food supply show complete vulnerability due to acreage constantly being removed from production agriculture?

1.4 percent of the US population are farmers. Re-read the previous paragraph and then let 1.4 percent sink in.

A very small percentage of the popu lation is responsible for feeding our great country and many other nations through exports.

This enormous task is why I believe George Washington said, “Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.”

Today, people are one to two maybe even three generations removed from a time when someone in their family farmed. This disconnect has opened the doors for people to lose touch with where their food comes from, how it is handled and understanding the adversities it takes every single day to keep the food supply stable.

No matter how far we get disconnect ed from agriculture, I hope the American people believe an industry that feeds and clothes the world is an industry worth fighting for.

-Michelle Frankum is the Marketing Manager at United Ag

Michelle

Rustling border security issue too

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association members living along the Texas-Mexico border and in South Texas are on the front lines of a dangerous and costly battle against increasingly brazen illegal border crossers.

Hardworking ranchers, landowners and their families experience this crisis every day. For them, it’s far more than a political controversy on the nightly news and far simpler than the national security concerns raised by analysts.

It’s their personal safety, security and livelihood. It’s the first thing they worry about when they wake up and the last thing they think about at night.

Diebel tscRa

It is incredibly sad and unfortunate that our federal government — the entity in charge of maintaining secure international borders — has failed so dramatically in its’ duty to the American taxpayer. Unwilling or unable to do its’ job, the responsibility and costs have fallen to state and local governments, private organizations and individual landowners.

As a result, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association members regularly come forward with personal accounts of burglarized buildings, stolen property, damaged infrastructure and even armed intimidation.

The cost to fix their fences and deal with other damages also add up. Not to mention the added burdens and stretched budgets communities incur from increased local law enforcement needs and the influx of migrants utilizing public services in rural Texas.

The emotional costs also continue to mount.

These are the men and women who make it possible for the American public to order a hamburger at the drive-through or grill a steak on their back porch. Yet, they must constantly worry about themselves or their kids running into armed trespassers on their own property.

We are incredibly grateful for our law enforcement officers and cannot say enough good things about their work. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, so long as Congress fails to act and the Biden administration refuses to acknowledge the crisis, cattle raisers and landowners will continue to suffer.

At Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, we are committed to calling attention to the plight of these families. Lawmakers on every level of government and the public need to know what they’re experiencing. We hope this awareness and the strain on our food supply will spur action, especially in Washington, D.C.

To help facilitate this, we formed our own border security task force, consisting of impacted members from across South Texas, staff and select association special rangers.

The task force is currently working towards meaningful solutions at the federal and state level, with an emphasis on the upcoming Texas legislative session.

I am proud to take on this challenge and optimistic that together we can improve the lives of cattle raisers and landowners impacted by this terrible crisis.

-Stephen Diebel is the Second Vice President of the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

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BEEF UP

W I TH T HE M AS TER

Grow Strength

B eefmasters make for he arty herds

Pay day starts with superior Beefmaster cows. Indeed, the Beefmaster female has stayed true to her original purpose: to help ranchers in tough environ ments improve performance, survivability and longevity.

JeRalyn novak beeFMasteR bReeDeRs UniteD

So, if you are giving up ground in traits that matter, consider Beefmasters. The breed will jump-start your cattle and give your next calf crop a performance boost.

Beefmaster is a beef breed developed in America that im proves beef quality and production efficiency when crossed with any other cattle breed for commercial beef production. The breed originated in Southern Texas in the late 1800s into the early 1900s.

The Lasater family originally developed a large herd of Her eford cattle carefully selected to withstand the heat and insects of the Texas Gulf Coast region, but they were still not perfectly suited to that difficult environment. So Lasater began to ex periment with incorporating Bos indicus or Zebu genetics, in the form of Gyr and Guzerat bulls from India and Nelore from

Brazil. While the practice of crossbreeding was virtually unheard of at the time, they immediately saw a tremen dous jump in productive traits, such as weight gain and repro ductive rates. This is genetic advantage known as heterosis or hybrid vigor.

By the early 1930s, the ranch also incorporated Milking Shorthorn genetics, to augment milk production and carcass quality. They could immediately see that the three-way hybrid was far superior to the two-way crosses. The final composite ended up at roughly 50 percent B. indicus and 50 percent Bos taurus (25 percent Hereford and 25 percent Shorthorn).

