By Gene Hall

“The race is on…Slow Food is running up the backstretch, Starvation’s going to the inside. My fears are holding back, agriculture cannot fall…”

Forgive me, George Jones, for butchering your song. But I need to make a point. I ain’t scared of my food. I know what I should eat and how much, though I don’t always follow my own rules. I do know my food is as safe as it’s ever been. I’m a tough target for the food police because I know better. What am I afraid of? I’m afraid of losing the race.

By Mike Barnett

Administrator’s note: This blog post originally ran in Texas Agriculture Talks on Aug. 24, 2009 and was named Best Editorial in recent American Farm Bureau Federation Awards competition (large state Farm Bureaus). Enjoy.

Industrial” and “sustainable” are words thrown around freely when discussing agriculture in the ongoing food debate.

Here’s what those words mean to me.

By Mike Barnett

There’s a lot of controversy about when the new decade begins. Perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself, but I believe it started on Jan. 1, 2010. If I wait until 2011 to make these fearless agricultural predictions for a new decade, I’ll be a year behind.

So as I gaze into my crystal ball, here’s what I see:

October 2010. Beef critic and country-western singer Carrie Underwood diagnosed with severe Vitamin B-12 deficiency. Now eats beef for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

By Mike Barnett

Tough economic times are forcing many Texans to cut back on a lot of things, but the constant expense we share is food. We can find ways to eat cheaper but we still have to eat.

It may surprise you that the cost of food has actually declined this year, as indicated by Texas Farm Bureau’s Grocery Watch,  a quarterly survey of food prices in the Lone Star State. But many perceive food prices are on the rise if conversations I’ve had recently are an indication.

“Industrial” and “sustainable” are words thrown around freely when discussing agriculture in the ongoing food debate.

Here’s what those words mean to me.