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January 4, 2002

Patman re-elected;
delegates debate policy

Texas Farm Bureau wound up its 68th annual convention with the election of Donald Patman to his second full term as president of the state's largest farm organization.

"This is a humbling time and a great responsibility that I will carry on to the best of my ability," said Patman, who was first named TFB president in January 1999 to fill the unexpired term of then TFB president Bob Stallman, who resigned to become president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "I look forward to a great year."

Following the convention, the TFB board met and elected Kenneth Dierschke of San Angelo as vice president and Dale Jeske of Alamo as secretary-treasurer.

Some 870 voting delegates considered both state and national issues the last two days of the convention. State issues become policy for Texas Farm Bureau to follow in 2002. National resolutions will be forwarded to the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting in January in Reno, Nev.

Foremost among state issues were a number of resolutions dealing with Karnal bunt, a fungal disease of wheat. The disease has hurt the Rolling Plains regional economy—where it has been found in four counties—to the tune of more then $27 million dollars, according to the Texas Cooperative Extension. Designated as a major plant disease, export opportunities for Karnal bunt infected wheat are severely limited.

Karnal bunt policy

Farm Bureau delegates adopted policy concerning the wheat disease, saying the USDA and wheat industry should cooperate in an all-out effort to gain acceptance for designating Karnal bunt as a minor plant disease. They said Karnal bunt should be immediately deregulated and handled as a quality issue.

Specifically, they suggested USDA should:

• Sponsor an international meeting of scientists to evaluate the status and strategies for management of smut and bunt diseases of cereals worldwide.

• Take a lead role in re-evaluation of international policies on the use of quarantines to prevent the movement of cereal smut and bunt fungi.

• Maintain a research effort at some level on smut and bunt diseases of cereals, including Karnal bunt.

Energy policy

In other state action, delegates looked at energy policy, and supported legislation encouraging the use of fuel alcohol and exempting fuel alcohol from state taxes. They supported better incentives for the production of renewable energy use. In an energy-related matter, delegates recommended that the Texas Legislature pass laws requiring utility companies to follow existing rights-of-way, where possible, with all utility lines. If those rights-of-ways do not exist, they suggested utility companies follow established fence lines.

Delegates also adopted several wildlife-related provisions, including:

Support Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's leasing rather than acquiring property to provide public hunting opportunities; support classifying exotic game as personal property not subject to regulation; support the Texas Legislature's efforts to reverse quail decline in Texas; and support Texas Parks and Wildlife researching problems associated with white-tail deer imported from other countries.

In other state action, TFB delegates:

•Urged the regulation of livestock imports to protect domestic livestock from foreign animal diseases.

•Supported current livestock assistance programs for natural disasters but opposed any government assisted insurance and/or revenue assurance programs for beef.

•Supported the promotion of ratite value-added products.

•Suggested that all property taxes on homesteads should be frozen at the age of 65.

•Support the right of landowners to sell the development rights of their property.

Most national policy recommendations centered on tweaking both farm program policy and risk management/crop insurance.

Two new directors to the state board were elected at the conclusion of the convention.

Elected to his first two-year term for District 5 was Don Smith, a dairyman from Sulphur Springs. He replaced retiring District 5 Director James Maxton.

Albert Thompson, who owns a cow/calf operation and some timber near Nacogdoches, replaced retiring District 9 Director Jim Smith.

Re-elected to their second two-year term were Ralph Detten of Hereford, District 1, Steve Cochran of Aspermont, District 3 and Bob Reed of Bay City, District 11.

Re-elected to their third and final two-year terms were Regan Kirk of San Saba, District 7; and Dale Jeske of Alamo, District 13.