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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The Sustainable Dairy Goat Initiative, a |
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| 6 | 7 | | student-run, nonprofit organization, seeks to help impoverished |
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| 7 | 8 | | individuals both at home and abroad to achieve a brighter future; |
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| 8 | 9 | | and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Founded in the summer of 2014 by Samuel Garcia, the |
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| 10 | 11 | | SDGI provides dairy goats and other sustainable food sources to |
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| 11 | 12 | | those in need; currently, the group is cooperating with the colonia |
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| 12 | 13 | | outreach program La Union Del Pueblo Entero to assist residents of |
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| 13 | 14 | | colonias in Hidalgo County, where the SDGI is supplying families |
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| 14 | 15 | | with both goats and seed for prickly pear cactus; the prickly pear |
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| 15 | 16 | | was chosen for cultivation because it is an easy-to-grow plant that |
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| 16 | 17 | | can survive in harsh conditions and because almost every part of the |
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| 17 | 18 | | plant is edible; the cactus can even serve as roughage for the goats |
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| 18 | 19 | | when feed stocks are low; ultimately, the SDGI intends to supply 20 |
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| 19 | 20 | | to 30 families in the area and then help them to form a cooperative; |
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| 20 | 21 | | and |
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| 21 | 22 | | WHEREAS, Another goal of the SDGI is to provide funding for |
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| 22 | 23 | | research related to sustainable agriculture; leaders of the |
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| 23 | 24 | | initiative are presently engaged in talks with the charity Farm |
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| 24 | 25 | | Africa to help it finance a value chain analysis in behalf of dairy |
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| 25 | 26 | | goat farmers in Kenya; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, The SDGI is led by a board composed of Mr. Garcia, |
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| 27 | 28 | | Tom Jackson, Nelson Chen, and Will Herbst, all of whom attend The |
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| 28 | 29 | | University of Texas at Austin; branches of the organization have |
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| 29 | 30 | | been established at UT-Austin, Texas A&M University, Texas |
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| 30 | 31 | | Christian University, and Texas State University; and |
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| 31 | 32 | | WHEREAS, By working to address the complex problem of rural |
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| 32 | 33 | | poverty through such simple means as dairy goats, cactus seeds, and |
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| 33 | 34 | | cooperation, the Sustainable Dairy Goat Initiative is providing a |
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| 34 | 35 | | model for effective aid and helping a number of less-advantaged |
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| 35 | 36 | | Texans to build a more secure future for themselves and their |
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| 36 | 37 | | children; now, therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 38 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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| 38 | 39 | | Legislature hereby honor the Sustainable Dairy Goat Initiative for |
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| 39 | 40 | | its humanitarian efforts and extend to all those associated with |
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| 40 | 41 | | the group sincere best wishes for continued success. |
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