Supporting our Farms and Fisheries
America and Texas agriculture is crucial to the health of both its people and its economy. District 14 along the Texas Gulf Coast boasts some of the most productive farmland in Texas. Farming and fishing along the Texas coast, produces millions of dollars in exports per year and provides a livelihood for many Texas families. With a vibrant region of rice farmers and beef producers including many Brahma cattle, counties such as Chambers, Wharton, Brazoria, and Matagorda remain very important to one of our most important commodities; food.
Texas Farmers and Fisherman
• Are crucial to the health and economy of Texans
• We must support those who lost livestock and important grasslands from Hurricane Ike.
• The FAIR Act must not reduce the incomes of Texas rice tenant farmers
• Family farms must be left to the family and not the government
• Unnecessary ecological regulations must not prevent Texas shrimpers and fisherman from making a living
*I will propose a study to evaluate the potential of a dike system along the coast
The damage left behind from the tidal surge after Hurricane Ike has left many areas unproductive as salt water has damaged the coastal grasslands. This has created great uncertainty for farmers who face as much as 3-4 years of difficulty as the ecological balance is restored. I will certainly do everything possible to facilitate the improvements necessary to get the Texas farmland back to its full potential for our farmers.
One such proposal will be to create a study of the possibility of creating dikes in vulnerable areas. I saw firsthand the technology of how the Dutch have reclaimed land from the sea with polders while protecting the environment from flooding.
Rice producers are not only typically productive, but also have improved water quality in our coastal estuaries. It has a reputation of being an environmentally friendly grain due to the techniques developed here with cooperation from Texas A & M. However, the FAIR Act of 1995 has led to a steady drop in rice production in the Rice Belt of Texas. It is imperative that subsidies, incentives, and regulations do no harm to Texas tenant farmers. It is estimated that this has cost Texas rice farmers over $65 million dollars.
Every single county in this district plays a significant role in our agricultural production. Not only rice but also cotton, sugar, corn, and many other grains are grown. We must continue to work to reduce regulations such as Estate Taxes that threaten the family farms of Texas. I grew up in a rural farming area and spent many a summer day bailing hay or just riding the tractor with my grandpa. The roots of America are virtually grounded in the soil that families have labored on for decades. It’s imperative that American families are not prevented by government regulations from keeping family farms that rightly belong to them. We must never forget how important the American farmer still is in our very independence as a nation and ensure that we never become dependent on foreign agriculture.
Texas shrimpers also face issues including destruction of habitat from both natural conditions such as hurricanes and through human induced pressures. There are over 770 miles of federally maintained navigation channels and more than 500 dredge spoil disposal sites. Many of these changes have led to the destruction of needed sea grass. Unnecessary regulations to protect sea turtles have also led to a reduction in the shrimping season along our coast. This coupled with increased imports from overseas is having a negative impact on the shrimp industry. As a member of the Coastal Conservation Association and as a representative for you in Congress I will always seek to improve the quality of our Texas coastline and protect the economic interests of our shrimpers and commercial fishermen.