As Lasater developed the breed, he also formed a unique selection philosophy known today as The Lasater Philosophy. The concept is to only select cattle for economically relevant traits, which he distilled to these Six Essential Traits. The Six Essentials are weight, conformation, milk production, fertility, hardiness and disposition. It is the only breed in history to be selected only using pressure for productive traits, as opposed to

aesthetics.

In 1937, the herd was closed to outside genetics with continued internal develop ment to cull low-performers and upgrade all traits together equally.

By 1954 the foundation herd was recognized by USDA under the name of Beefmaster. In 1961, Beefmaster Breed ers United (BBU) was founded and is headquartered in Boerne.

Beefmaster ranks fifth in the U.S. in terms of membership and is the largest of the American breeds. The association has more than 3,000 members register ing around 19,000 calves annually. Beef masters also enjoy a rapidly growing international footprint, with established associations in nine countries worldwide.

The breed has rapidly grown around the world and has become known as the prime maternal cow for serious commer cial cattlemen who appreciate their pro duction excellence, particularly in harsh desert or tropical environments.

The breed has excelled across most regions of the United States and several other Latin American regions.

With global demand for higher-quali ty beef growing geometrically, Beefmas ters provide the perfect breed to cross on commercial cattle to improve production efficiency and carcass quality, while not sacrificing adaptability.

Beefmasters are well known within the international beef industry for their successful adaptation in tropical climates.

While this has proven true in Central America and Thailand, this unique breed succeeds in high altitude deserts, as well as in cold and wet environments.

The Lasater Foundation herd was moved in 1948 to Matheson, Colo. –where it remains to this day. The Lasater Ranch is located on the Rocky Mountain plains, which is known for its high alti tude, snow, extreme cold and meager grassland for foraging. Beefmaster cattle also flourish in the deserts of South Afri ca, Botswana and Zambia. They thrive in the mountains of Colombia and Vene zuela, as well as Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, Kentucky and Wisconsin.

Commercial cattlemen have noted substantial economic gains from using Beefmasters to provide an average in crease of 60 pounds, or more at weaning when compared with other breeds. They excel post-weaning as well, with faster weight gains, excellent feed conversion and carcass yields around 64 percent. Land grant universities in Texas, Florida and Oklahoma are conducting research projects to evaluate carcass quality and feed efficiency through utilizing Beefmas ter for crossbreeding on popular breeds such as Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Sim mental, Limousin and even some dairy breeds. The Noble Research Institute is also working with Beefmaster Breeders United to conduct economic research on grass-fed, and grain fed carcass mer it. Their research points to the hetero

sis gains showing “an extra calf” when weaning weights produce 110-165 extra pounds per calf born.

In a time when sustainability is be coming increasingly critical, Beefmasters have repeatedly demonstrated that they are highly efficient converters of both forage and feeds into lean, tender and high-quality beef.

A recent study at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat Animal Research Center (MARC) demonstrated Beefmas ter’s dominance when compared to 18 of the most widely used beef breeds in the United States.

To summarize, the Beefmaster female excels in all maternal traits. They get bred easily, year in and year out. They make raising good calves look easy. And they possess excellent longevity because they do not break down in tough environ ments.

So, if your cow herd has lost its ability to adapt to changing times or challenging environments, maybe it is time to rebuild with proven, Beefmaster females. Learn more about what the Beefmaster cow can do at www.Beefmasters.org.

-Jeralyn Novak is the Communica tions Coordinator for Beefmaster Breed ers United

Food price hits grower, consumer equally

Inflation is an important economic term and indicator.

We see the inflation up dates and forecasts, but it is easy to lose sight on what it all means for consumers and what it means farmers and ranchers who produce food.

The annual inflation rate for the United States was 8.2 percent for the 12 months ending September 2022 after rising 8.3 percent previously, according to U.S. Labor De partment data.

Food prices in September were up 11.2 percent from last

September, just shy of the 43year high of 11.4 percent hit in August, according to the U.S. Agriculture Department.

Eggs were up 39 percent. Meats were up 8 percent. Milk was up 17 percent. And break fast cereal was up 16 percent, just to name a few.

The level of food price in flation varies depending on whether the food was pur chased for consumption at home or away from home.

The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) consumer price index (CPI) increased 0.6 percent from August 2022 to September 2022 and was 13 percent higher than Septem ber 2021.

