By Gene Hall

Farmer Curt Mowery has some advice for farmers who might be considering bringing influencers out to the farm for a look at what goes on there: “Just do it. The rewards far outweigh any concerns.”

When representatives of the International Food Information Council called me some months ago to arrange a farm tour as part of a Houston meeting, I thought of Curt Mowery. His Brazoria County farm is proof of why modern agricultural technology works so well. Curt did his research and concluded that he should reach out to this group of registered dietitians.

By Kenneth Dierschke

Water grows Texas.

It always has. Water grows families. Water grows jobs. Water grows food.

Yet Texas is thirsty. Many years of drought have left us with withered lawns, parched pastures and shrinking water supplies. Surface water levels have dropped to 60 percent of capacity and Texas grows thirstier by the day.  A possibility that we turn on the tap and nothing comes out is finally dawning on us. We are realizing the precious resource we’ve always taken for granted is actually limited indeed.

By Mike Barnett

I was flipping channels last night and ran across the newest version of the Survivor-type shows.

You all know what I’m talking about—those series where a group of people are cast on an isolated island or the middle of the jungle with nothing but the clothes on their back.

This newest series is different than Survivor, whose new season kicks off fairly soon. Called Naked and Afraid, a man and woman are cast away, buck naked, in a remote location. That’s right. No clothes. It is a bit awkward…and challenging for the crew to film.

By Mike Barnett

Blessed rains fell over much of the state this week, but Texas is still in hot water in terms of drought and water resources.

Rains statewide—which ranged from a trace up to 6-8 inches in parts of Central and West Central Texas—were a short-term fix for Texas farmers and ranchers.  Hot temperatures are forecast to return this week, and two to three weeks without rain could pretty much put us back where we started.

By Gene Hall

Only minutes after President Obama announced his new climate change regulatory plan, I was swamped with calls from the media asking for comment. Not knowing much about it then, I said that farmers and ranchers would examine the legislation for clues about the future and continue seeking ways to reduce carbon pollution.

We now know the plan, implemented almost entirely by executive order, might also be called, “choke the life of whatever feeble economic recovery we’ve managed so far.”  I’m ready to say I don’t like much about it at all.

By Mike Barnett

Total devastation visited Fleming Grain and Cattle Company Thursday evening. The storms that rolled through Texas that day damaged and destroyed thousands of acres of corn and wheat on several farms in Bell and Falls counties and other parts of the state as well.

The year started with promise for farmers like Robert Fleming. His crops looked good. It was a bit dry, however, and he was optimistic for the moisture Thursday’s cold front would bring. He didn’t bargain for the pea-sized hail driven by straight-line winds that peppered the crops like a mini-machine gun.