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Texas Agriculture Archive

January 3, 2003

Stenholm earns
Meritorious Service Award

Congressman Charles Stenholm was presented the Texas Farm Bureau's Meritorious Service Award at the organization's 69^th Annual Convention in Corpus Christi last month. Stenholm is the 21^st person to receive the award in TFB's seven-decade history. It is the highest honor the organization can bestow.

In presenting the award to Stenholm, past Texas Farm Bureau President Donald Patman said, "Our honoree today can only be described as one of the giants of Texas agriculture. That is true today and it's also true in the historical sense. He is on everyone's 'short list' of individuals who have had great and lasting impact on our industry."

Patman cited Stenholm's work on the 2002 Farm Bill as the Congressman's most recent contribution to Texas agriculture and noted his influence with other members of Congress.

"There have been many, many times that I've talked with a member of Congress about an issue or bill of concern to agriculture and Farm Bureau," Patman said. "Very often, when that Congressman did not understand the details of agricultural legislation, he or she would say something like, `I'll have to talk to Charlie about that.'"

In accepting the award, Stenholm thanked the organization for working hand in hand with him for the betterment of agriculture and for supporting his return to Washington, D.C. each election cycle.

"Working in the Congress for 24 years has not been an easy task, but one that has allowed me the opportunity to try to achieve what I tried to do when I ran in the first place," said Stenholm. "We've had many successes. I've had the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Texas Farm Bureau side by side with me and sometimes on opposite sides, but we learned to disagree without being disagreeable. During those years, I've taken every opportunity, when someone would stick a camera in my face, to say, 'Aren't we fortunate to have the most abundant food supply, the best quality food and the safest food at the lowest cost to our people of any country in the world?'"

Stenholm referred to the challenges ahead, particularly in light of the terrorists attack on Sept. 11, 2001—how that has changed the way the country does business, including agriculture. He also warned of imminent budget problems at the federal level and the pressure that will bring to bear on states and agriculture.

"In our state, we are facing a shortfall in the amount of revenue—state school revenue. At the federal level, the surplus is gone and we have a deficit as far as the eye can see. Producers have been saying thanks for the six year farm bill, but now we're going to have to work hard to keep it," he said.

Stenholm also expressed concern over the loss of Texas' clout on the House Agriculture committee, with Chairman Larry Combest stepping down soon and retiring altogether from Congress. He pointed out that there are no young recruits with a knowledge of agriculture to replace the veteran Texas members as they begin to leave, which does not bode well in terms of representation for Texas agriculture.

Present to accept the award with her husband was Cindy Stenholm.

Previous Meritorious Service honorees include Governor Dolph Briscoe, Progressive Farmer Editor C.G. Scruggs, members of Congress and the Texas Legislature, and former TFB Presidents.