The food-away-from-home

RUssell boening texas FaRM bUReaU

(restaurant purchases) CPI increased 0.9 percent in September 2022 and was 8.5 percent higher than September 2021.

Your family and my family are seeing and paying higher amounts for food. The dollar difference is very noticeable.

What is easy to assume is that farmers and ranchers must be getting a sizable share of the higher costs paid by consumers.

That is simply not the case.

The farm share of the food dollar is 16 cents, according to the latest data available. This is the share received by farmers from the sales of raw food commodities. Surprised?

The marketing share of the food dollar is 84 cents. This is the remainder accruing to food supply chain industries involved in all post-farm activities. Transportation costs increased for the third consecutive year to 4.1 cents per food dollar in 2020, the highest recorded value in the food dollar analysis that dates to 1993.

With higher overall inflation in 2021 and 2022, it will be interesting to see how the farm share of the food dollar is impacted. My suspicion is that the farm share will be less because of higher supply-chain costs.

Don’t be fooled by the perception that farmers and ranchers are enjoying the windfall of higher food prices.

We are blessed to have the world’s safest and most abundant food supply. The affordability of the food supply is being driven by factors well beyond the farm and ranch gate.

We know that entities beyond the farm and ranch can pass their higher costs of business to the consumer, but we cannot.

The higher costs for fuel, fertilizer, water, equipment, seed and crop-protection chemicals being paid by the farmer and rancher are absorbed by the farmer and rancher. The slim margins of profit shrink as each price increase is absorbed.

Overall production expenses for farmers and ranchers are up nearly 18 percent. That is a record percentage increase in one

It takes many hands to ensure a successful harvest. From the farmer, miller, ginner, farm hands and warehouse worker; a bountiful harvest is the product of dozens of people working together.

year.

Farmers are seeing the impact of inflation today in five primary areas: fuel, labor, seed, crop protection chemicals and fertilizers.

Fuel costs are up 42 percent and were as high as 70 percent.

Crop protection chemicals are up 20 percent.

Fertilizer costs are up 52 percent and were as high as 300 percent.

Fertilizers typically represent about 15 percent of a crop farmer’s costs, so you can see how crushing this increase can be on a family farmer.

Operating margins are very thin right now. The prolonged drought that plagued much of our state this year, and is still doing so in some areas, added insult to injury.

Livestock herds have been reduced or liquidated, and record amounts of Texas cropland, especially cotton acres on the South Plains, have been abandoned because of desperately dry conditions.

The higher input costs and weather impacts will challenge the ability of many farmers and ranchers to reach above breakeven levels this year.

Texas farmers and ranchers are resilient, though. And, Texas Farm Bureau continues to advocate for solutions to these various issues.

The upcoming 2023 Farm Bill is a critical legislative package. It is the most consequential legislation for agriculture next year.

The current safety net for U.S. agriculture must be strengthened.

Risk management options for farmers and ranchers are essential for producers to survive times like these.

As an agricultural economics graduate of Texas A&M University, I understand the financial dynamics and risks of modern agriculture. It does not make it any easier, though, to withstand the headwinds of today’s economy.

-Russell Boening is president of the Texas Farm Bureau.

HUNGRY HUNGRY FOR HAVOC

Pest Vs. Pesticide

Mini-munchers’ mayhem mounts, bug battle brews

Helicoverpa zea is an insect with a broad range of host plants, and as a cat erpillar, feeds on many of our field crops. It is commonly known as the corn ear worm, cotton bollworm, sorghum head worm, sunflower headworm, or tomato fruitworm, and is one of the most costly pests of crops in the U.S.

The soil dwelling bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis produces proteins that are toxic to some insects and, in 1996, corn plants with Bt genes were commercially available for control of caterpillars.

Since then, the majority of the corn in the U.S. has a Bt trait for insect con trol. The Bt gene in the plant causes the plants to produce Bt proteins.

When a caterpillar ingests the pro teins with the plant tissue, it breaks apart in the alkaline midgut, and releas es the Bt toxins, which bind to receptors in the caterpillar gut.

This binding causes cell death in the gut system, leading to leaky gut, which is fatal to the caterpillar.

Now we have three different genera tions of Bt traits that are in most of the corn and cotton grown in the U.S. The third and most recent generation of traits was first commercially available in 2017, and is commonly referred to as Viptera or Vip, as it has a protein by that name in addition to the earlier proteins.

