82R24142 BPG-D
By: Deshotel H.R. No. 1643
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers Community Based
Organization is dedicated to assisting historically underserved
agricultural producers and to saving small farms and ranches; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, the 100 Farmers Conference was held at
Langston University in Oklahoma City to unite small and underserved
farmers and rural residents to communicate their needs, chart their
own destinies, and begin to engage themselves in the development of
public policy; participants from Texas formed TSFR/CBO as a
community-based nonprofit organization committed to enhancing
rural economies, conserving and managing natural resources,
preventing the further decline of family farms, and improving the
quality of life for minorities in rural communities; and
WHEREAS, Today, TSFR/CBO works to develop agricultural
markets, increase technology transfer, and improve environmental
conditions in rural Texas; moreover, it advocates for small farmers
and ranchers at local, state, and national levels; it is currently
partnering with the Texas/Mexico Border Coalition and The
University of Texas--Pan American in the South Central Initiative
for Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and
Ranchers, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture
to increase participation in its programs; and
WHEREAS, Providing myriad technical assistance and
educational opportunities, TSFR/CBO supports its clients with a
wide range of activities, including visits to individual ranches
and farms, surplus pine tree seeding, topography map and soil
analysis, a youth gardening program, career and scholarship
programs for young people, and workshops in risk management, estate
planning, water quality, and other subjects; this dynamic group
broadens its services by partnering with a host of organizations,
among them the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Texas
State Technical Committee, the Farm Service Agency, the Texas
Agri-Life Extension Service, and FFA; and
WHEREAS, Guided by state coordinator W. Wade Ross, the Texas
Small Farmers and Ranchers Community Based Organization greatly
benefits rural communities across the Lone Star State through its
multifaceted programs, and it is indeed fitting to recognize its
vital contributions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor the Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers
Community Based Organization and extend to its staff sincere best
wishes for continued success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the
Texas House of Representatives.