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February 16, 2001

Patman rallies leaders
to press TFB agenda

Some 300 Texas Farm Bureau leaders gathered at the Omni Hotel in Austin Jan. 28-31 to kick off the organization's program of work for 2001. Priority issues receiving special attention at the Leadership Conference were water and redistricting.

"For agriculture, nothing is more important than access to water. We made some changes in our water policy in Arlington last month. We will be working very hard to implement that policy, and we will be calling on you for help," TFB President Donald Patman told leaders. "Overall, this session of the Legislature is very important to agriculture. Redistricting will occur in this session, and that means that seats in the Texas Senate and House of Representatives will continue to flow to the urban areas of our state. That does not mean that we can't work with our urban representatives. We have, and we will continue our efforts to reach out to legislators in both parties."

Patman touched on "unfinished business in Washington," expressed hope for a new era of cooperation and consensus under the new administration, and praised President George W. Bush's choices of Gale Norton of Colorado for Interior Secretary and Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey, to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Patman tempered comments with an admonition to county Farm Bureau leaders to continue to contact state and national lawmakers in order to further the organization's policy agenda.

He suggested that stepped-up efforts in educating lawmakers, the media, and the general public, through legislative activities, the TFB public information program, Ag in the Classroom and Urban Relations events, will go a long way towards protecting agriculture from the onslaught of animal rights and environmental extremism.

"Remember, the public trusts farmers and ranchers. We have earned that by doing what is right. Now, we can use that influence to protect our farm and ranch families from those who would do us wrong," Patman said.