The first generation Bt traits are no longer commercially available on their own.

Refuge requirements are in place to help prevent insects from developing re sistance to these Bt traits, since we are effectively applying a selection pressure to insects by having the same traits in corn and cotton. Refuge refers to the

kate cRUMley extension agent Pest ManageMent

planting of non-Bt corn in the field. Ref uge seed can be purchased separately or may come pre-mixed in the bag at a rate of 10-30 percent non-Bt seed. Usually refuge in a bag in our area (Upper Gulf Coast Texas) contains 20 percent non-Bt seed. The Upper Gulf Coast (and most of Texas) falls under the cotton zone re quirements for refuge, and our growers are required to plant a structured refuge, a block or strip of non-Bt together in a field even if they use the refuge in a bag.

In recent years, the Texas A&M Agril ife Extension Integrated Pest Manage ment program has documented H. zea resistance to all of the Bt traits except for the Vip trait. This is due in part to the great deal of overlap in our current Bt traits in corn and cotton, and the dif ferences of the trait expression in the plants. We have effectively applied a se lection pressure for Bt resistant H. zea caterpillars by having the same traits in corn and cotton. This insect moves into corn as it is tasseling, and the first set of caterpillars feed on the tassels and early fruit.

Those caterpillars that survive expo sure to the Bt traits in corn pupate into adult moths that move into cotton to lay eggs as it begins to flower. These caterpil lars with parents that survived Bt in corn are now more likely to survive in cotton with the same Bt. This means our cotton

growers are now more likely to need to apply an insecticide for control of H. zea in cotton varieties with the second gener ation Bt traits, or plant cotton with third generation Bt traits. Both of these op tions are more expensive than when we did not have resistance to the first and second generation traits.

To help combat this, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension IPM program has adjusted the economic thresholds when scouting cotton fields for H. zea, and changed the guidelines on how to look for them in the field. Before Bt resistance when scouting for H. zea, it was com monly recommended to check in the top third of the plant for eggs and larvae in 25 plants per stop in a field, with one stop recommended per 25 acre portion. Now, we recommend scouting cotton for H. zea by checking not only the top third of 25 plants, but also to check 25 fruit, from half grown squares to bolls from lower in the plant and check for damage, and to make five full plant inspections for cat erpillars and damage. The new economic thresholds for the upper gulf coast to ac company the updated scouting methods for control of H. zea is 6 percent damaged fruit with live caterpillars present, and an egg lay threshold of 20 percent (20 plants out of 100 with at least one egg) in our first and second generation Bt cotton varieties.

In 2017 we started and continue to collect H. zea caterpillars in season from both corn and cotton resistance to test in a lab setting for resistance to all the Bt traits, including the third generation Vip.

-Kate Crumley is the Integrated Pest Management Agrilife Extension Agent for Wharton County

Water Woes?

Coastal Bend Groundwater Conservation District offers assistance

The Coastal Bend Groundwater Conservation District of Wharton County was created to manage and protect the groundwater resources of the district. Wharton County resides over the Gulf Coast Aquifer System that is composed of different aquifer formations. The two shallower formations are known as the Chicot and Evangeline Aquifers and is where all groundwater is pumped from within the county.

CBGCD has permitted approximately 1,000 agricultural irrigation wells that make up over 95 percent of the overall groundwater use for Wharton County. Since agricultural irrigation is the primary use for Wharton County, the amount of groundwater used can vary significantly and is directly related to annual rainfall. From 2005 through 2021, Wharton County has seen pumping as low as 80,000 acre feet per year upwards to 190,000 acre feet per year, in one of the driest years (1 acre foot = 325,851 gallons). These pumping amounts are mostly correlated to the amount of rainfall, but there are other factors that contribute to increased groundwater pumping.

neil hUDgins

gRoUnD wateR conseRvation

er water to provide to our producers, but in the few years when they were limited, groundwater use increased substantially within the Lower Colorado River Authority Irrigation Districts. Currently, the storage for Lakes Buchanan and Travis, where LCRA makes their releases for river flow, are just over 50 percent full. So, unless there are significant amounts of rainfall in the next few months in the Austin area to help with that capacity, some of our producers that use surface water may increase their groundwater use if surface water is not available in the next year.

