YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

On the front line of food security

By Gary Joiner
Publisher

The COVID-19 pandemic has put many Americans on the front line.

We salute the healthcare providers and first responders battling the virus head-on. Their work is admired and appreciated. Heroes everyday. No doubt about it.

There’s another front line, though. It’s the battle to deliver food to U.S. families. And those individuals protecting our nation’s food security are also answering the call. Everyday.

It’s not just farmers and ranchers. It’s the entire food supply chain. From the workers harvesting crops to the grocery store employees stocking shelves. They’re all ensuring America has food to eat.

The pandemic has changed the way agriculture is operating. It’s meant new safety precautions and procedural changes on farms. From adding handwashing and sanitizing stations in the field to limiting person-to-person interactions, as much as possible, farmers are taking all the precautions possible to protect themselves, their workers and their communities.

Many Texas growers are thanking workers in special ways. In the Rio Grande Valley, one grower is adding “appreciation pay” to worker paychecks, offering paid lunches and giving food packs to more than 400 people.

It’s expensive, they say, but it’s the right thing to do. Those on the front line delivering food to U.S. families deserve it.

One thing is certain. The pandemic has put a laser focus on the importance of America’s food security and the people on the front line who make is possible.

The preceding commentary is brought to you by Texas Farm Bureau, the “Voice of Texas Agriculture.” Called “Your Texas Agriculture Minute,” TFB will issue thought-provoking editorials each week—via print and audio—to spark understanding of agriculture in the Lone Star State and its impact on each and every Texan.

You may read this week’s editorial above or listen to the audio version.

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