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By Kenneth Dierschke
Texas Farm Bureau President
On June 13 of this year, the Texas Farm Bureau was part of a history-making event. It was a glimpse of the future in terms of both environmental protection and clean energy production.
On that Monday morning, on the dairy farm of Keith Broumley in Hico, the ribbon cutting for an anaerobic phosphorus removal system was held. A key component of this system is a methane digester, which will produce electricity from manure, a byproduct of dairy farming which has recently been a costly headache for dairy farmers. Farm Bureau was there. You can be very proud that your organization played an important role in launching this effort.
In future issues of this magazine, I will discuss the future of energy production on our Texas farms and ranches, and you can read more about the effort in Hico in this issue.
What makes this project unique is that it's the first system to combine a sophisticated phosphorus removal system with the cost reducing component of electricity production. Many media critics of the new system have been quick to point out that it's too expensive to be replicated on dairy farms. For the present, that is true, but the criticism misses the point.
The project was launched as a joint effort between many partners. Dollars came from private industry, the state government and the federal government.
It is an investment in the creation of a first of its kind laboratory. This laboratory can be used to figure out ways to reduce cost and improve the technology.
Keith Broumley will sell the electricity he produces to United Cooperative Services, which deserves a lot of credit for paying premium prices for this new source of clean and renewable energy in the short term. The potential of this project has prompted many of the partners in similar ways.
Agricultural energy sources have the advantage of being much cleaner than the burning of fossil fuels and absolutely renewable. One disadvantage that has yet to be overcome is cost. That could change with increases in the price of fossil fuels.
Government can help by making it advantageous for energy companies to purchase clean and renewable energy from American "fuel farms." Every kilowatt we produce from manure is a step toward independence from foreign oil. Not only that, the manure is less of a threat to the watershed where the cow leaves it.
The same is true for other forms of farm produced energy. Our government at all levels can do much more to encourage, promote and even subsidize this energy revolution. The rewards for all of America include energy independence and more marketable products for Texas agriculture. The latter means more jobs and more economic growth.
Texas farmers and ranchers stand ready to do their part. Remember that date: June 13, 2005. It was an exciting look at a promising future.
Editor's Note: The following letter to TFB Executive Director Vernie Glasson was sent by Richard Wortham, Texas Beef Council executive vice president, thanking Texas Farm Bureau for its role in the recent Supreme Court litigation supporting the beef checkoff.
After last Monday's (May 30) Supreme Court announcement of its finding the beef checkoff constitutional, I wanted to personally take this time to say thanks for the leadership displayed by Texas Farm Bureau during the whole litigation process. The High Court's decision is an important victory for the beef industry because it means that continued funding of the beef checkoff will extend the market momentum that builds beef demand.
As I think back, Texas Farm Bureau was at the forefront in moving several key issues forward. The first was pulling the Texas industry back together to initiate the industry amicus briefs, which was followed by the amicus briefs from the attorney generals. An astounding 113 state and national beef industry and other agricultural organizations signed this amicus brief supporting the checkoff program. When was the last time you saw attorney generals from 35 states and Puerto Rico and the chairmen of both the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees sign on to the same document? If memory serves me correctly, we were approximately one month out before briefs were due and Texas Farm Bureau was very instrumental in making this happen.
As the industry continued to address the national program, we also had to develop a contingency plan at the state level. What is reassuring to me is that you, the Texas Farm Bureau leadership and your staff, took a stand to ensure that beef promotion, research and education would continue in Texas if the ruling had turned out differently.
Events over the last several years have been a distraction. Now, I hope that each organization and the beef industry as a whole can focus our collective efforts toward improving a program that 73 percent of producers support. America is a diverse nation and its citizens hold many viewpoints. It is no different in the beef industry where discussions about the best way to promote beef will surely continue. Having the continued support of the Texas Farm Bureau will help provide producers with every opportunity to capitalize on expanding global beef markets.
Again, many thanks for your leadership and your continued support.
Richard Wortham
Executive Vice President
Texas Beef Council