Coastal Bend GCD is also one member of the Groundwater Districts of Groundwater Management Area 15 (GMA) (Central Gulf Coast) in the joint groundwater management process. As required by statute, GMA’s are required to a adopt a ‘Desired Future Condition’ of the aquifer once every five years.

Many rice farmers in Wharton County depend on surface water from the Colorado River to flood their crops. For most of the last 20 years, there has been sufficient amounts of run of riv-

A Desired Future Condition is a quantified condition of the aquifer of a specified time period. The most recent Desired Future Condition for GMA 15 is to not allow the average water levels across the Groundwater Management Area to decline more than 13 feet from 2000-2080. More specifically, for Wharton

sources. Keeping local water at operational levels is a necessary job that falls to the Coastal Bend Groundwater Conservation District of Wharton County. The institution sets standards and practices for county water use.

County, this adopted GMA 15 wide DFC resulted in a CBGCD DFC not to exceed a 15 foot decline over the same time period.

If the DFC is ever exceeded here in the county, CBGCD would have to take necessary action to limit production to recover those water levels. The way a GCD can show whether they are achieving their DFC is through their monitoring efforts. CBGCD has two different sets of monitor wells, one where water levels are taken monthly that are targeted in high groundwater production areas developed in 2005, and a second network developed in 2013, that is broader based over the county, and measured twice per year.

The 2013 network gives a better indication of the change in average water levels from year-to-year, county wide. CBGCD’s monitoring has shown slight increases to our average water levels in the past few years, so unless Wharton County experiences several consecutive years of drought and high groundwater use, the district should be able to achieve their Desire Future Condition.

The district is committed to maintaining a sustainable, adequate, reliable, cost effective and high quality source of groundwater to promote the vitality, economy and environment of the district. CBGCD urges our groundwater producers to implement conservation efforts on their farms to assist in the District’s commitment to conservation. Feel free to contact CBGCD staff if you have any questions or visit CBGCD’s website at www.cbgcd.com

-Neil Hudgins is the General Manager of the Coastal Bend Groundwater Conservation District of Wharton County

Advertisers, columnists make 2023 Ag Outlook possible

The El Campo Leader-News is proud to bring you our annual Agricultural Outlook section, presenting it in magazine format for the first time ever.

This section would not be possible without the support of the advertisers listed within, our cadre of experts and, of course, you the readers. We hope you enjoy the 2023 Agricultural Outlook and look forward to bringing it to you in this format for years and years to come.

Agriculture is a vital part of the Wharton County community and that will never be forgotten.

Member SIPC

El Campo’s assembled National Champion FFA Ag Issues team are (l-r): Carter Hlavinka, Brianna Jensen, Emorie Dor nak, Sydney Blair and Kolin Cerny, along with their Ag Spon sor and teacher Casey Wilson.The team presented solutions

on cotton contamination effecting local cotton producers at the National Competition, Oct. 27 and spoke on how local producers can keep their cotton clean.

National Concerns Wharton County Solutions

El Campo FFA takes on cotton waste issue

El Campo FFA students brought a cotton growers’ plight to the national stage and won FFA National Championship awards for their Ag Issues presentation.

Team members presented a 15 minute portfolio on the plas tic contamination in cotton bales and how agricultural produc ers are handling it to the assembled judges in Indianapolis.

“We had eight minutes of questions after 15 minutes. They asked us what cotton contamination is, how much of an issue it is and how you solve it,” El Campo FFA Ag Issues Champion Carter Hlavikna said.

Due to how Texas conducts their state FFA competitions, some of the competitors had actually graduated by the time this competition had occurred, but El Campo sent Hlavikna as well as Brianna Jensen, Emorie Dornak, Sydney Blair and Kolin Cerny to represent the school this year.

El Campo students, representing Texas, placed first over Tennessee, New Mexico and Wyoming, second through fourth respectively.

Hlavinka and Cerny are enrolled at Texas A&M and Whar ton County Junior College as freshmen, respectively; whereas Jensen and Blair are juniors and Dornak is a senior at El Cam po High School.

The team has been practicing their presentation for almost a year, competing and advancing through their district, area and

state competitions before making it to nationals and presenting their solutions to the judges.

“I believe it would be, primarily, taking the initiative to check and clean the picker for plastic. Ensuring the farm employees are well trained and, when the bales are being transported, ensuring that they aren’t punctured and that wrapping plastic isn’t embedded in them,” FFA Ag Issues Champion and El Cam po Junior Brianna Jensen said.

