Most Texans are fortunate enough to have never had to ask where they will find their next meal. Grocery store shelves overflow with bounty and variety. Everything on those shelves got started in a field or pasture by some farmer or rancher. It passed through many hands to get to a shelf, but without a willing grower, it wouldn’t be there.
So where have all the farmers gone? Most operations in Texas are handed down from one generation to the next. As the baby boomer generation retires, they leave children drawn to urban centers and promise of economic stability. They’ve largely said goodbye to the farm and its roots. That leaves the best agricultural production areas and states with the highest concentration of aging adults. What does an industry with fewer and older farmers look like? Are the signs pointing to the end of the family operator?
Farming has always been a family endeavor. It’s true, we likely will see fewer large operations held together by a single family, but smaller farming families have the chance to see additional income through a smaller operation. Farmers and ranchers are experts at overcoming adversity and most meet great hurdles at a young age. Try to keep a young man or woman with a passion for farming out of the field. You won’t find it so easy.
Brown County use to be, and still is to some point, agriculturally orientated. We still have 35 million dollar ag industry here, but like everything else it is changing as well. Surely we won’t become too urban too quick.
There are programs and grants available, but mostly they only offer supplemental assistance. The programs might offer some incentive, but they aren’t fixing the problem. The answer to the question, who’s going to fill their shoes, is a tough one. I hope Texas and America has that answer soon.
