Tall Tales Of A Tiny Texan

BY JEAN LONIE

Aloaded down pick-up truck. Cowboy hats. Smokey and the Bandit soundtrack. And … an infant in a car seat. Literally east bound and down, heading from Texas to the Adirondack Mountains of New York via stops at the New Jersey shore and in Pennsylvania.

This isn’t a new trip for us. We both have family in these states and have made the trip at least once every year for the past few years. Normally it’s about 2.5 days to get from the Austin area to the north, knowing the first day is just getting out of Texas! We’ve found some fun places to eat, some cool agritourism spots to visit, and play the usual game of “just one more exit” for everything from gas to rest stops to hotels. And yet this year this very usual trip had a new boss, one who just turned four months old today.

For anyone who has traveled extensively with an infant, you know well the difference between estimated drive time and how long it really takes you to go from start to finish. Hint for those who haven’t had this experience yet: when in doubt add a few hours for bottles, diaper changes, and stretch time!

While this has been a more planned drive than our usual “let’s see how fast we can make it” journey, it has also been the most amazing trip yet. Because it is an excursion full of firsts: a first dip in the ocean; first trip to the lake;

first meeting of many extended family members. That seems fitting, because we are now in a season of “firsts” as we work to raise our tiny Texan.

First rodeo. First time seeing the sheep and cattle. First interaction with the cats and dogs. On the cusp of the first unaided rollover. First agricultural meeting.

And as she makes all these big firsts, we can’t help but mentally fast forward to wonder about what she might do in a few years and a few decades. Will she love agriculture like we do? Might she wear Clover and White and/or National Blue and Corn Gold as she grows up? Will the calendar fill up with stock shows and sports schedules? And how do we check our interests to let her grow and explore and become her own person?

But as importantly, our girl’s firsts incorporate and reflect our individual and joint histories. The beach time was on the small island where her maternal grandparents met and married and where I grew up swimming and playing. The lake trip is to the same house where her paternal grandparents went for their honeymoon and where her daddy spent many of his childhood summer days.

History, her history in particular, weighs on me as I think about raising not just a good person but raising someone born into an agriculture family – and a multi-generational Texas agriculture family at that! I am from a place with a lot of history; my hometown is literally the birthplace of America, and I was a member of an agricultural society with ties back to George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. But I, along with all the Texans I know, will admit … it’s different here. While I was pregnant, I read Stephen Harrigan’s sweeping epic about the state, “Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas”, and it reminded me in ways big and small that I have an added duty. This wonderful girl going through all of her firsts in life right now also gets to be part of something bigger and greater than herself; being part of the next generation of a family ranch.

It sometimes feels weird to worry so much about a history that isn’t exactly my own, but that I am now contributing to. Yet it is amazing to have the privilege of helping this new human understand that her life will be impacted by and impact a ranch that has been around longer than some of my family has been in this country.

Agriculture is a business and a lifestyle. It is an industry where family suppers may double as business meetings. And it comes with many unique complications related to succession planning, balancing tradition and innovation, and dealing with complex conversations about the future. Yet right now, in this season of firsts, those challenges aren’t my focus. Right now, I get to introduce this tiny Texan to her world, one mile, one experience, and one bull at a time.

Farm Bureaus urge swift action by federal government to address border crisis

Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) spearheaded a national Farm Bureau effort urging top Biden administration officials to recognize the border crisis and take swift action to help farm and ranch families impacted by the surge of illegal immigration.

A letter sent to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Tom Vilsack of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Secretary Deb Haaland of the U.S. Department of the Interior was signed by TFB, 49 other state Farm Bureau, the Puerto Rico Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation.

“We have been listening to the concerns of our members and hearing how their livelihoods are being affected by the surge on the border. Farm and ranch families, many of whom have owned land for generations, are bearing the brunt of this unprecedented influx and have never seen a more dire situation,” the groups wrote in the June 3 letter.

The Farm Bureaus said while illegal immigration is often perceived primarily as a southern border issue, communities across the country are being negatively impacted. If not properly addressed, these issues will only continue to multiply and escalate, according to the Farm Bureaus.

“They shared how their crops and property are being damaged, which in turn has caused financial hardship. For example, these landowners are experiencing cut fences, destroyed crops, compromised water sources, vandalism, litter on their property and more. Most importantly, the security and safety of these families are at stake given the current circumstances,” stated the letter. The Farm Bureaus said local and state border security resources have been exhausted, leaving little help for farmers and ranchers. The organizations requested federal authorities work promptly to provide additional resources and enforce legal immigration to secure U.S. borders.

The groups say human smugglers (Coyotes) are making false promises and doing whatever it takes to get paid and get away, including jeopardizing lives and property. In their desperation to evade law enforcement, Coyotes abandon people, steal vehicles, vandalize property and threaten the safety and livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, according to the Farm Bureaus. The groups noted Coyotes are often criminals who smuggle drugs and firearms into the country, frequently leaving them on property, causing unrest for farm and ranch families. “The current situation should not be acceptable to you or to any American. People are being treated as a disposable source of income, and landowners are living in fear while Coyotes reap a windfall from leaving people destitute. You must not allow this to continue,” the letter stated.

Farmers and ranchers along the border continue to share stories of financial hardship and disruption from the surge of illegal immigrants. View their stories on Texas Farm Bureau’s Border Crisis Impacts webpage. Read the full letter.

Unaccompanied or abandoned children are being found on Texas farms and ranches near the southern border during the current crisis. Photo courtesy Kate Hobbs.

MORE THAN JUST INSURANCE!