YOUR TEXAS AGRICULTURE MINUTE

On the job during the frigid winter

By Gary Joiner
Publisher

The unprecedented winter blast that’s gripping Texas has meant long days and long nights for livestock owners.

While many are staying inside to keep warm, farmers and ranchers are facing the bitter cold.

Ranchers are out breaking ice to make sure water is available for their animals. They’re delivering extra protein to maintain livestock body temperatures. Others are helping newborn calves stay warm and survive. Without help, the calves likely won’t make it.

“That’s what we’re doing,” posted one rancher on Facebook. “It’s bitterly cold, but we owe that to our livestock.”

No matter the weather, farmers and ranchers are hard at work.

They are dedicated to their job, their animals, the environment and keeping the food chain connected in our country. Texas ranchers are there every day, but especially in days like this.

Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley, which is home to more than 35 different fruits and vegetables, are facing below freezing temperatures, too. This weather could be devastating to crops that can’t withstand this kind of cold.

And it’s mentally and physically exhausting for farmers and ranchers. The bitter cold weather only adds more stress and work to an already demanding profession.

But they’ll keep at it as 2021 makes its mark in the history books.

They will remember this extreme winter for its record low temperatures and inches of snow. But farmers and ranchers will also remember it by the number of animals they were able to help survive.

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.

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