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At the state's largest farm organization's 71st annual convention, Texas Farm Bureau delegates on Dec. 6 overwhelmingly rejected the statewide transportation and infrastructure plan put forward by state officials.
Noting the disproportionate burdens the Trans-Texas Corridor plan would impose upon rural Texans, delegates opposed the state acquiring additional farm and ranch lands through the power of eminent domain for the construction of the Corridor.
Those burdens, delegates said, would include: additional time and cost related to moving equipment from one side of a farm or ranch to the other because of division by the corridor; economic damages due to the lack of exits to small Texas towns; additional tax burdens passed on to local taxpayers for property removed from the tax base; and the negative effect on wildlife and hunting in many areas of the state.
"We feel it would be appropriate to improve existing state and federal transportation rights-of-way to help move the Texas transportation system forward," delegates said. "We prefer no new rights-of-way for transportation corridors. However, if new rights-of-way are absolutely necessary, we would prefer additional space for corridors be located adjacent to existing rights-of-way."
Delegates also urged an overhaul of the federal tax system, passing a resolution encouraging the members of the Texas congressional delegation to support a federal retail sales tax as a complete replacement for all forms of income, estate, Social Security and Medicare taxation.
Expanding on this resolution in national policy, delegates said such a retail tax should:
• Not penalize production and savings, and be revenue neutral;
• Not require complex and expensive estate planning to pass a farm or business to heirs, or risk having to sell assets to pay the estate tax.
• Remove all individual taxpayers from the federal tax roles by enabling consumers to pay taxes to sellers of new goods and services so that only the seller has a direct relationship to the tax collector.
• Increase each individual's disposable income by ending the withholding of taxes.
• Provide a rebate of the federal sales tax on necessities of life for all citizens with a legal Social Security number.
• Protect the Social Security and Medicare systems by ending the current practice of collecting a payroll tax only from workers and replacing it with a sales tax paid by consumers.
• Not tax business-to-business transactions.
Recognizing the importance of water resources to both urban and rural areas of the state, delegates worked through water policy in anticipation of the next Texas legislative session.
To strengthen groundwater protection at the local level, delegates supported a number of resolutions dealing with groundwater districts, including a requirement for those districts to provide landowners a fair opportunity to be involved in the rule-making process. They also supported the authority of groundwater districts to prohibit the export of groundwater when the amount to be exported exceeds the amount needed for future use. Delegates said districts should be required to consider the impact on existing groundwater users when adopting rules or issuing permits, and said the state should assist districts with the legal and data resources necessary to manage groundwater. In addition, delegates supported allowing groundwater districts the authority to ensure other districts within the same management area do not deplete the shared aquifer.
Addressing surface water, delegates said farmers, ranchers and landowners should be allowed to impound a reasonable amount of surface water without permit for domestic, livestock and wildlife management use.
While supporting a livestock identification program for the purpose of disease control when a practical and cost effective system is developed that is acceptable to the industry, delegates supported the following guidelines for such a system:
—The system should be as simple and cost effective as possible for producers.
—The federal government should provide cost sharing, especially for the development and implementation of the infrastructure.
—Confidentiality of producer information must be respected and changes in the Freedom of Information Act must be made to further insure that confidentiality.
—The database containing individual animal identification must be maintained in a private industry database and not in a government database.
—Information shall be made available only to the proper animal health authorities in the event of an animal disease incident and must not be used for any other purpose or by an other government authority.
—Identification of animals will not be required before movement from the original registered premise.
In other action, delegates:
• Opposed all attempts by political subdivisions (cities or counties) to limit the production of or the use of genetically modified crops or animals.
• Opposed a mandatory referendum for boll weevil eradication and supported a referendum upon request by 10 percent of producers.
• Recommended that the microchip implant requirement for ratites under the Texas Animal Health Commission be abolished to reduce expenses on producers, and supported allowing producers the choice of the most economical method for identifying ratites.
• Supported an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for those exotic species located in Texas that, although endangered in their native country, are thriving in Texas under private management and ownership.
• Opposed any designation of exotic animals as an invasive species.
• Supported farm-based renewable energy from wind, solar, geothermal or biomass sources.
At the national level, delegates:
• Opposed any changes that would reduce benefits to eligible participants in the Farm Bill.
• Supported grassland and farmland protection programs such as those addressed in the 2004 farm bill.
• Supported increased funding for USDA’s Wetland Reserve Program.
• Urged Congress to closely monitor and scrutinize the effects and policies of the WTO to ensure that compliance is not only universal to all participants, but most important, “WTO must prove itself to be beneficial to the U.S. producer and consumers. If this is not the ensuing outcome of U.S. participation, then revisions in our compliance must be considered.”
Officers elected
Delegates reelected Kenneth Dierschke, a cotton and grain farmer from San Angelo, to his third term as president of Texas Farm Bureau. In addition, they reelected the following to the TFB Board of Directors; Lloyd Arthur, District 2, to his third two-year term; Joe Kapavik, District 4, to his third two-year term; Gary McGehee, District 6, to his second two-year term; Dan Dierschke, District 8, to his third two-year term; Tommy Boehme, District 10, to his third two-year term; and Arthur Bluntzer, District 12, to his second two-year term.
Arthur and Detten were reelected vice president and secretary-treasurer, respectively.
