By Gene Hall

Safety—for farmers and their city neighbors—is our top concern as spring planting gets underway.

When it stops raining in Texas—and we all know it will—the huge planting machines of agriculture will start rolling. Our ever-expanding urban lifestyle gobbles up countryside, reaching into areas that were once very rural. Now, these roads are heavily traveled. That means we’ll see tractors and planters on the highways with us.

By Russell Boening

Texas Farm Bureau President

It is my great honor to be selected president of Texas Farm Bureau by the voting delegates at our Corpus Christi convention. As that all sinks in, I’m eager to get started. We have a big job ahead, and there are many challenges.

To start with, it’s a legislative year. As a farmer, I know about taking care of the land and preparing the ground for a new crop. In only a few days, our elected representatives will return to Austin. That in itself is challenging, and we have to be ready. We will study the issues and develop relationships with state officials. Many of them have never been part of state government before. Others are now in a completely different role.

By Mike Barnett

Time. Where did it go? Seems like yesterday I made my fearless ag predictions for 2014. I wasn’t exactly on target on all of them. But that doesn’t deter me from trying again this year.

Here’s what’s going to happen in 2015. At least in my warped view of the world…

January. “Howdy y’all” becomes the official greeting in Washington, D.C. as members of the Texas delegation assume leadership of six of the 21 House committees, including the House Agriculture Committee.

By Julie Tomascik

Turkeys, cows, kids and community activities. It’s a full load, but nothing Darrell Glaser can’t handle.

In fact, he prefers it that way.

His farm isn’t an 8-5 job with vacation and holidays. But it’s a family business he’s proud to be a part of. And a job he takes seriously.

Agriculture is in his blood. He has a master’s degree but chose to come back home to the family farm. He’s putting his college degrees to work, though, raising healthy turkeys and beef for you and me.

By Mike Barnett

“A farmer should never have to destroy a crop due to the lack of an adequate labor force.”

Attribute that statement to American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Bob Stallman. It is a thought echoed throughout Texas and the nation as food spoils in the field because Congress is unwilling to address labor shortages in agriculture.