As time goes on, cotton contamination is getting more com mon in the Wharton County’s supply chain.

“In Danevang, it went from 1 out of 1,800 bales (having plas tic) to 1 out of 1000 which amounts to a bale an hour through the gin. The gin would eat the cost of contamination. But, it will get to the point where producers get blacklisted,” FFA Champi on and Senior Emorie Dornak said.

The cost of cleaning up pastures and ensuring a consistent product could pay dividends to producers.

“One thing we can look forward too seeing is higher prices. Producers have lost 10 cents per pound due to contamination, I believe prices would increase in response to cleaner cotton,” FFA Champion and Wharton County Junior College Freshman Kolin Cerny said.

Not only did the students win accolades for their work, they also pointed a spotlight at an issue that has serious ramifica

tions for local cotton produc ers.

“I applaud the team for taking this project, and tak ing it to win the whole con test. They’ve made their pre sentation to our board many times and we think they did a fantastic job,” United Ag General Manager Jimmy Roppolo said.

ECHS graduate Texas delegate for FFA officer national board

El Campo High School’s Class of 2020 valedictorian now serves on the National FFA Officer team. Ryan Wil liamson of Texas was elected western region vice president. He is a former member of the El Campo FFA Chapter.

Williamson and five oth ers were select for the honor. Candidates took part in an extensive interview process with the National FFA Officer Nominating Committee.

Throughout their year of service to the National FFA Organization, the officers will interact with business and in dustry leaders; thousands of FFA members and teachers; corporate sponsors; government and education officials; state FFA leaders; the general public; and more. The team will lead personal growth and leadership training conferences throughout the country and help set policies for the future of FFA.

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It’s not a crop. It’s a calling.

WILLIAMSON

History gives crucial lesson for far more than students

Where would this great na tion be if it wasn’t for the grit and determination displayed by generations of hard-work ing American farmers and ranchers who collectively shaped this land, fed our peo ple and spearheaded more than two centuries of unri valed growth and prosperity.

From its’ inception, land has always been central to Texas’ identity. The opportu nity to cultivate new land is what first attracted our an cestors to this region and is

PhilliP sPenRath

whaRton coUnty JUDge

what essentially launched the Texas Revolution. The ear liest Native Americans and subsequent Spanish explorers hunted wild buffalo and culti vated the first corn, beans and squash.

Early Europeans intro duced cattle, sheep, goats and hogs. The westward move ment of Anglo settlers like Stephen F. Austin and his 300 families brought new farming and ranching techniques as they set up everything from small working farms to larger cotton plantations.

Following triumph in the Texas Revolution, southern ranchers began driving cat tle north toward markets in neighboring states. Farming

plantations ramped up cotton production with equal hopes of expanding trade to distant lands.

In the late 1800s, after the Civil War, Texas’ larger farms transitioned production to the higher yield cash crops: rice, hay, sorghum, wheat and dairy products. Cotton became Texas’ largest cash crop and the continued expansion of railroad tracks brought cattle ranchers closer to

the east coast and impending prosperity.

By the 1920s, Texas cities had experienced tremendous growth and the need for agricultural products rose drastically with each passing decade. The amount of cultivated land in Texas grew from 15 to 25 million acres. Cotton, corn and rice production prospered along the Gulf Coast region while citrus farming brought new opportunities to The Valley.

The Panhandle and High Plains experienced vibrant cotton production as irrigation practices and improved technology supplied needed water to the state’s drier more arid counties.

Next, came the Great Crash of 1929 and two great wars. More than 70 percent of Texas’ agricultural land was engaged in livestock production and another 20 percent was used for growing crops

like cotton and rice.

After World War II, thou sands of newcomers trekked to the Lone Star State seeking a fresh start and land to build a home and raise a family. The expansion of the federal highway system and advance ments in aviation brought rapid growth to Texas cities.

Local farm products were getting showcased in far off worlds and travelers from oth er nations brought a variety of differing cultures and new de mands. Competition quickly ensued as Texans searched for alternative sources and sup pliers for food, clothing and other agricultural needs.

