85S11391 JGH-F
By: Price H.R. No. 173
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Texas Agricultural Land Trust, which diligently
works to conserve our state's heritage of agricultural lands,
wildlife habitats, and natural resources, is celebrating its 10th
anniversary with a Celebratory Texas Ranch BBQ on October 12, 2017,
at the historic McFaddin Ranch; and
WHEREAS, Twenty-seven million residents are blessed to live
in Texas, a state with abundant natural beauty and biodiversity in
every corner; the Lone Star State covers a land and water area
totaling more than 268,000 square miles, the most of any state in
the continental United States; and
WHEREAS, Farming and ranching have been ingrained into the
very fabric of Texas, from the earliest settlers to the present-day
farmers and ranchers who work nearly 250,000 farms and ranches;
this is more than double the number in the second leading state,
which boasts just over 100,000 farms and ranches; Texas farms and
ranches, including privately owned forestland, total over 140
million acres and encompass approximately 84 percent of the state's
total land area; and
WHEREAS, Agricultural families produce the food and fiber
that help feed and clothe suburban and urban Texans, Americans in
other states, and many citizens of other countries; Texas is a
leader in the U.S. production of beef and several types of fruit,
vegetable, and fiber crops; and
WHEREAS, Today's family-owned farms and ranches face many of
the same challenges encountered by their pioneer forefathers, such
as severe weather, predation, and fluctuating prices; present-day
farmers and ranchers also face the challenge of the fragmentation
of land due to multiple heirs, estate taxation, and the
urbanization of Texas that has followed the rapid growth of
municipalities; farm and ranch land in the United States has been
disappearing at an accelerated pace since the 1960s, and Texas has
experienced this same trend; to address this issue, in 2005 the
American Farmland Trust brought together farmers, ranchers, and
stakeholder organizations, such as the Texas and Southwestern
Cattle Raisers Association, the Texas Wildlife Association, and the
Texas Farm Bureau; and
WHEREAS, The result of this effort was the creation of the
nonprofit Texas Agricultural Land Trust, the sole mission of which
is to promote the conservation of agricultural lands and native
wildlife habitat on privately owned lands, while also guaranteeing
each landowner's private property rights; the Texas Agricultural
Land Trust's mission is not to own land, but it instead seeks to
work with landowners who love their land and want to conserve it for
future generations through conservation easements; this voluntary
land use management tool is used to conserve land and natural
resources while ensuring that the landowner continues to own the
property and to use it for farming, ranching, and hunting; each
conservation easement is individually tailored and can also help to
lower income and estate taxes; in several instances, the Texas
Agricultural Land Trust has helped private landowners reconstitute
their once fragmented family farms and ranches to re-create the
original family tract, or one that is as similar to the original as
possible; and
WHEREAS, Governed by a board of directors made up of
landowners and managed by a staff experienced in ranch and farm
management and wildlife conservation, the Texas Agricultural Land
Trust has worked with farmers, ranchers, and forest owners across
the state to conserve more than 226,000 acres; the organization's
current board of directors is led by Chairman Clark Willingham,
Vice Chairman Bob McCan, Secretary Caroleene Hardee Dobson, and
Treasurer John Dudley; the members of the board include Perry
R. Bass II, Mark Bivins, Jim Bradbury, Charles Davidson, Norman
R. Garza Jr., Steve C. Lewis, Richard M. Lucas Jr., Larry
Mellenbruch, Rick Peebles, Robert J. Potts, Jane Richardson, Ed
Small, Julie Kelleher Stacy, and Jesse Womack; and
WHEREAS, The daily operations of the Texas Agricultural Land
Trust are ably conducted by Chief Executive Officer Blair
Fitzsimons and her team, Chief Operating Officer James Oliver,
Stewardship Director Ken Cearley, Finance Director Dina McIlhenny,
Outreach and Communications Manager Jenny Sanders, Executive
Assistant and Office Manager Lorie Talamantez, Development
Coordinator Sandra Velarde, and External Legal Counsel Arthur Uhl;
and
WHEREAS, The iconic wide-open spaces of Texas provide
immeasurable tangible and intangible benefits to this state and
constitute an essential part of its identity, and the Texas
Agricultural Land Trust is playing a vital role in preserving and
protecting this precious heritage; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby commemorate the 10th
anniversary of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust and extend to all
those associated with the trust sincere best wishes for continued
success in their important work; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the Texas Agricultural Land Trust as an expression of
high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.