February 4, 2000

When the announcement was made that Bob Stallman had won the presidency of the American Farm Bureau Federation, reality set in for Donald Patman as he recognized he would be the new president of the Texas Farm Bureau.

"When it was announced Bob won the election, I stood up and cheered like everyone else," said Patman, who has served as the TFB vice president since December, 1996. "And when I sat down...it’s kind of a shocking feeling...and I thought, ‘Uh-oh, my life is going to change.’"

Change it has, but Patman has hit the ground running. He brings confidence and experience to the job instilled by a half century of farming.

"In changing jobs or doing anything different, I guess the unknown is out there," Patman said. "But this is a great organization. We need to set our goals and look forward."

Patman brings stability to the change in leadership of the state’s largest farm organization, Vernie Glasson, TFB executive director, said.

"He’s been on the board, he’s working on his sixth year. He understands all that goes on within the organization," Glasson said. "Mr. Patman has an excellent farming operation. He understands agriculture and the needs of agriculture. And he will be a very good leader for Texas Farm Bureau."

Entering his 51st year of farming, perseverance and teamwork are the marks of Patman’s success. He started his chosen profession upon graduation from Waxahachie High School, married his sweetheart, Mary, the next year, and has "farmed that old cotton patch each year since," he said.

"I started with a B-Farmall, two-row equipment," the new TFB president said. "I used that until the middle ’50s, and then I traded it in for a Super-M Farmall tractor... From that we just moved on up the line. Right now we farm with 12-row equipment and farm a few more acres."

"A few more acres" is an understatement. Patman started with 123 Blackland acres near Waxahachie. That has expanded to his 6,000-acre range today, and has run as high as 7,000 acres. Patman raises cotton, corn, wheat, soybeans and cattle in partnership with his son, Steve.

"If it wasn’t for my son, I couldn’t be doing what I’m doing," Patman said. "Steve takes care of the farm on a daily basis. I fill in."

Mary is the third member of the operation. The Patmans will be married 50 years in October.

"Mary’s the best thing that ever happened to me," he said. "In the early years, when money was tighter...well, you’d hate to think it’s tighter than it is right now, but it was because we were getting started...we had laying hens. She gathered eggs and sold eggs in town."

Mary’s role has changed over the years. She’s done everything from keeping weights on workers who hand-picked cotton back in the 1950s to delivering trailers to the local gin.

"She’s just as vital to our operation as she has ever been," Patman said. "As a matter of fact, she just finalized last year’s year-end totals, and is getting ready for taxes."

Farm Bureau has also played a large role in Patman’s life. He served as TFB’s vice president since December, 1996, and was elected to the TFB board of directors in 1994. He has served as president and secretary-treasurer of the Ellis County FB board, along with numerous committee assignments. He has also served on the TFB Farm Bill Advisory Committee, the Resolutions Committee and the Cotton Advisory Committee.

Patman has seen many changes in agriculture over the years. Fifty years ago, he said, a living could be made on a small farm. Since then, commodity prices haven’t kept up with the rising costs of inputs. Many farmers have gone out of business. Others have grown larger. However, Patman noted that even large farms face uncertainty today.

"This day and time, bigger is not necessarily better because you have so much at risk," he said. "You stand a chance of losing what you’ve built up through a lifetime in a year or two."

Agriculture’s problems are serious, he said, citing the familiar litany of low prices, unfair trade practices and excessive regulation.

That’s why President Patman believes in Farm Bureau. The organization will continue to have a "can-do" attitude, he said.