Moving into the 21st cen tury, less than 1.3 percent of the employed American population are farmers and ranchers ... and that number is dwindling (it was 70 per cent way back in 1840). The United States is now home to more than two million farms and approximately 98 percent of them are still operated by families – individuals, family partnerships or family corpo rations. Of course everything is bigger in the Lone Star State and that includes the Texas agriculture industry. A recent Census of Agriculture listed Texas as the country’s leader in farms and ranches with more than 245,000 op erations averaging 530 acres in size. Of Texas’ 268,581 to tal square miles of land, some 130 million acres (71 percent) are currently devoted to agri culture.

In fiscal terms, Texas ag riculture contributes $25 billion annually to the state wide economy with the larg est selling commodities being cattle, poultry, cotton and dairy products. Texas goods are produced and exported throughout state, the nation and world.

As markets and demands change, Texas producers have learned to adapt, diversify and excel in an array of new specialty operations like hon ey, olives, deer, ducks, geese and quail.

For generations, we Amer icans have enjoyed a food sup ply that is abundant, afford able and among the world’s

Wharton County has centered itself as an agricultural community since its’ inception and agriculture has remained a large part of the county’s identity.

safest. Our hardworking family farms produce 86 percent of all American Ag products. With the ever-increasing demand for food and fiber worldwide, U.S. agriculture is destined to play an even greater role in coming decades.

With all of the promises tomorrow brings, let us never forget the backbone of today’s Texas heritage remains linked to those first cowboys riding the northern cattle trains and the early family subsistence farmers producing everything needed to survive.

My fellow citizens, it is imperative that we continue telling stories and sharing information about the history and importance of agriculture.

We need to better educate and introduce our younger generations to the spirit and pride associated with being a generational rancher and farmer. Without question ... our America must have a next generation of Ag producers.

-Philip Spenrath serves as the Wharton County Judge

Texans fear of losing water access here now

An aging water main snapped in Odessa. Drought conditions decimated groundwater supplies to the town of Concan. Millions of Texans lived without water for days when complications from Winter Storm Uri left household taps dry.

A toxic mix of drought, extreme weather and failing infrastructure has drained water supplies and inflicted financial damage. Severe drought in a hotter-than-normal summer cost farmers and ranchers over $2 billion in economic losses.

Texans are worried about their water supplies and the condition of their water infrastructure.

Recent polling by Texas 2036 — a nonpartisan policy think tank — found that nearly nine-out-of-ten Texas voters are concerned about their community’s access to water during a drought. In turn, 82 percent agree that the state should increase investments that expand our water supply portfolio to include new reservoirs, desalination plants and water conservation strategies.

But Texans’ water worries go beyond the need for water supplies in a drought-prone state. After stories of catastrophic water system failures in Odessa, Laredo and even Jackson, Miss., concern grew around our aging, deteriorating water infrastructure.

In fact, our Texas Voter Poll found that 84 percent of voters support the Legislature’s creation of a new fund to fix our broken-down water systems.

JeReMy MaZUR

Astonishingly, as drought gripped Texas throughout the year, more Texans support fixing our failing infrastructure than building new water supplies. Texans are correct about this investment priority.

The American Society of Civil Engineers awarded our drinking water infrastructure with the lackluster grade of a C- due to aging systems, leaks and neglect. Our wastewater infrastructure rates poorly with a D. Other surveys conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reveal that billions are needed over the next decades to refurbish our dilapidated water systems.

Given the need — and voters’ interest — to fix known problems with our infrastructure, the Texas Legislature has an opportunity to act when it meets next year.

Thanks to record high sales tax and oil and gas tax revenues, lawmakers will have a projected $27 billion budget revenue surplus. Polling data shows that while voters favor spending this windfall on education, tax relief and the electric grid, they also support investments in water.

Texas voters have already approved a fund for building more water supplies. We can build on this forward-thinking investment strategy by establishing and capitalizing a new fund dedicated to fixing our aging, deteriorating and leaking infrastructure. This fund should be aligned with smart policies oriented towards identifying water systems that are failing or at-risk of failing, forging better outreach to areas with water problems, and structuring regional solutions where communities work together.

Texans have learned hard lessons about what a day without water can be like. It’s a desperate, dirty, miserable experience that ruins economic prosperity and community vitality. As specters of drought and failing infrastructure continue to haunt our state, the opportunity exists during the next legislative session to implement meaningful changes for the betterment of all.

– Jeremy B. Mazur is a senior policy advisor at Texas 2036.

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