Texas rain: Come again another day!
By Amanda Hill
Picture this—it’s an early summer afternoon and you had planned to go to the pool with some friends. The forecast says there’s a slight chance of rain, but you get ready for a sunny day outdoors anyway. Suddenly, you hear the rumble of thunder and big, fat drops start to fall from the sky. Instant disappointment sets in.
If you start singing “Rain, rain, go away! Come again some other day…,” you probably didn’t grow up on a farm.
read moreWhy should we care about the farm bill?
By Jessica Domel
If you like food, you should support the farm bill.
The Senate voted for a new farm bill yesterday and action now shifts to the House. I’ve been keeping up with the farm bill’s progress in Washington, D.C., and I found myself asking others on our staff, “What does this mean for the typical American consumer?”
I have some answers for you.
The irony of the farm bill is that only about 20 percent of its funding is for farm-related programs. But that 20 percent is vital to American farmers. Without the funding provided through federally subsidized crop insurance, many farmers would probably have to leave the business.
read moreMeet a Texas onion plant farmer: Bruce Frasier
By Jessica Domel
Farmers in the Lone Star State are doing more than helping to feed and clothe the world. They’re also helping agricultural production in other states. Did you know the nation’s largest onion plant supplier is located in Carrizo Springs, Texas?
Meet Bruce “Onion Man” Frasier, president of Dixondale Farms.
Dixondale Farms ships millions of onion plants across the nation each year to be planted in states with shorter growing seasons. This year, Dixondale Farms is celebrating a milestone–100 years in business–and millions of plants sold to garden centers, farms and home gardeners across the United States.
read moreExploring the many crops of the Lone Star State
By Jessica Domel
You never know what you’re going to find on the back roads of Texas. I’ve lived in this state my entire life, and every time we go on a trip, I find something new at which to marvel. Sometimes I feel like a little kid because I get so excited learning about the different foods grown in the Lone Star State.
read moreRain dance, anyone?
By Jessica Domel
When I was in high school, my dad often said that in the coming years our country wouldn’t fight over oil or money, we’d fight over a resource that is much more scarce and valuable–water.
I hadn’t thought about him saying that until the other day when I was visiting our family farm. My dad took me on an ATV ride through our pasture to feed the fish he’d stocked in three of our family’s tanks. When we arrived at the first tank, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
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