YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

Another Texas legislative session for the books

By Gene Hall

Monday, June 1 is Sine Die in Texas. That’s Latin for adjourning for a significant amount of time. Our Texas Legislature uses the term when the gavel falls on the last day of our 140-day regular session.

For farmers, the Legislature in session in Austin is a constant reminder that things happening far from the farm or ranch can have a profound impact on their ability to make a living. In Texas, perhaps more than other states, there is still widespread acknowledgment of that.

As always, there were a number of bills that could have hurt agriculture, but versions passed that will not be so bad. Everyone in Texas will benefit from new regulations on the storage of ammonium nitrate, for example. Farmers, however, will still have access to it for the growing of crops. There is more money to protect livestock from disease and for the regulatory functions of the Texas Department of Agriculture.

Farmers and ranchers understand they must work with elected officials. It’s not a sprint, but a marathon. Happy Sine Die.

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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