May 5, 2000

The state’s newly-formed Agricultural Policy Committee created by HB 2 conducted its first public hearing on April 17. The meeting in College Station allowed Senate and House committee members to hear invited testimony from various state and Texas A&M University officials involved in agriculture policy and planning.

We thought we’d share some of our observations and information from the hearing. Texas Farm Bureau will offer its own testimony at the next meeting of the committee on May 31 in El Campo.

From Texas Agriculture Commissioner Susan Combs: Census forms are not getting to rural residents of Texas because the forms cannot be mailed to rural routes or post-office boxes. She is concerned that rural Texans will not be fully counted because of this Census rule, compounding the problem of declining rural representation.

The Texas Agricultural Finance Authority (TAFA) has issued 96 loan guarantees to date.

The $7.8 million in non-performing TAFA loans highlighted by a recent state audit will be paid by generating higher loan volume in the program. Commissioner Combs said she will not seek a legislative appropriation to repay the loans. The non-performing loans were issued prior to her taking office.

The new "Go Texan" marketing program has prompted the H-E-B grocery store network to increase its purchase of Texas-grown produce by 40 percent. Nineteen "Go Texan" grants have been awarded, totaling $595,000.

From the Texas Cooperative Extension: The contribution of food and fiber systems to the domestic economy (1997 data): 13 percent of the economy, 18 percent of employment.

Estimated producer-level losses from recent Texas droughts:

• 1996, $2.093 billion total—program crops, $943 million; livestock, $1.15 billion.

• 1998, $2.103 billion total—program crops, $1.054 billion; livestock, $831 million; other: $218 million.

• 1999-2000 (to date), $361 million total—program crops, $92 million; livestock, $259 million; other, $10 million.

From the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station: Texas invests in agricultural research about $4.51 per $1,000 of farm-gate receipts. In contrast, Florida spends over $10 per $1,000 of farm-gate receipts in agricultural research.

Agricultural production in the U.S. increased 200 percent from 1965-95.

From the Texas Wildlife Damage Management Service: At least $75 million in losses to farmers and ranchers each year can be attributed to wildlife damage.

There are 125 species of wildlife that are managed in Texas by government personnel on approximately 5,000 ranches.

Rural legislators in Texas bemoan the fact that their districts are often too large to adequately represent their constituents. They’re fighting both a travel and financial battle. Their state-sponsored office budgets are the same as those legislators whose district may reside within the boundaries of a few city blocks. Take the Texas House, for instance.

There are a half-dozen House districts in West Texas larger geographically than the state of New Hampshire. New Hampshire has a 400-member House of Representatives.

State Rep. Bob Turner represents a district of almost 27,000 square miles, an area larger than any of 10 states.

Brush control on land to increase groundwater recharge is an emerging trend. Last session, the Texas Legislature authorized over $9 million for brush control cost-share and research.

Efforts along the Pecos River to eradicate salt cedar trees are producing encouraging results. From a helicopter, Texas Cooperative Extension officials last year sprayed alongside 28 miles of the river using a herbicide called Arsenal. It appears that the leaves did not grow back on 99 percent of the treated plants. Researchers say it will take a couple of years to know for sure if the roots were killed.